BlsdMama Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 I swear I really am a farm kid. I didn't even look........................... Boots is not a girl. Boots is a boy. Mittens is a girl. Obviously Boots needs to be fixed. If we get him fixed right away will he still spray? He's my favorite of the two but I am *not* doing spraying. :( :( :( :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 We've had three male cats. All were fixed very young by rescues. One urinated inappropriately around ages 4-8, but it wasn't spraying. None of mine (all indoor) has sprayed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 Unless you plan to breed cats, all cats, male and female should be fixed. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 I would fix any and all house cats too. If you get your male fixed and he is young, there is a good chance he will stop spraying. It would have been better to get him fixed as soon as it was allowed. I've only had male cats and none of them haver sprayed with early spaying. That said, sometimes urinating outside the box can be a sign of a problem. We did have a male cat with urinary crystals that did this for a short time. We took him in and got him medication and changed his diet. And he never did it again and lived to be 16. So that might be something to check out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted November 4, 2015 Author Share Posted November 4, 2015 Unless you plan to breed cats, all cats, male and female should be fixed. Never. Never ever ever ever breeding cats. Ever. ;) Aren't there health risks to spaying a female though? I can understand if you are going to have an indoor/outdoor animal, but Mittens cannot be outside. In all honesty, our dogs would rip her apart. They aren't cat fans. She can never be outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted November 4, 2015 Author Share Posted November 4, 2015 I would fix any and all house cats too. If you get your male fixed and he is young, there is a good chance he will stop spraying. It would have been better to get him fixed as soon as it was allowed. I've only had male cats and none of them haver sprayed with early spaying. That said, sometimes urinating outside the box can be a sign of a problem. We did have a male cat with urinary crystals that did this for a short time. We took him in and got him medication and changed his diet. And he never did it again and lived to be 16. So that might be something to check out. Is there an age at which they can't be fixed? Their birthdays are July 4th, so they'll be six months old very soon. (And if you don't mind talking about his diet....) We use Fancy Feast CLASSIC (*only as it has no soy, grain, etc.) and Costco's grain free food together in tandem with water always available.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 No, they can be fixed any time. I think most vets will do it once they hit 2 lbs. I think recovery is easier when they are younger and they are less likely to establish troublesome behaviors. I think it's safest to fix both male and females. Females can get moody/weird too when they're in heat. And even if you never intend to let them out, sometimes they have a way of sneaking out anyway. I have not heard of huge downsides. Everyone I know that has house cats, male and female, has had them fixed. I would be surprised if a kitty that young had urinary issues regardless of diet! :) 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 No, they can be fixed any time. I think most vets will do it once they hit 2 lbs. I think recovery is easier when they are younger and they are less likely to establish troublesome behaviors. I think it's safest to fix both male and females. Females can get moody/weird too when they're in heat. And even if you never intend to let them out, sometimes they have a way of sneaking out anyway. I have not heard of huge downsides. Everyone I know that has house cats, male and female, has had them fixed. I would be surprised if a kitty that young had urinary issues regardless of diet! :) Yes, I missed that you were considering not spaying the female. I thought you were urgently researching the male for behavioral purposes. Be careful she doesn't go into heat sooner than you get them fixed. They won't care about their family tree not branching. I wouldn't wait on either! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanier.1765 Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 Here the Humane Society fixes all cats for free. Look to see if you have something like that available in your area so it's more affordable to get both cats done. Really, you'll be happier and the cats will be happier if both of them are fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 If they were mine I'd get both of them fixed yesterday. I can't imagine ever voluntarily living with a female cat in heat. Eek! There are health risks to spaying and neutering. There are health risks to unspayed and unneutered pets. I would never NOT have a cat fixed. