male cat question

Question
First, my 5-month old male cat comes home today from the vet after his surgery for neutering. I got it done as soon as I could when I saw him exhibiting "hormonal" behavior toward my female cat (she is spayed). I want to know if this will discontinue the strong smell of his urine, which became very strong smelling lately. I also hope that neutering will keep him from straying from home, as he started speeding out between our feet each time a door opened. These questions weren't properly answered by the vet staff. I thank you in advance.

Answer
Patricia,

Yes, thank goodness it will get rid of the strong urine smell. It takes a little while for the raging hormones to completely leave the body so he may still act like a stud cat for a few days, but not necessarily. Some cats, when they get about 3 years old, even though they are neutered will still mentally react to the smell of a female in heat. But only in the way that they will try to 'hump' another animal, a stuffed animal, or a person's leg. It's just mental, not physical.

Your cat may still try to get outside only because some cats are natural hunters and enjoy going outside. But he won't be trying to get out to go to a female.

He will be sleepy and may sleep most of the day. It is most likely the other cat/cats will hiss and slap at him because of the strange smells of surgery and the animal smells he brings home on his coat. They may think he is a different cat. Cats recognize other cats by smell, not by sight. With humans, cats recognize voices, not sight.

Do not feed him very much the first day because the remenants of the anesthetic may make him vomit. There aren't any stiches but don't let him outside for a few days because you need to keep the site dirt free. He should be back to normal physically in about 3 days.


According to the MarVista Animal Hospital:

ROAMING
90% will reduce this behavior with neutering
Approx. 60% reduce this behavior right away

FIGHTING
90% will reduce this behavior with neutering
Approx. 60% reduce this behavior right away

URINE MARKING
90% will reduce this behavior with neutering
Approx. 80% reduce this behavior right away
 

If you still have questions don't hesitate to call the vet's office. They should be available to answer any questions. It's part of the package deal! Also call them if for some reason your cat starts acting funny or sick (but that is not common).

I hope this helped and feel free to write back if you need more info. And thanks for being a responsible cat owner!

Tabbi