My kitten is being castrated tomorrow, will he change?

Question

He's a bit scratchy and bitey right now, but he is so much fun, I love him to absolute pieces and would be heartbroken if the operation stole his spirit.

Can any cat owners put my mind at rest?

Answer 1

You will hardly notice any difference, and neither will he - once they've gone, the urge goes too! It shouldn't affect his kittenish playfulness, but will help prevent him wandering off in search of
'laydeez', getting into fights, and spraying very nasty smells around the place! P.S. Point of information for readers: castrating a cat means removing the testicles - the penis is not involved in the operation.

Answer 2

As long as your kitten is at least 6 months there should be no problems with this operation at all.With a male it take roughly 5 minutes to do the whole castration.The main worry is the anisthetic part as some cats can be allergic but it is very rare anything does go wrong.My cats have all been fine with it.The vets practice will probably keep him for most of the day after the op to make sure he as come round properly.He may seem quite groggy when you are able to bring him home and abit all over the place and maybe off his food for the first day which is normal so do not panic.
After the op some cats are at risk of catching a urinary tract infection so just watch out for any unusual habbits when he comes to using his tray.
Your kitten will not change,it will just prevent him from fighting other cats and straying.My kitten is 4 months and he his like that at the moment,wanting to bite and torment my other cat in a playful way.
I am sure everything will go ok,he will be in good hands and back home again before you know it.The vets usually tell you to ring back at a certain time just so they can tell you how everything as gone and a time you can pick him up.If anything went wrong they would ring you up so try and relax.
Good luck with that anyway and hope i have been of some help.

Answer 3

The only change he will notice is he will sit "gingerly" for a couple days... Seriously, he will still probably be a bit scratchy and bitey until he's grown out of kittenhood. It's an old wive's tale that he'll get fat, lazy, etc. He'll get no more fat or lazy than any other housecat - some retain their playfulness, some become couch potatoes - it's temperment. He won't indiscriminately spray like an unaltered male (who is responding just to hormones and the "perfume of a lady cat anywhere his nose can find it"). However, there are some cats (both male and female, fixed or not) who have been known to spray urine but that is usually only under fear/stress. The only time it happened to me was when I brought home my first cat on a visit to my parents for a holiday and our old housecat (who was fixed) and had been an "only child" for 10 years. Tigger sprayed the bathroom door with urine on the outside - my male/fixed young adult cat was inside. And Tigger never did it again after we left; needless to say, we respected his wishes to not ever have another "guest" in his space... cat owner for years (like since the dinosaurs...)

Answer 4

You shouldn't notice any change in him at all. It's such a sensible thing to do and will stop him wandering, fighting and reduce the chances of him spraying in your house.
I've got 2 male cats, both who have been neutered, and they're still just as loving, playful etc as they always were. I used to work as a veterinary nurse too and never had any complaints from any one who had their cats snipped! And by the way he won't hate you either - cats don't think like that, he'll just be pleased to come home with you when it's all over!

Answer 5

When my female cat got spayed she changed completely. She was lazy and easy going. But right afterward she changed into a very neurotic cat and got scared easily. She made a HUGE change. (My other female cat didn't have this problem though)

But I have male cats that have been neutered and it never made any difference in their personalities. When they are older they will be more civilized around other male cats and will not fight as much or try to dominate. They will also not be as territorial.

I think it might depend on the individual cat, but any personality change in terms of spirit isnt common.

Answer 6

He shouldn't change but I found when mine was 'done' that he didn't wander far from home which was a bonus because I always knew where he was. He'll be less scratchy and bitey as he matures but he'll always be loads of fun. Keep playing with him.

Answer 7

He'll be fine. He might be a bit calmer, but I've never really noticed a big change in my cats after a spay/neuter. The only thing is that you will have to watch his weight as he gets older, neutered males tend to gain more weight than non-neutered males.

Answer 8

he would change only a lil-- won't be as scratchy or bitey-- but they kinda grown outta that when they get older! castration is a great idea simply because cats can get all kinda of diseases form other cats-- some worst case scenarios feline leukaemia (however you spell it!). so its better to get them neutred. mainly his agresssion will reduce so he wont go out looking to fight other male cats!! cats rule! :D

Answer 9

I had my two kittens (1 male, 1 female) "done" a few months ago. There was no major change in personality for either of them and they recovered from the ops without problems.

Toms are more inclined to wander off in search of females and are therefore more likely to get lost or in fights. By removing his testicles he will lose his sex drive and therefore the inclination to go off looking for girls!

If you are really worried talk to your vet and they will explain things properly.

Answer 10

Mine didnt change a bit but I didnt have him done until 9 months old. The first week after the operation, he might not be himself though.