Time to fix brother and sister?

juniorkitty

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We have an appointment at the vets to get Junior and Lulu, bro and sis fixed. The are so cute, close and grooming together. But, their play wrestling is getting more serious. He is bigger than she and I hear her cry once in a while.

Question, Can we have her fixed and not him? Would this work? Or, should we go ahead and have them both fixed. Don't want him to beat her up or roam.

Thanks,

juniorkitty
 

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abyeb

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Hi there! Technically, yes, you could just get one fixed, in order to avoid them reproducing, but, it will be best for their health and behavior if you get her spayed and him neutered. Desexing cats helps prevent various diseases, and helps eliminate unwanted hormonal behaviors (such as aggression and spraying).

They are very cute cats!

Why You Should Spay And Neuter Your Cats
 

mani

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Hi J juniorkitty and welcome to TCS!
The responses you receive will reflect that this site is pro spay and neuter, and for good reason. You'll be a lot happier with a neutered male, and so will he. ;)
If they're 5 + months old I'd be getting them to the vet sooner rather than later or you'll have more than you bargained for.

They're a lovely pair, and so obviously boy and girl (gingers are often boys and torties are virtually always girls). It they're true to type, you'll probably have a smoochy boy (especially when neutered) and a girl with 'tortitude'. :)
 

Jcatbird

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Beautiful kitties! Yes! Get both kitties fixed. Avoiding spraying with males and possible health issues with females is well worth any trouble or concerns you may have about spaying and neutering. If you leave either one intact you may find that they try to escape if hormones are stirring too. You don’t want one to vanish during mating season. Sometimes they don’t return. If they do, females return pregnant, males can return injured and either can return with disease. It’s kinder to have them fixed and far less stressful for you. It’s great that you are willing to have them both fixed. I get all my rescues fixed and find they lead longer and healthier lives.
I have a Tortie and Ginger brother and sister too. I love the photo!!
 
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juniorkitty

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You all are so perceptive. After reading all the responses to my post about bro Junior and sis Lulu possibly needing fixing, I became somewhat alarmed about the situation, wondering if we had waited too long to make an appointment at the vet. The kittens, according to our calculations, are four and a half months old. WE thought we had more time for these procedures. The vet said 4-6 months to spay and neuter. Now that I think about it, that statement doesn't sound right when it comes to sex driven felines.

Well, this morning I saw junior approach lulu from behind, but instead of just jumping on her and rolling and playing, he stood over her, bit her on the back of her neck, making her cry, then proceeded to try to mount her. I broke it up and immediately called the vet. We have them inside with no food or water tonight and they are going to the vet tomorrow morning. Since I have been with them every day all thru the day for months, I can say this is the first time I have noticed junior going to this level of behavior.
Thanks to you all in this forum, I was alert to the problem.

Here's the thing, our neighbor lady was going to feed and look after them, they are outside cats, for the week we were going to be gone over Thanksgiving. Can you imagine if we had waited until we got back from our vacation to address this situation?
Thanks again for bringing this to our attention. You are so perceptive.
 

DreamerRose

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You also need to try to keep them inside. It is just too dangerous outside for kitties, and they won't have a very long lifespan if left outside. If you have them neutered before Thanksgiving, they will both be healing and will really need to be kept inside.
 

Jcatbird

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I’m so glad you came to TCS. The credit ultimately goes to you for being attentive to your kitties and willing to reach out for information. :clap2: It’s great that they are scheduled to be fixed. I’m very glad you didn’t end up with unexpected kittens.
They do need some healing time inside. It’s also true that being outside is risky business after healing. One of our own here cares for ferals that have become nearly tame and they live in a very safe place but she just lost a most precious one to the common problem of a car. It happens all the time. I know some people are not in a position to bring their kitties inside but please be aware of predators, humans, cars and environmental risks. The more shelter you can give them, the less likely you will have to deal with a sad premature loss. A catio might be an option if you cannot bring them in as permanent residents.
 

ArtNJ

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To be a bit more blunt, neuter the male or he will pee everywhere, and once he starts it may be too late to get them to stop even if you fix them at that point. There have been threads on this in the forum for people that breed cats, and they agree that you need to keep an intact male in a separate area apart from your home generally because in all probability they will pee everywhere. Apparently the age it starts can vary, and maybe some people even get very lucky and it never starts, but its just a nightmare you don't want to get involved in.
 
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