Hi all, sorry for long post as I don't know what do do
I have a real problem, I found a stray 4 months ago severely underweight, worms,. I tried to get him into a rescue but no space. So over this past few months I have gotten him vet treatment.
His health has improved massively and he looks great now though his bloods 2 months ago show non regerative anemia and he did not have enough blood to risk neutering or to remove an infected tooth . Vet thinks he is around 9 years old. He is on daily steroids. His energy has went from not being able to jump onto a chair to being able to jump the fence and climb trees! I hope his bloods will show improvement next week. Though vet isn't hopeful. He has been on a combination of b complex vitamins and a supplement called Lactoferrin which I read can help and I feel it really has.
We have called him Bruce and he escaped the house for 4 hours last week. He came back but as there are 9 other cats, mostly female in our small cull de sac and several other behind us he has started spraying everywhere in the house and looking out all the time. If I let him in the living room to look out the window he sprays the furniture when he sees a cat. He is currently in our kitchen but he can't just live in a kitchen. I'm working at home right now so he has company. He escaped a second time and and instigated a fight with our neighbours unneutered male cat. I'm so stressed as vet says it's my choice to risk the neuter. I'm wondering if I should risk the neuter as if I don't what will his prospects be if I don't?? I can't have him spraying our whole house.
What is your plan for Bruce once he is back to health, will you keep him, rehome him or let him back out to his old life? Are you trying to make a sociable in/out pet of him or keep him indoors permanently?
Neutering may not stop the fighting, as some of that will be in order to establish a territory for himself, and neutered cats still have territory. If he is neutered and one or more other local males remain intact, with less fight drive and less incentive, he could come off worse. I'm not advocating don't neuter by the way, other cat owners ought to be responsible and neuter theirs too.
At this stage when he has started spraying there's no guarantee that neutering will stop that, though it should improve it a lot and of course be a lot less stinky without the hormones. That said both my late neutered boys were perfect, the 3 year old immediately although he was already living with us, and the 9 year old retired stud as soon as he was removed from the house with all the other breeding cats.
But your long term plans for Bruce might influence the decisions you want to make right now.
Thanks for ur reply. We had planned on keeping Bruce but the spraying only started once he Hadd a taste of freedom again. He was like a tiger in a zoo going from room to room looking out.
He is very very friendly and I know with his health issues keeping him inside is the best thing but I think he was more an outdoor cat before we found him and I'm not sure it's fair to try and keep him inside all the time. His illness is life limiting but I'm maybe starting to think quality over quantity.
I'm a BIG believer in neutering so I guess it goes against my belief not to but I'm starting to think is it best just to let him outside and not neuter him as the risk of neutering is so high. He does not spray as much inside if he is allowed outside.
I think when I get his bloods done if they have improved enough to neuter him I will but if not I might just have to let him outside. Its not ideal but I have limited options I think. He will be inside at night of course.
Yes I wish others would neuter their cats too, I would if I could!!
Oh dear yes suddenly i he becomes a much greater responsibility with that diagnosis, not just a matter of social responsibility for neutering but spreading a life-limiting disease too.
He only started spraying after he escaped? I know you don't feel living in a kitchen is any kind of a life but what does Bruce think? If the spraying is because he has realised there are other cats nearby, then maybe an outdoor run would help by easing his need for being outside, but I wonder if it could also make things worse with his exposure to other cats? I suspect that neutered or not the spraying and stress would be enormous. And rehoming would only send the problem elsewhere.
Sorry for late reply, yes he started spraying after he had been allowed out for a couple days. The spraying started when I would not let him out. Well its not living in the kitchen that's a problem it's just he seemed stressed at not being allowed out. Cat proofing the garden may be possible, I would have to look into it more.
We have had a situation change though just yesterday on the health front. As Bruce could not get his infected tooth removed, it appears the tooth may have to be removed now. He has been a bit more lethargic, not eating as well and is drooling a little. So it looks like we will have to risk the surgery but instead for his tooth. He was on a 5 day course of antibiotics once a month to keep the infection down but I can't get him to take his antibiotic now.
I'm really really worried now, we could loose him during the surgery or after if the blood loss is too much. It's looking like we have no choice and I want to give him a chance. We take him to the vet on Tuesday. I wish it was Monday though but the brilliant vet I use doesn't work Mondays but if he gets any worse I will have to risk a different though very good vet also on Monday.
Stressful times ahead. He is doing so well I hate to see him in discomfort.
Let's hope for the best for Bruce, but this is only the first hurdle. I guess they won't do the neuter at the same time?
A relative of mine years ago had a cat in a densely cat populated area and fighting was an everyday thing, despite everyone being neutered. He ended up I think with FelV and they tried to keep him indoors to keep him from infecting more cats. He did not take to confinement and I'm sorry to say in the end the only kind thing to do was to have him put down. He was a young and otherwise healthy cat, he was given every chance, but being kept in made him so unhappy he really didn't have any quality of life.
They aren't supposed to neuter and do a dental at the same time as dentals are classed as a 'dirty' op and there is a risk with bacteria being released from the dental
