Running Off And Opinions On Neutering

[Bella1999]

So lately my new kitten Pharoah has been trying to run off out of our porch after he goes to the bathroom. For example.. I took him to his box outside in our porch. He went to the bathroom and then just bolted off and escaped through the porch gate. We have an older female outside cat who is spayed and she hasn't been too happy to see him around. I don't know whats making him want to run out? He did run towards her. As for neutering. Isn't it best to let him mature a little rather than having him "fixed" so young? I know that we would have to keep a very close eye on him to avoid him wanting to roam and find a female.

 

[ArtNJ]

No mystery Bella. 99% of cats given a taste of outdoors want more. Its like Braveheart. They want "Freedom!" Unless you have some escape proof area like a catio or use a leash, you can't let your cat outside (or to a porch where he has access to outside) to go to the bathroom and imagine him to be an indoor-only cat. And he looks really young to be an indoor/outdoor cat. Its a bad thing to put yourself in a situation where you'll have to chase after your cat outside, because they learn to avoid you, and good luck catching even a young kitten that is trying to avoid you.

You want to spay/neuter by 5 months but most vets will do it earlier. This will not, however, help with him wanting to bolt for freedom.

 

[nazzurai]

Yeah I guess they want freedom

It's risky to let them out this young

You can use a leash as mentioned but might be difficult..we tried with mine but he hated it lol

 

[Bella1999]

No mystery Bella. 99% of cats given a taste of outdoors want more. Its like Braveheart. They want "Freedom!" Unless you have some escape proof area like a catio or use a leash, you can't let your cat outside (or to a porch where he has access to outside) to go to the bathroom and imagine him to be an indoor-only cat. And he looks really young to be an indoor/outdoor cat. Its a bad thing to put yourself in a situation where you'll have to chase after your cat outside, because they learn to avoid you, and good luck catching even a young kitten that is trying to avoid you.

You want to spay/neuter by 5 months but most vets will do it earlier. This will not, however, help with him wanting to bolt for freedom.

Yeah ok. I understand that he would want freedom. We have his litter box outside because of the mess and smell but I guess while he's this young i'll invest in a cleaner box with a hood and keep it inside. Thank you

 

[Bella1999]

Yeah I guess they want freedom

It's risky to let them out this young

You can use a leash as mentioned but might be difficult..we tried with mine but he hated it lol

We have a huge yard and are surrounded by many many not so cat friendly dogs. And then there's the barn owl...Thank you for the leash suggestion.

 

[LTS3]

If litter box odor is an issue, try a different litter. Some brands are better at odor control than others. Placing the box in a well ventilated place will also help. You could also place odor absorbers around the litter box. Not air fresheners, just plain unscented odor obsorbers like a container of activated charcoal. Scooping the box at least twice daily is a must. Use a litter mat to catch stray litter.

What do you feed your kitten? Poor quality food isn't digested very well and comes out as really stinky poop. A better quality food helps. Many raw fed cats have nearly odorless poop. A good quality canned food will work if you don't want to feed raw. Dry food can cause stinky poop in some cats even if it's a high quality food.

 

[molly92]

There's a bit of substantive debate about the pros and cons of neutering at different ages in the dog world, but with cats, there doesn't seem to be any issues. All the shelters I've known will spay and neuter as soon as they weigh 2 pounds. It's quick and easy, plus they recover faster when they're younger and their bodies grow and heal so quickly. Neutering cuts back on the desire to roam long distances, but some cats will always be darters. Leash training is great. Absolutely no cat likes a harness the first time they wear one, but most learn that it's not hurting them after a while, especially when they realize it means they get to go outside.

 

[Bella1999]

If litter box odor is an issue, try a different litter. Some brands are better at odor control than others. Placing the box in a well ventilated place will also help. You could also place odor absorbers around the litter box. Not air fresheners, just plain unscented odor obsorbers like a container of activated charcoal. Scooping the box at least twice daily is a must. Use a litter mat to catch stray litter.

What do you feed your kitten? Poor quality food isn't digested very well and comes out as really stinky poop. A better quality food helps. Many raw fed cats have nearly odorless poop. A good quality canned food will work if you don't want to feed raw. Dry food can cause stinky poop in some cats even if it's a high quality food.

He gets Instinct canned food and pure balance canned. Our dogs eat the occasional raw treat so I could see how he does with that. I tried giving him dry food but either he is stubborn and just wants canned food or doesn't like the type of dry food we have.

 

[danteshuman]

I have 2 litter boxes in my room. One is uncovered. Since most days I have my windows open it helps air things out..., however when I lived in a hot AC necessary all year round place the smell was still manageable. You need to clean the box daily. I'm not sure about your kittens age but he needs regular unclumping litter until he is old enough to not eat it... I like to play it safe and wait until they are 4 months old for clumping litter. There is no reason to not have a litter box inside.
***I use an empty plastic tidy cat's tub to put their dirty litter bags in. I scoop the waste into small tras can bags I buy at the $ store. The waste tub is further lined with a trash bag. This keeps the stink contained! For litter I use tidy cats unscented light weight. I would also recomend arm & hammer clumping litter. It is heavier and coarser then the light weight stuff but it works great on smells. Lastly because I'm an evil cat mommy I have an air wick automatic on a high shelf over the litter box to help with after my boys poo (the smell disapastes after a few minutes but a little air freshener makes me happier.)

Lastly it is all about the freedom. However just like a 2-4 year old kid can not properly access the dangers of being unsupervised outside, your cats can not either! Trust me vet bills after your cat gets hit by a car is insane! We called her the $5,000 cat and that was 2001!!! Not to mention the extra thousands of dollars spent in extra vet bills over the next 15 years. Your boy can live a long happy life inside and still get to explore in a catio or a harness.

 

[Timmer]

Oh sure, most cats will run, given the chance. Now that he's had a taste of freedom you might need to watch it when you open doors or he will bolt.

Bring the box inside. The cat needs to be able to use it when he needs to. How would you like it if your toilet was outside and you lived with people you couldn't communicate with and they only had to guess when you needed to go?
I've had two cats in the house and I keep the boxes scooped out sometimes twice a day, for sure once a day. It doesn't smell. I use just a regular clumping litter with no scent.

 

[Katie M]

I had Charlie neutered at six months, and the shelter spayed Selene at three months. If it hadn’t been a requirement in order to bring her home, I certainly would’ve had it done soon after. I honestly don’t think early fixing is all that harmful, compared to the alternative.

 

[Timmer]

I have a friend who fosters cats and kittens and they go by weight. When they get a certain weight she returns them to the shelter and they are spayed/neutered so they can be adopted out.

 

[rubysmama]

Here's the TCS articles on spay/neutering, in case they might be helpful:

When To Spay Or Neuter A Cat?
Spaying And Neutering - What To Ask Before The Surgery
Spaying And Neutering - What To Look For After Surgery