neutering?????? - Paw Talk

kitten76 · #1 09-06-2005, 09:51 PM

We recently got our family a male kitten. We really got him to keep the rats out of our back yard due to the fact that they drained the lake and the rats have scattered all ove the nieghborhood.
My question is...If I get him neutered will he stick around or will he stray off? He will be an indoor and outddor cat. Are there anyways that you may know of to keep him around so the rats stay out of my yard?
On another note, I know he is too little right now to be a mouser/ratter. So he will be indoors to be safe until he is a bit older. I dont want you all to think I am cruel.
Thank you all.

CTChin · #2 09-06-2005, 11:09 PM

I say neuter him or he will concentrate more on protecting his territory and chasing girls rather than hunting rats.

pihlaja · #3 09-07-2005, 02:02 AM

Whatever you do, NEUTER him. Not only will it help in keeping him around, it will ensure that he doesn't contribute to the already overpopulated stray cat population.

And, contrary to popular belief, neutering usually does not make a cat (or dog) lazy. I have a neutered male cat myself that is around 4-5 years old and he still has a frisky streak in him.

Also, if you neuter him young (5-6 months is usually the recommended age), the chances of him spraying in your house are GREATLY reduced!

As for having him be an indoor/outdoor cat, I would suggest doing the introduction to the great outdoors very slowly. Buy him a collar with ID tag (microchipping is a great option, too, along with the ID tag--if his ID tag were to accidentally fall off, a shelter could still get him back to you if he were microchipped) and a cat harness and take him out on supervised walks at first so he gets familiar with his territory and surroundings.

This slow introduction started at a young age will also help in decreasing the chances of him running away.

Also, since he will be going outdoors, it is very important to keep ALL his vaccinations up to date (not just the rabies one) and to check him often for fleas and ticks.

***Dena*** · #4 09-07-2005, 02:22 AM

Neutering will definitely help to keep him around. Most male cats are lost because they go off ahunting for a girlfriend. I've heard many people say that females make much better hunters but a mouse got into my house one night and my females completely ignored it. My male so nicely placed it next to his food bowl expecting a prize. So in my house the boy brings home the bacon.

pihlaja · #5 09-07-2005, 02:28 AM

Well, here my kitties haven't had a chance to catch a mouse.

Just bugs--it seems the mice are too scared to enter our home.

But, in Louisiana Gerona was the Lizard Catching QUEEN! Though, unlike Dena's boy (Magilla), Gerona ate her catch.

Thankfully, she's not into sharing.

kitten76 · #6 09-07-2005, 09:42 AM

Thank you all for your input. I DO NOT want to contribute to the over population of any animal. I took Mr. Jim Noodles this morning to be neutered and vaccinated. And considering the roaches here are nearly the size of mice, the kitten has had a chance to mouse a bit! He is very young, 10 wks, so I am a bit worried. But they said as long as he is 2 lbs he is good to go. ( he weighed in at 2 lbs 1 oz). I dont think his previous owner took very good care of him. When I brought him home he was skin and bones and had runny eyes and a little sneeze. The runny eyes are gone, thanks to this board with great info, and the sneezing has subsided. Almost gone. I want to thank all of you very much for your in put. I will post a picture of Mr. Jim Noodles as soon as he is well.

HappyDancer · #7 09-07-2005, 11:02 AM

my cat caught a mouse, she was 8 weeks old, but she didn't kill it lol...brought it to my mom and put it in her lap...was a pretty funny site...now we no longer get any mice because our dogs catch them...my cat is no longer able to catch them, the whole brain damage thing...she tries to go after a bug but always misses and hits her poor head...

oh and just to add to the topic alway nueter...where I live there are so many stray cats its sad...our feline foundation fixes them free or at a very cheap cost if we catch them and then release them back to where we caught them

stormy · #8 09-07-2005, 01:01 PM

He will more than likely stray if you don't have him neutered!
He will be healthier and happier nuetered, plus he won't otherwise be preoccupied with the ladies and will be able to focus on his duties!!

pihlaja · #9 09-07-2005, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kitten76


	He is very young, 10 wks, so I am a bit worried. But they said as long as he is 2 lbs he is good to go. ( he weighed in at 2 lbs 1 oz). I dont think his previous owner took very good care of him. When I brought him home he was skin and bones and had runny eyes and a little sneeze. The runny eyes are gone, thanks to this board with great info, and the sneezing has subsided. Almost gone. I want to thank all of you very much for your in put. I will post a picture of Mr. Jim Noodles as soon as he is well.

Glad to hear he's found such a caring family and is doing so well now!

And he has such a cute name!

Pictures are definetely a must!

Here in Finland, my vets wanted Galina (my smallest cat) to be 4 pounds before they would spay her, so she wasn't spayed until she was roughly 9 months old. However, in America I've heard about some shelters doing successful spay and neuters as young as 8 weeks, so I don't think you have much to worry about.

Oh, are the roaches you have those HUGE wood roaches that LOVE to fly at you?

I remember my aunt's house having some of the largest cockroaches I'd ever seen in Louisiana. They were some VERY big roaches! Normally they preferred living outside, but in the winter would migrate to the indoors when it started getting chilly.

Trickiesmurf · #10 09-20-2005, 01:02 AM

My vet wouldnt let me spay or neuter a cat untill they are at least 6 lbs my cat barly made the cut. she was 2 tenths under and since i had made the appointment with my spring break it was important that it was done. Any way be careful and watch the kitten if they neuter them young. My vet doestn like it when shelter neuters and spays too young cause it can cause respitory infections. You need to keep your kitten in the house till i think there at least 4 to 6 months old. Also Rowan gave you a great idea. Leash and harness is a good way to show them there territory. They ussly just stay in their yard dont ventute too far. My neibors cat has my yard her yard and part of the other yard as her teritory. Good luck.