Hello, my cat Lucifer is 14 months old and he was neutered two days ago. Before he was done, he was honestly unbearable; I think he could smell a female in heat because he would meow really, really loudly all day and all night. He was spraying everywhere—in my bed, in my wardrobe, on my desk... Every single night, he’d scratch at the door and meow as if he absolutely had to get out. It was becoming impossible to live with. He’s never been outside, he’s an indoor cat, and yet he was constantly trying to escape and get out.
It’s been two days since his op now, and apart from the peeing everywhere, none of that has changed... Even though before I had him neutered, every time I mentioned his behaviour, people would tell me every day "you need to get him snipped", yet two days later I’m still not seeing any change. If anyone could shed some light on this—will his behaviour change after a few more days, or is he just never going to change??..
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I’m not entirely sure what you’re expecting from neutering—what kind of changes are you looking for? I know this is an old thread, but I'm interested because there’s so much conflicting information out there.
Neutering doesn’t take away their urge to go outside. If a cat is constantly scratching at the door or stuck to the window meowing, it’s got nothing to do with hormones; it just means they want to be outdoors. This is exactly the same for spayed females too.
While neutering makes a cat less dominant, they can still be aggressive if they’re attacked by another cat; they don't just turn into a total pushover.
I know a lady who had a spayed cat living in a house with outdoor access. She moved just a few hundred yards away into a flat and kept her cat inside for a week, which is what you’re supposed to do when you move. Mind you, 10 days is probably better. But in her case, even 10 days wouldn't have worked because the moment she opened things up, the cat jumped out the window. She went straight back to the old house and now she won’t let her owner get anywhere near her because she’s terrified of being locked in the flat again, so she just bolts. The lady eventually gave up and made an arrangement with a neighbour at the old place who agreed to feed the cat. So, the point is, some cats just can’t stand being cooped up; they want unlimited access to the outdoors. Don’t expect your cat to stop meowing at the door just because he’s been neutered.
It takes anywhere from a fortnight to a month for the male hormones to clear out after neutering and for everything to get back to "normal". I’d strongly recommend getting him done as soon as possible; as @Blue said, the longer you leave it, the longer it will take. He’ll be much better for it, and so will you.
As for @Molotof’s comments, no comment. Preconceptions really do die hard, especially when people don't know the first thing about cats.
Hi there,
(There’s no point getting into a debate over Molotof’s ramblings—he clearly hasn’t got a clue.) Of course neutering will change your cat's behaviour. That said, the longer you wait (and why are you waiting?), the longer those behavioural habits might take to fade. Your cat's current behaviour is perfectly normal for an entire male whose hormones are driving him to mate at all costs. And obviously the original poster’s cat calmed down; it had only been two days since the op and he’d already stopped spraying everywhere!!
Hi, I know your post is quite old now but do you still have your cat, and did he ever calm down? Mine isn't neutered yet – it is planned – but he’s driving me absolutely crackers at night 😭😭😭😭. Did getting him snipped actually change things? I’m honestly not sure how much longer I can put up with it, I'm getting no sleep at all. Between the yowling, scratching at the doors and him constantly rubbing against me, I’m just shattered.
Naming a cat "Lucifer"... well, that’s a mistake for a start. The power of names. "He scratched at the door every single night as if he absolutely had to get out, meowing away." Normal. "He never stopped trying to escape and wanting to go outside." Normal. "It was becoming unbearable. He’s never been out, he’s an indoor cat." You’re a monster. There’s no such thing as an "indoor cat"; they are captive cats and they’re usually horribly mentally stunted—they aren’t even proper cats. Zero contact with their own kind for life. Locked in 1/200th of a natural territory. No beasties to hunt, no birds, no mice, nothing. You’re making his life a misery. Let him out, or give him to someone who actually knows how to look after a cat. "I had people telling me every day that I needed to get him neutered, but after two days I still haven't seen any change." Argh. This is going to be a struggle. Neutering is a dogma (one that has its arguments, sure, but most people who do it don't understand it and can't explain it in terms of population management or commercial protectionism), and this dogma is built on a pile of false beliefs. It’s more down to personality and the approach of those for or against neutering that yields different results, rather than the operation itself. I’d suggest giving "Lucifer" to someone with a garden, a ground-floor flat, or a loft—basically, someone who is actually in a position to keep a cat. If you can’t let him out, you should never have bought him or taken him on in the first place.
I think you're being very harsh here and a bit judgemental, to be honest.
Calling a cat "Lucifer"... well, that’s a blunder for a start. The power of a name. "He was scratching at the door to get out every single night, meowing." Perfectly normal. "He never stopped trying to escape and wanting to get out." Normal. "It was becoming unbearable. He’s never been outside, he’s an indoor cat." You’re a monster. There’s no such thing as an "indoor cat"; they are captive cats and they’re usually horribly mentally stunted—they aren't even real cats. Zero contact with their own kind for their entire lives. Locked up in 1/100th of a normal territory. No critters to hunt, no birds, no mice, nothing. You’re making his life a living hell. Let him out, or give him to someone who actually knows how to look after a cat. "Everyone kept telling me to get him neutered, but two days later I still don't see any change." Oh, boy. This is going to be tough. Neutering is a dogma (which has its merits, sure, but most people doing it don't understand it and can't explain it in terms of population management or commercial protectionism), and this dogma is built on a pile of false beliefs. It’s more about the personality and the "training" style of the pro/anti-neutering crowds that gets results, rather than the operation itself. I recommend you give "Lucifer" to someone with a garden, a ground-floor flat, a loft—basically, someone who is actually in a position to keep a cat. If you can’t let him out, you should never have bought him or taken him in.
