Do I have to neuter male? kitten

My male kitten is about 4 months old and he is such a sweetheart I hate to risk a change in his personality by having him neutered. If I do not neuter him is he bound to spray. That's the yucky part. Please help.

Yep, neuter him ASAP, once adolescence kicks in he will spray and try to get outside & if he is outside, he'll start wandering looking for females. It is their nature & I have yet to find a way around it

Hi Dee,

Yes it will change his personality FOR THE BETTER, if you don't you will not be able to stand the smell of the urine and the spraying, and he will not contribute to the cat already overpopulation. I would wait just before 6 months and if you get a female it's 4 months. Yes get your sweety a companion

All the best.

If you wait until he starts to spray, you run the risk of never having him stop. Once they learn, many cats never stop, neutered or not. There is no reason to take the risk. There is more than just spraying at risk to an intact tom. They will roam more away from their family looking for females. They are more inclined to fight with other male cats (also increasing the risk of exposure to disease). They may spray. They are at risk of prostate and testicular cancer. Neutering a kitten will not 'change' the kittens personality. What it will do is prevent undesirable behavior from developing. Once developed, there is no guarantee that the undesirable behavior will stop. If you want to risk not 'changing' his personality once these things develop, then don't neuter.

: neuter him is he bound to spray. That's the yucky part. Please help.

It depends. Here in Holland vets tend to neuter cats when they're about a year old

On 30 Oct 1996, Maarten D. de Jong wrote:

I would have to very politely disagree with waiting until he starts spraying to get him neutered. Once they start to spray, neutering will not stop them because they have already learned the habit. Get him neutered at six months. You will *both* be much happier this way. It will not change his purrsonality. And you won't end up with a grouchy boy who wants to go outside to mate. Eva

Absolutely neuter him very soon. Do not wait until he starts spraying, as one post suggested, because there's a chance he will continue to spray after. Also, neutered cats tend to be a bit calmer in nature, since they are not prone to the mating urges. Also, they will be less likely to roam (if allowed outdoors unsupervised) and get into fights (read *abscesses*). Not to mention the most obvious benefit, of not contributing to the already incredible overpopulation.

The only change in personality is for the better... no more biting, being overly aggressive & YOWLING at the top of his lungs.....

My question is: why would anyone *not* neuter or spay their cat? (with the exception of purebred breeding stock, I suppose) Females get pregnant, increasing the unwanted pet population. Males tend to roam and terrorize the neighborhood, impregnating unspayed females and fighting. If you intend to keep the cat strictly indoors, you will be turned off by the smell of unneutered male urine (not much good to say for those male hormones)whether it is spraying or using the litter box. And who needs a female in heat attracting everyone elses cat to spray on your property??