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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Un-neutered tom, or just a bit of a bastard?

14 replies

Allergictoironing · 10/04/2016 13:15

There are plenty of cats around where I live (nice quiet residential area), and as I don't have any cats owning me (will have indoor ones soon though ) I'm very happy to see them stalking around my garden.

There's Felix from next door, a tiny girl who occupies my conservatory roof & back garden, the black and the black & white boys from over the road who take turns owning my front garden, and a couple of back garden visitors (a lovely smoke grey with white paws, an almost white with pale apricot points, and a dark tabby). Well I did - until a couple of years ago.

Then this orange and white THING moved into the neighbourhood. Visited next door on a hot summer day, walked straight in & upstairs, and tried to kill little Felix. He has sent both the cats from over the road to the vets with serious injuries. I haven't seen the grey or apricot/white for months, and the dark tabby seems very fearful.

Yesterday I was in my garage in the back garden & I observed the ginger/white sauntering into my garden then very obviously spraying my bushes & fences, moving from place to place & spraying quite high up each time. I had the impression that only un-neutered tom cats did this, but I may well be mistaken - can anyone enlighten me on this? He doesn't appear to be a tray as he has a new looking collar on, and had a different colour one until recently, and looks in superb condition.

OP posts:

thecatneuterer · 10/04/2016 13:22

Neutered toms can still spray, especially if neutered late - it's a habit. It just doesn't have the vile smell that unneutered tomcat spray has.

Can you corner him in your house and feel his balls? If he still has them I would get him down the vets myself and just not tell anyone.

GreyAndGoldInTheMeadow · 10/04/2016 13:22

Poor cats :(

I think some neutered males will still spray, but it doesn't stink as bad as an unneutered cat.

Shinynewbed · 10/04/2016 13:23

We have a 'thing' too, he keeps attacking my beautiful girl. Not half an hour ago he's just been up against my patio doors hissing and clawing at her through the glass. And I have a cat who looks like Felix... You're not my next door neighbour are you?!!

GreyAndGoldInTheMeadow · 10/04/2016 13:24

Your user name says it all really thecatneuterer but that is really unwise suggestion.

thecatneuterer · 10/04/2016 13:56

Well I beg to differ GreyandGold. But I'm too tired to argue today ...

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 10/04/2016 17:54

I agree with TCN. I wouldn't have any qualms with taking a cat to the vets to be neutered, especially if it was spraying in my garden and terrorising the local cats. Its owners are obviously too lazy/irresponsible to do the right thing for that cat and all the others. They clearly don't care about the poor thing - I seem to remember unneutered males have a much higher risk of being killed by cars as they wander or ending up with FIV.

cozietoesie · 10/04/2016 18:06

While I know that TCN and Pink are coming from a good place on this one, and I'm aware of how much distress TCN, for example, sees in the course of her volunteering, I'm afraid that this is one on which I do disagree - and have previously. I believe that an owner has a right not to neuter their animals so if I saw a healthy and otherwise seemingly well-cared for entire cat on my patch, I couldn't be taking it down to the vet.

A poor and desperate stray would be another matter entirely for me.

lljkk · 10/04/2016 18:26

I'm in the same camp as TCN. It's cruel (to the tom) not to neuter an outdoor tom.
But superb condition suggests he has been neutered, actually. He'd just be an Arse

fwiw, one of my neutered toms sprays a bit. He used to shag his bro before getting neutered (age 5.5 months), so early maturing, I guess. He doesn't terrorise the neighbours, though.

GreyAndGoldInTheMeadow · 10/04/2016 19:47

I totally agree that all pet animals should be neutered, and every one of mine has been, but I wouldn't be willing to risk getting arrested for criminal damage by neutering someone else's cat without permission, not to mention having to fork out for it out of my own pocket.

HarrysMummy17 · 10/04/2016 20:05

We have the same issue. We've got a 5 yo female cat and next door lives her brother. They happily play fight all the time.

Last year a neighbour moved in with a large Tom who was quite dominating.

We noticed if we'd been away over Christmas etc our cat would have a few fight wounds. I also noticed her brother next door was no where to be seen. We'd barely seen him all winter when I spotted him in the window. I asked my neighbour if he was ok and he said he'd been fighting with new Tom and had been hurt a few times so would not let him out anymore.

My cat stands up for herself. She takes no rubbish from him anymore and chases him across the field. She also sits at neighbours window looking in at her brother as if to say, come out and play!

I'm hoping neighbour says something to new toms owners as it's such a shame he's dominating the area where our cats were born!

Sparklingbrook · 10/04/2016 20:26

How does that work when you ring the vets to book someone else's cat in? They might just want a few details like it's name and address.
And I think the owners might have something to say on the matter.

The neutered Tom from over the road to us sprays everything.

Original poster

Allergictoironing · 10/04/2016 21:05

OK so looks like he may just be a bit of a bastard. He's never been in my house, though the previous owners used to have a cat so there's a blocked cat flap in the conservatory door he's tried to break into a couple of times. I really don't fancy going out into the garden & sniffing around the places he's been spraying to see how obnoxious the smell is!

He's one of the reasons why, when I finally do invite cats to live with me, they will be indoor cats; neighbour over the road has had to spend a small fortune at the vets on her 2 .

Shinynewbed definitely not your next door neighbour - unless you are well into your 70s, and so bad with technology you can barely cope with using your debit card, & SAW the internet for the first time a few weeks ago when I took my lap top round .

OP posts:

Original poster

Allergictoironing · 10/04/2016 21:11

BTW ladies expect me around on here a fair bit in the future. As I mentioned above I am finally in a place both time and financially to offer a secure & loving home to a couple of rescues.

Despite having loads of family with cats these will be MY first, and being an ex-project management person I tend to plan, and plan, and plan again for all contingencies. I research everything to death and ask loads of different people for their opinions on stuff, I do full risk assessments on everything and try to cover all contingencies - and here I can find loads of knowledgeable cat people who will answer my daft wibbling questions .

OP posts:

RubbishMantra · 10/04/2016 22:50

Someone I know is a bit gung-ho about getting their cats neutered. Resulting in many interbred cats, part pedigree so could be sold at a higher price.

She took on another cat, didn't get him neutered. 3 years on, she was grooming him, and realised his balls were missing. I thought she should get him to the vet ASAP, (there was also a big scab on his "man purse",) but no, she thought otherwise. I made the point that he could have lost his balls through an infection from fighting, but nooo, she knew best. She said he was microchipped, so either she'd forgotten to change her details with Petlog, or "forgotten" to chip him.

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