Molotof, your name certainly suits you—like a Molotov cocktail, you really blow things up... I take it you got out of bed on the wrong side this morning. Everyone on this forum who has an indoor cat is going to love your little speech. 👍👍
Personally, I couldn't disagree more. Indoor cats aren't "sub-cats" or mentally stunted; they are perfectly happy and well-adjusted. We’re talking about cats that have never known the outdoors. You can't be unhappy about something you’ve never experienced, and life outside (my cats go out) has its own share of risks... accidents, cars, fights.
As for talking about "training" a cat, you clearly don't know cats very well... you don't train a cat. 🤣🤣🤣
And as far as your own upbringing goes, they clearly forgot to teach you any empathy.
Calling a cat "Lucifer"... well, that’s your first mistake. The power of a name. "He was scratching at the door as if he absolutely had to get out every single night, meowing." Obviously. "He wouldn't stop trying to escape and wanting to go out." Well, yeah. "It was becoming unbearable. He’s never been outside; he’s an indoor cat." You’re a monster. There’s no such thing as an "indoor cat"—they’re captive cats, and they’re usually incredibly stunted mentally; they aren't even proper cats. Zero contact with their own kind for life. Locked in 1/100th of what a normal territory should be. No critters to hunt, no birds, no mice, nothing. You’re making his life a misery. Let him out, or give him to someone who actually knows how to look after a cat. "I kept hearing people telling me I should get him snipped, but after two days I still don't see any change." Right. This is going to be hard. Neutering is a dogma (one that can be argued for, sure, but most people doing it don't understand it and can't explain it in terms of population management or commercial protectionism). This dogma relies on a load of false beliefs. It’s more about the owner's personality and how they train them that gives different results, rather than the operation itself. I’d recommend rehoming "Lucifer" with someone who has a garden, a ground floor, a loft—basically, someone who is actually in a position to have a cat. If you can’t let him out, you should never have got him in the first place.
"Lucifer" like the cat in Cinderella, for a start. I could’ve called him Satan, Cinderella, or Winnie the Pooh and it wouldn't have changed a thing.
I say he’s an indoor cat because he’s refused to leave my bedroom since day one. He lives in a big house with a HUGE garden, people, other cats that are semi-outdoor, dogs... I tried letting him out regularly when I first got him, but he wasn't having it.
I didn't mention this at the start, but I found him in a bin bag in the rain with his brother when they were only about ten days old. "Incredibly stunted mentally"? Maybe, but that's not down to me.
I’ve always had cats that lived proper cat lives; he just didn't want to.
I could never rehome this cat, like you’re suggesting, because I’m the only person he trusts. Given how young he was when I found him, I’ve basically become his surrogate mum.
I didn't ask for people to judge my cat or how I’ve raised him; I just wanted my question answered. I want someone to explain the chemical process of neutering in cats and hear from people who actually know the subject well.
And as for that condescending tone when you don't even know the facts—no thanks.
It sounds like you’re saying the spraying has stopped, which is already a good sign just a few hours after his neutering. As for his behaviour, you’ll need to be a bit patient... neutering removes the testicles which produce most of the testosterone, the hormone responsible for sexual behaviours like caterwauling, the urge to go outside and urine marking... but there is still some in his system, so you’ll have to wait for his body to flush it out before his behaviour changes... it can still take a few weeks or so. However, it’s not certain that neutering will solve every behavioural issue. While neutering does lead to changes in certain aspects of a cat’s behaviour, it doesn’t change his actual personality.
Thanks so much for your reply, that’s a relief at least. 😅
Calling a cat "Lucifer"... well, that was your first mistake. The power of a name, eh?
"He was scratching at the door and meowing every single night like he absolutely had to get out." Totally normal.
"He never stopped trying to escape and wanting to go outside." Again, normal.
"It was becoming unbearable. He’s never been outside; he’s an indoor cat." You’re a monster.
There's no such thing as an "indoor cat"—they're captive cats. They usually end up completely messed up in the head and aren't even real cats anymore. Zero contact with their own kind for their whole lives. Locked up in a space that’s 1/100th of a normal territory. No critters to hunt, no birds, no mice, nothing. You’re putting him through hell. Let him out, or give him to someone who actually knows how to look after a cat.
"Everyone kept telling me 'get him neutered', but it's been two days and I still don't see any change." Oh boy. This is going to be a struggle.
Neutering is a dogma (I mean, it has its merits, but most people doing it don't understand why and can't explain it in terms of population control or commercial interests). This dogma relies on a load of myths. It’s more about the owner's personality and how they train them—whether they're pro or anti-neutering—that changes the outcome, rather than the surgery itself.
My advice: hand "Lucifer" over to someone with a garden, a ground-floor flat, or some outdoor space—basically, someone who's actually in a position to own a cat. If you can’t let him outside, you should never have bought him or taken him in to begin with.
