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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that if you let your cats outside...

45 replies

LST · 21/05/2012 09:12

..you should get then spayed and neutered!!

My poor cats are being terrorised by an un neutered (humungous) Tom!

I heard cries of pain last night and ran outside to find one of my poor Toms being pinned to the floor and beaten up!

He was covered in cuts and scratches and it looks like a bite has pieced his ear :( He won't go out to play today!

OP posts:
Fireandashes · 21/05/2012 09:25

Poor boy, hope he's okay.

My cats are house cats (but still spayed and vaccinated) because between the fear of traffic, stray cats beating them up/infecting them with FIV, being responsible for a decimated songbird population, getting caught up by their collar or "adopted" by a well-meaning person if they lost their collar, I couldn't justify letting them roam free.

jaquelinehyde · 21/05/2012 09:29

Spayed and neutered cats still fight and kill things you know?

OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos · 21/05/2012 09:30

YANBU.

Original poster
LST · 21/05/2012 09:30

Mine used to be house cats but we had a change in circumstances and had to move into a flat. We didn't have enough room for my two boisterous boys to play and one kept escaping out of the window and darting for the door every time it opened.

My she cat is also a rescued stray and she was a nightmare to keep indoors. It was not to be Sad

They love it outside though. We've recently moved to a house with quite a large garden. And this big beefy cat keeps spraying up everything and beating my boys up Sad

OP posts:
thegreylady · 21/05/2012 09:31

I agree. Our next door neighbours have a whole tom which is still quite young. We have offered to pay for its operation but the husband thinks it would be cruel. We have two elderly tonkinese cats including a neutered male and at the moment they are all friendly but I dread to think what will happen as the neighbour cat grows up.

Original poster
LST · 21/05/2012 09:32

jaque i know they kill things but they don't normally fight like this with no balls.

Plus it's still really really stupid and irresponsible letting them out un-spayed and neutered.

OP posts:
jaquelinehyde · 21/05/2012 09:35

Well my cat fights and kills and he was spayed and neutered as early as we could possibly have him done.

He has also been attacked by cats that have been spayed.

How do you know that these cats have not been done or are you just making an assumption?

Original poster
LST · 21/05/2012 09:37

He's blatantly got balls. And my cats don't fight ever and this cat keeps coming in my garden and scraping with them. He really hurt my she cats leg by landing on her last week. Plus he sprays everywhere and it stinks.

OP posts:
The3Bears · 21/05/2012 09:38

YANBU my 2 cats love to go outside but the little tom is to scared to leave the garden and I constantly have to run out to get my female as I hear her crying after being attacked uneutered males. Both my cats are neutered and spayed it's not hard really is it? My female still hunts though Blush but she has calmed down alot.

Fireandashes · 21/05/2012 09:40

Water gun to squirt him when he invades your garden?

Original poster
LST · 21/05/2012 09:46

Mine all have bells on there collars so they never bring back birds. But they are always bringing mice and the occasional squirrel!!

OP posts:
Original poster
LST · 21/05/2012 09:47

fire I ran out at him last night and he just say down and hissed at me then turned and sauntered off.

He is hard! Aha

OP posts:
KazzaRazza · 21/05/2012 09:50

I agree that cats should be neutered or spayed.

I disagree that it stops them fighting. My tom was neutered at a young age and regularly fights. It's a territory thing. Have lost count of the number of times I have had to take him to the vets for a dose of anti-biotics but he still goes back for more!!!

catsmother · 21/05/2012 09:53

Totally agree. Neutered cats tend to be much less aggressive and territorial in my experience .... admittedly, it's no absolute guarantee of no fighting, no marking, or no hunting, but it does tend to placate most of them to some degree.

However .... by far the biggest consideration for me is the utter irresponsibility of any owner who's happy to help contribute to yet more kittens being born when shelters are already overrun with cats desperately needing homes. The idea that neutering is "cruel" is ignorant beyond belief.

Original poster
LST · 21/05/2012 09:55

I agree catsmother 100%! People have cats and just let them roam and leave them too it. It's not fair!

OP posts:
seeingstars · 21/05/2012 10:03

My female cat has been done but hardly goes out now, due to getting old, being beaten up, traffic etc. She will scrap with the best of them when she gets the chance. She doesn't hunt now as too old but did, frogs and mice mainly. Smile

manicbmc · 21/05/2012 10:07

I keep my spayed moggy inside. Mainly because we're on a main road, but also because she is a vicious little bugger who hates cats. And no bird/creature would be safe judging by what she does to her toy mice.

seeker · 21/05/2012 10:11

Absolutely they should be neuter and spayed.

But it won't stop them fighting or being territorial.

You need to get tough with the bully cat - a few buckets of water strategically chucked should help.

Original poster
LST · 21/05/2012 10:32

We got the hose this morning little bugger Wink

He's really friendly when my cats aren't there.

OP posts:
Noqontrol · 21/05/2012 10:37

YANBU

confusedgypsychick · 21/05/2012 10:45

All cats should be spayed or neutered. But sadly that won't stop them from fighting. We've got a big stray Tom that comes into our back yard, he's not neutered (got balls the size of plums) but he's the friendliest, gentlest cat I've ever seen. It's out spayed female that beats the snot out of him.

We've been trying to catch him to get him neutered, but sadly he seems to know when we want to pet him and when we want to stick him in the cat cage. :)

jaquelinehyde · 21/05/2012 10:48

I agree that water is the answer and don't be friendly with him ever. It may take some time to work, we have a black cat that keeps coming into our house (through the catflap). We have scared the thing half to death and it still keeps coming back although the time between visits is getting longer thank God!

Pinkie29 · 21/05/2012 10:59

I won't let mine out till she's been spayed, she's only 3 months tho do for a whole to go Smile I think they should all be done tho.

They are far less likely to mix with others and end up with cat aids and stay away for days on end! I had a cat that wasn't done years ago and he'd vanish for a week at times then come back all battered and bruised, stopped as soon as he had the chop

ImBetterThanYou · 21/05/2012 11:00

Yanbu, all our cats have been neutered before going outside, aside from the fighting, if my boys are neutered then I know I'm being a responsible pet owner and am not contributing to the risk of unwanted cat pregnancies.

vess · 21/05/2012 11:14

If all cats were neutered won't they just become extinct?
Surely you need a few to keep things going?

I feel sorry for your cats OP, but generally YABU. Cats are animals, they do animal things. Just chase the intruder away. I bet he won't come back if you shoot him with a water pistol a few times!

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