Neutered Cat Still Has Urges

[Alicia88]

Connor is the black kitty
I would like an expert opinion. All 3 of my cats have been neutered. Connor was neutered at 5 months, as soon as he started showing signs of puberty. He likes to steal and molest stuffed animals. A retained testicle was suggested so I called the vet who neutered him and was told he didn't have one. We also fostered a female for several months and couldn't get her fixed right away. She did not get pregnant, so he's clearly shooting blanks. He's now 2 years old. Is it possible he just has more testosterone than most cats? He's very large - about 22 pounds - and not fat at all. He's a solid brick. Any suggestions for changing this behavior?

 

[Daisy6]

Both cats in the picture are cute.

 

[Alicia88]

Thank you. They're littermates. Connor and Murphy.

 

[Esther Mechler]

I hope Dr. Bushby will weigh in on this. Sounds like you had Connor neutered at the right age. We also have a large male cat who is all muscle and full of beans. Giuseppe is 17 pounds and sounds a lot like Connor. If Connor's behavior is a problem, you may want to work with an animal behaviorist, but if he is just a lovable rascal you can modify the activities you don't want gently over time. Here is Giuseppe.

 

[Esther Mechler]

I hope Dr. Bushby will weigh in on this. Sounds like you had Connor neutered at the right age. We also have a large male cat who is all muscle and full of beans. Giuseppe is 17 pounds and sounds a lot like Connor. If Connor's behavior is a problem, you may want to work with an animal behaviorist, but if he is just a lovable rascal you can modify the activities you don't want gently over time. Here is Giuseppe.

 

[Alicia88]

It's slightly annoying, but not a huge problem. I just try to grab the stuffed animal and run it through the washer before the kids get it again.

 

[Esther Mechler]

Perfect. I would have loved to show you Giuseppe but was unable to get the photo to send. He is big and solid like Connor and an absolute sweetheart. All the best to you and yours - sounds like you have it under control. Maybe rub Connor's stuffed animal with some catnip so he prefers it to the others?

Thanks

 

[Alicia88]

That's an idea. Connor is a sweetie, too. He's not quite as snuggly as Murphy or Mickey but I don't think any cat snuggle mauls like Murphy and Mickey is a close second. Connor definitely gets his loves in, though.

 

[Dr. Phil Bushby]

View attachment 247750
Connor is the black kitty
I would like an expert opinion. All 3 of my cats have been neutered. Connor was neutered at 5 months, as soon as he started showing signs of puberty. He likes to steal and molest stuffed animals. A retained testicle was suggested so I called the vet who neutered him and was told he didn't have one. We also fostered a female for several months and couldn't get her fixed right away. She did not get pregnant, so he's clearly shooting blanks. He's now 2 years old. Is it possible he just has more testosterone than most cats? He's very large - about 22 pounds - and not fat at all. He's a solid brick. Any suggestions for changing this behavior?

This is highly unusual. That means there is no easy answer. Testicles are the primary source of testosterone, so if both testicles have been removed testosterone should be either absent or extremely low. The fact that this cat was neutered at 5 months of age, makes it even more unusual, because he was castrated before any sexual behaviors should have begun.

If you are absolutely positive that the veterinarian removed both testicles the only suggestion I can make is to remove all stuffed animals and see if that breaks the habit.

If it does not you could have his testosterone levels checked. But if the results come back high then you still have the challenge of figuring out where the testosterone is being produced.

 

[Alicia88]

How long does it take for it to become habit? Connor and Murphy were litter mates and house cats since birth. They were around 12 weeks old when they came to me and I kept them inside, too. Called about having them neutered and was told they don't do it until 6 months or the first sign of puberty so I made appointments for 6 months.
At 5 months, they started showing signs. Connor was always the alpha. He would grab Murphy by the back of the neck and mount him, like he does with the stuffed animals. I was able to move their appointments up but this went on for about a week - and I stopped it right away every time.
When we found Mickey, he was with us for about 2 weeks before we could get him in to be neutered. Connor and Mickey had a bit of a power struggle, but Connor won. He's a born alpha. The mounting happened a few times with Mickey, too. The vet aged Mickey at about 8 months. Connor and Murphy were 7 months old at the time.
If there are no stuffed animals available, Connor finds something else. He likes plush things. He'll use soft, plush blankets, too, but he seems to prefer the stuffed animals.
Could it have become a habit in the short time between him starting puberty and getting neutered?
Also, the female we fostered, Marcy, went into heat the day after we brought her inside, and she only looked like she was about 3 or 4 months old. I think she's just a smaller cat. Maybe she was just too malnourished as a kitten to grow right. The heat lasted about 2 months and we had her for 4 months before we had the money to get her spayed. We weren't planning on another cat, but she was half starved and we couldn't just leave her. Mickey kept mounting her while she was in herh, even though he had been neutered. Now she's living with my best friend because we couldn't keep her. We needed a bigger place and searched for months but couldn't find a place that would let us keep them all. We're only supposed to have 2 cats, anyway, so Mickey is a secret and we have to take him for a drive when we have inspections.

 

[Alicia88]

Also, could this be a sign that there's something wrong with him? If he is still producing testosterone, could it be harmful? If not, I don't want to spend the money to find out. We can't really afford it. If it's a necessity, I'll find a way, somehow.

