Neutering/Spaying your cat?

[Josh]

Has anyone noticed a change in your cat's demeanor after having them spayed? Just curious what other people's experience has been.

[ThisGeekyChick]

They put on a bit of weight, they are quieter (no more meowling when in heat) and they become more affectionate (compared to when they are not in heat).
The boys hang closer to the house, don't spray all over the place and become lazy.. hehe. They too become more affectionate cause they don't have all that testosterone running through their system.
All my cats and 3 of the 4 dogs are fixed. The pup goes in next week to get her 'big snip'. YAY!

[AnnaXLA1]

yep if it is a tom they do mellow out quite a bit after their manly parts are removed lol, and as YukonChick stated they gain a bit of weight. Not sure about he females but I'd think it would be the same.

[chicklady]

I have neutered/spayed a lot of cats throughout the years. Typically as the others have stated they do tend to gain weight and calm down but not necessarily. I have one spayed female (spayed at the usual 6 months) and is about 7 years old now. She only weighs about 5 lbs. and she sprays just like a male does (she is an outside cat of course). I've also seen some males continue to spray after they have been neutered. Regardless, spaying and neutering is extremely important and very healthy for them. Just don't be surprised whatever the outcome is.

[Heidicat]

Spaying and neutering, are a "must" if you want your cat or dog to stick around the house. I am part of a no-kill shelter, and we have been "fixing" cats and dogs at 2-4 months of age and have not seen the spraying start. It is very new to do it soooo young, but we have have had no troubles with it. Females, will not go into a "heat", and there for will not yell and meow themselves out of a home, and the boys, will not "mark" their home ranges as much, they will still mark, if they are outside cats. But, not as much, and only in the farthest corners of their turf. I have 3 boys in the house and have no spraying, in the house. But I have seen them do it way out on the fence posts, that surround the pasture. That is OK for me, due to the high number of strays that are around. People think that it is ok to dump them, cause there is a barn there, and the farmer wants more mouths to feed. NOT!

Dogs, to benefit from spaying and neutering, females will not bleed littel drops of blood on the carpet, and males will get more lazy andhappy, no more humping your leg, or your poor little kids, or grandkids! The best age we have found for dogs, is 3-4 months, and so far,so good, at the shelter. Unless you are a breeder, who wants to have puppies or kittens, then PLEASE spay and/or neuter. I see tons of lonely critters, that were born with out a home, and are not wanted, then we recieve them, and try to adopt them out. Which doesn't always happen, and then they have a long lonely life at the shelter. Right now, we are OUT of room, and can not accept any new animals, which is sad, because the vets only keep them 3-5 days and then they are put down. Doesn't matter if they are pure-bred or a mutt, cat or dog, they are killed, because someone down the line didn't spay or neuter their pet.

Sorry to ramble on and on, but it is a subject very close to my heart, so my answer is of course, is to definately fix your animal, please! They make better pets in the long run. encouragingly, Heidi

[Heidicat]

Ok, now off the soap box! LOL!, yes Josh you will see a change in kitty, he might just be still upset over the stay at teh vets, and may be sore, but give him a little time, and he will be back at his antics. My Frankie, was p.o,'ed at me for about 2-3 weeks, and then he came around, all he did was sleep on my bed, and eat. He may not be AS crazy as before, but in most cases, that is a welcome change, that is if he was a holy terror to begin with! LOL I have Booger, who a heavy weight, after being fixed, but then the other 2 are not? So I htink it depends on the activity the cat gets. Hey, any pics of the little guy??? Figured out that camera yet?? Can't wait to see him!

[Josh]

Thanks everyone for chiming in and giving me info, he's been neutered recently. Unlike my previous cat (a girl) who became very calm, gained weight, etc (like what everyone said), this guy is still pretty crazy. Maybe it's just because he's a boy, and boys are so mischievous? Whereas my other cat would run from my chickens and hide when neighborhood cats came around, Panther chases my birds and pursues any feline invaders whenever they step foot in my yard.

Quite opposite characters.

And Heidi, I agree completely. I even have "Spay/Neuter" pamphlets so I can spread the word. ;D As for pictures, see my other post!

[bbuckbee]

Hey Josh,
I agree about the importance of getting cats and dogs fixed. We've had cats in our house for almost fifteen years! The first cat that we had had a few litters before she was fixed, and after becoming fixed she stayed close to home. She seemed calmer, and she didn't gain a lot of weight.
Our second two cats (who were sisters) had one litter of kittens each before they were fixed. One of the cats, Buffy, was never gone for more than one night at a time, and always stuck close to home. Her sister, Chippy, is the same way, though there was a time where she was gone for two weeks!
We kept one of Chippy's kittens, a brindle cat named Tinko. We got her fixed before she had any kittens and she's quite different from the others. She is usually gone for two to four days at a time, and has even disappeared for two weeks! We're not sure where she goes, but we know that she doesn't starve because she's never skinny after returning home from her "trips." She always stays pretty chubby..lol.
Our newest addition to the family is a Tom cat aptly named, Sir Thomas Kitten. He appeared out of nowhere in our backyard one evening. My daughter was spending time with the chickens, and she kept hearing this screaming noise. Fearing for the chickens, she went to see what was wrong and found a little male, dark colored tabby sitting at the edge of the neighbors corn field. We immediately adopted each other! While our other cats don't care for our chickens, Thomas seems to think he IS a chicken. He will lay in the grass with them, and they allow him to eat their food, which he loves (especially if they're eating corn cobs)! After we had taken him to the vet to determine how old he was, the vet confirmed our fears that someone had dropped him off. Tomorrow, we are taking him to the vet to get his male parts fixed, and since we have never owned a Tom before (and thought that we never would own one) we're hoping that his loving, homebody attitude won't change.
Anyway (to make a long story short) fixing our cats was a good idea because they stay close to home (with the exception of Tinko) and it's difficult to constantly take care of new litters of kittens.