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Okra Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 We got our cat from the local animal rescue. All dogs and cats adopted from there are already spayed/neutered. EXCEPT our sweet girl kitty somehow slipped through the cracks and wasn't spayed. The first time she went into heat she was so stressed. She ended up getting a urinary tract infection also. Long story short, she was fixed when she was about nine months with no lasting bad effects. I would make certain to fix the girl kitty too. Going into heat isn't very fun for kitties. (or for their owners) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted November 4, 2015 Author Share Posted November 4, 2015 Oh carp. I never even thought about a cat in heat. I'm an idiot. I deal with Bris and heat cycles... You think this would have occurred to me. Why do I think about the cats like stuffed animals? They lie around, they aren't difficult, and I never clean up poo. Life is good... Right up until about 9:00 this morning, lol. Will make calls today. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Our elderly male was fixed at about 5 months and has never sprayed in the house, he's 16. Our kitten is about 4 1/2 months (we're not exactly sure as she was malnourished when we got her and tiny so it's a kind of best guess age by the vet) came into heat about a fortnight ago, she was spayed last week. Cat in heat is very annoying and it's obviously all they think about and seems very stressful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 I've always had fixed cats (male and female). I'd get them both fixed. My male cat does not spray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawana Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Agreeing with getting both cats fixed as soon as possible. We have a 10 yo male that was fixed young. No spraying or inappropriate urination ever. Also have a 3 yo female we rescued as a 5 week old. Vet wanted to spay her at 6 months, but she went into heat at 5 months and was driving us all NUTS, so they went ahead and fixed her then. What a weird cat that on is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 Oh my goodness. Lock them up separately Right now. They can start getting it on as early as 4 months!!! And my male cats don't spray. I have two of them. I've had two others. ONE urinated out of the box, but it was a stress issue, not a boy cat issue. And females in heat are AWFUL. And they just stay in heat, rotating in and out for maybe a week, yowling, etc. Ugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 Hang on. Are you the person who posted about a cat who was constantly in the box and only spraying to get the pee out? I thought that was strange. Females don't spray, as far as I know. They don't have the same equipment to get that job done. I don't what they call it now, but if your cat has "bladder blockage" which is what they called it when I was a kid and my parents had 8 indoor cats, it's life threatening, really, really fast. Wait.....no....this thread is a few days old. Where's the other thread about the spraying cat?? Is this all related or not? Ugh. I need to go back to bed. And get everyone fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 Never. Never ever ever ever breeding cats. Ever. ;) Aren't there health risks to spaying a female though? I can understand if you are going to have an indoor/outdoor animal, but Mittens cannot be outside. In all honesty, our dogs would rip her apart. They aren't cat fans. She can never be outside. I'm all about keeping cats indoors, but that doesn't mean they absolutely won't get out. When I was very young, I had two female cats who kept yowling at the back door for me to let them in in the wee hours. I couldn't figure it out for weeks. Turns out, they had slashed the very bottom of a bathroom window screen and were slipping out after bed, but couldn't jump high enough to come back in. One of my male cats, after years of no issue, has taken to trying to escape every time the front door opens. We've been able to capture him pretty quickly each time, but there's no telling how far he may bolt some day. (This is one of the many reasons we don't declaw.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted November 7, 2015 Author Share Posted November 7, 2015 Hang on. Are you the person who posted about a cat who was constantly in the box and only spraying to get the pee out? I thought that was strange. Females don't spray, as far as I know. They don't have the same equipment to get that job done. I don't what they call it now, but if your cat has "bladder blockage" which is what they called it when I was a kid and my parents had 8 indoor cats, it's life threatening, really, really fast. Wait.....no....this thread is a few days old. Where's the other thread about the spraying cat?? Is this all related or not? Ugh. I need to go back to bed. And get everyone fixed. Nope, not my spraying cats. These two have been the most lovely roommates since they came. Called the local cat league or whatever it is called... They do spay/neuter for the humane society and the general public. Neutering is dirt cheap... Unlike when we took our terrier in. Each will cost $40 and it will be over with. She suggested they do it at the same time so they are both tender and slow for a bit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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