Cat Chat Feline Forum

I feel slightly embarrassed asking this but you guys have probably heared it all so here goes. Theo has a "dabird" toy that he's obsessed with. He's not really interested in any of his other toys, never bothers with them. He has about half an hour to 45 mins play around 4 times a day. He chases it, jumps up for it and rolls around the floor with it. He has a strange kind of ritual were he meows with it in his mouth and brings it right up by your legs as if he's about to pounce then drops it and stares as though he's in a trance till you start waving it around again. He likes lying on his back while you swing it over him and he catches it with his paws and sometimes lies there with it in his mouth in a trance for ages, then does the meowing thing and brings it back by your feet. But he seems to get "aroused" to the point of his little you know what peeping out I'm just wondering if this is usual. Should we not encourage it. Are we making the poor chap frustrated. I actually thought they didn't have any "feelings" like that when they've been neutered. But something about the playing is certainly having a funny effect on him.

It sounds to me like he's having a great time! I don't see any reason why you should spoil his fun.

I have to agree, it sounds like he is having a great time playing and I doubt there is anything to worry about. I think the putting it down and then staring at it comes from prey animals playing dead and the cat is so focused on waiting to see if it moves. Mine does it with the Flying Frenzy and it becomes part of the game to see if the toy can play dead and then escape if the cat gets distracted. I think it is all just signs that he is enjoying himself.

As for the frustration question, I have no idea about cats but I know that a gelded horse can still feel the urge. When I was staying at friends who had some horses of their own and ran an informal livery arrangement, they had a mare on livery and a stallion that was there for training. By mutual consent of the owners it was agreed that the mare would be put to the stallion when she was in heat, the place was informal and the introduction was more natural than a lot of places, the two were put together in a round pen to see what happened (neither were shod at the time so unlikely to injure each other, it was also closely monitored to see what the reactions were). The mare while in heat wasn't interested in the stallion and was yelling her head off. One of the geldings had taken a shine to her and hearing her calls came tearing down his field and jumped two gates to try and get to her, and lets just say things weren't 'peeping' out. I think if he had been allowed to he would have gone toe to toe with the stallion to protect his girl. Needless to say, people stepped in and the animals were separated. It was certainly an eye opener, and showed that even a gelded male can still get the urge with the right encouragement, and I see no reason why a neutered cat would be different.

I once had a three-quarter Siamese boy who, though he'd been neutered at 6 months, used to mate (and penetrate!) my first Siamese queen, who came into call at 4 months ... May heaven preserve me from ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggity beasties going bonk in the night!

Another neutered boy used to hump my hair and get an erection

Yes I have noticed I can't leave the grandchildrens teddies around because he tends to "hump" them . I forgot t say when he's lying on the floor with the toy in his mouth he kind of rolls on his side and it looks like he's spraying (Although he isn't) because his tail goes up and twitches and he looks like he's humping on his side Oh well, he's obviously happy because he plays about 4 times a day like this. Cats are such funny complex things aren't they. I just wanted to check because a friend said he may not be "properly neutered " whatever that means.

Thanks lilith Ruth and Mary for the replies.

Lilith wrote:I once had a three-quarter Siamese boy who, though he'd been neutered at 6 months, used to mate (and penetrate!) my first Siamese queen, who came into call at 4 months ... May heaven preserve me from ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggity beasties going bonk in the night!

Another neutered boy used to hump my hair and get an erection

Too much information Lilith!

I blushed!!

Ooo! And then there was the time when ....

....Errm, no, perhaps better not ...