 

[Dr. Phil Bushby]

How long does it take for it to become habit? Connor and Murphy were litter mates and house cats since birth. They were around 12 weeks old when they came to me and I kept them inside, too. Called about having them neutered and was told they don't do it until 6 months or the first sign of puberty so I made appointments for 6 months.
At 5 months, they started showing signs. Connor was always the alpha. He would grab Murphy by the back of the neck and mount him, like he does with the stuffed animals. I was able to move their appointments up but this went on for about a week - and I stopped it right away every time.
When we found Mickey, he was with us for about 2 weeks before we could get him in to be neutered. Connor and Mickey had a bit of a power struggle, but Connor won. He's a born alpha. The mounting happened a few times with Mickey, too. The vet aged Mickey at about 8 months. Connor and Murphy were 7 months old at the time.
If there are no stuffed animals available, Connor finds something else. He likes plush things. He'll use soft, plush blankets, too, but he seems to prefer the stuffed animals.
Could it have become a habit in the short time between him starting puberty and getting neutered?
Also, the female we fostered, Marcy, went into heat the day after we brought her inside, and she only looked like she was about 3 or 4 months old. I think she's just a smaller cat. Maybe she was just too malnourished as a kitten to grow right. The heat lasted about 2 months and we had her for 4 months before we had the money to get her spayed. We weren't planning on another cat, but she was half starved and we couldn't just leave her. Mickey kept mounting her while she was in herh, even though he had been neutered. Now she's living with my best friend because we couldn't keep her. We needed a bigger place and searched for months but couldn't find a place that would let us keep them all. We're only supposed to have 2 cats, anyway, so Mickey is a secret and we have to take him for a drive when we have inspections.

Also, could this be a sign that there's something wrong with him? If he is still producing testosterone, could it be harmful? If not, I don't want to spend the money to find out. We can't really afford it. If it's a necessity, I'll find a way, somehow.

It is highly unlikely that he developed this habit in such a short time. Which leads us back to does he have a retained testicle somewhere, or some ectopic tissue producing testosterone.

Here are the things that could eventually be bad. If it is a retained testicle there are two things that could go wrong (in addition to his behavior): 1. There is a very remote chance that at some point in time the testicle (if in the abdomen) could twist. This would allow arterial blood to flow into the testicle, but venous blood not be able to escape. The testicle would continually enlarge and become very painful. (This condition is very rare - in 40 years I have seen it in one dog and never in a cat). 2. Retained testicles have a increased chance of developing tumors. Again, rare but can happen.

If it is some other tissue producing testosterone that would almost always be a tumor. But very unlikely at this age.

So now that I have scared you, if you can tolerate the behavior the chances that any of three of the conditions above occurring, I would NOT worry about them.

It still leaves the question of why is this happening and without lots of diagnostic testing, you will probable never get the answer.

Wish I could be more helpful.

 

[Dr. Phil Bushby]

It is highly unlikely that he developed this habit in such a short time. Which leads us back to does he have a retained testicle somewhere, or some ectopic tissue producing testosterone.

Here are the things that could eventually be bad. If it is a retained testicle there are two things that could go wrong (in addition to his behavior): 1. There is a very remote chance that at some point in time the testicle (if in the abdomen) could twist. This would allow arterial blood to flow into the testicle, but venous blood not be able to escape. The testicle would continually enlarge and become very painful. (This condition is very rare - in 40 years I have seen it in one dog and never in a cat). 2. Retained testicles have a increased chance of developing tumors. Again, rare but can happen.

If it is some other tissue producing testosterone that would almost always be a tumor. But very unlikely at this age.

So now that I have scared you, if you can tolerate the behavior the chances that any of three of the conditions above occurring, I would NOT worry about them.

It still leaves the question of why is this happening and without lots of diagnostic testing, you will probable never get the answer.

Wish I could be more helpful.

Correction: The next to last paragraph should have said:
So now that I have scared you, if you can tolerate the behavior the chances that any of three of the conditions above occurring are so small that I would NOT worry about them.

 

[Alicia88]

Ok, thanks. Since the chances of an actual health problem are so low, I can live with my curiosity rather than spending an obscene amount of money. Are there other symptoms I should watch for with those three conditions?
Can a retained testicle make it possible for him to impregnate a female? I have 3 males and they're strict house cats, but we all know cats can be sneaky and I'd hate for him to slip out and cause a litter. But, we did have Marcy for about 4 months before she was spayed and he didn't manage to impregnate her.

 

[Dr. Phil Bushby]

Ok, thanks. Since the chances of an actual health problem are so low, I can live with my curiosity rather than spending an obscene amount of money. Are there other symptoms I should watch for with those three conditions?
Can a retained testicle make it possible for him to impregnate a female? I have 3 males and they're strict house cats, but we all know cats can be sneaky and I'd hate for him to slip out and cause a litter. But, we did have Marcy for about 4 months before she was spayed and he didn't manage to impregnate her.

For the torsion (twisted) retained testicle what you would see is intense pain. A tumor of a retained testicle would present as a mass in the abdomen and may result in more intense male behaviors.

If it is some other source of testosterone, any clinical signs would be completely dependent on what the tumor was and where it was.

A retained testicle would be sterile - so he would not be able to impregnate a female cat.

 

[Alicia88]

Ok, good to know. The vet who did the neutering said they got both testicles. Is it possible he's a bit of a mutant and had a third one? LOL
And, could this just be a dominance thing? He's definitely alpha cat so maybe he "dominates" stuffed animals? Or is that just crazy?