Hi Simba,
I recently took shelter to Snickers, a 3-month old male kitten. I also have 2 females I am going to get spayed on Feb. 14th. One of the kittens is in her heat cycle and I was wondering if Snickers is old enough to realize he is a male. I don't need any accidents and I noticed him biting her on her neck. Do I need to separate them now or will I be ok 'till Feb. 14? Leia

Dear Leia,
You should be ok until 2/14. Male cats do not become sexually mature until they are 6 to 8 months old, so you don't need to worry. Simba

Hello Simba,
We have 2 cats that are almost twin brothers. They are for the most part very good cats. The problem that we are experiencing is that they are spraying around certain parts of the house. We asked a family friend about getting them neutered, with some hope of this stopping. We were informed that if they weren't neutered prior to them spraying then they would not stop spraying. Is this true, if so what are some options that we can do to get them to quit. Kevin and Cindy

Dear Kevin & Cindy,
It is always good to neuter your cats (unless you are breeding of course). Spraying is an act through which male cats mark territory. They do this to attract females in heat and to discourage other males from intruding on their turf. Spraying can also occur when males feel threatened (such as when you bring in a new cat) or stressed. Your best bet for stopping this behavior is to have them neutered. Following that you need to thoroughly clean all areas where they have done their deeds (click here for reasons why). The spraying should stop or diminish following their operations. If they persist, follow the tips in the section. This problem can be corrected. Keep me posted. Simba

My Kitten is 7 months old. His urine has an abnormally strong odor. It is so bad the smell comes up through the vents from the basement and nearly makes the entire house smell. He has not been fixed yet. Could this have something to do with it? Eileen

Dear Eileen,
It is common for un-neutered male cats usually have very foul-smelling odor in their urine. This should go away once he has his operation. Simba

Dear Simba,
We just brought home our new little guy, J.R. He is six weeks old. When should we get him neutered? the McGrath's

Hi McGrath's,
Congratulations on your new kitten! Male kittens are usually neutered at ~6 months of age. Neutering is a must do on Simba’s list of Kitten Care tips.

It will make yours a more loving cat

It will prevent loud and persistent calling for mates

It will make yours a less aggressive cat

It reduces the likelihood of him running off

It will prevent spraying.

Neutered cats generally live longer and happier lives. Keep me posted. Simba

Hiya Simba,
I adopted a little baby on Friday - 8 week old Hamish, a "moggie" who Is absolutely adorable. Prior to being put up for adoption he was wormed, vaccinated, micro-chipped and.....neutered. He's a tiny scrap of a thing and I'm concerned about his future health because he was neutered so young. They had to operate, as his testicles hadn't dropped. Poor little mite has stitches in his tummy. He's very happy and healthy, races around the house, eats like a horse, uses the litter tray, is putting on weight and seems fine. But is 8 weeks too young to neuter him? What effect will this have on him in the future? One of my friends mentioned he could have urinary tract problems later in life. Helen (Sydney, Australia)

Dear Helen,
Poor little guy!! Generally, early (7 weeks of age) neutering & spaying not appear to cause any long-term damage to cats. At 8 weeks Hamish should be ok. There have been numerous studies that show no differences in immune function, growth rates and final size, and urinary tract function and disease rates in juvenile cats versus their adult counterparts. As for your little guy, it appears he is what is called a cryptorchid. These are cats whose testicles have not descended fully onto the scrotal sac after birth (most male cats' testicles descend into the scrotal sac prior to birth). These types of cats require a more extensive surgery to locate the testicles and remove them, which is what appears to have happened.

PetEducation posted the following on their site:

Groups of cats spayed/neutered at 7 weeks of age, 7 months of age, and after 12 months of age were followed in a large study. The cats were all placed in homes and followed for years. When comparing the groups of cats it was found that:

Cats spayed/neutered before 12 months of age were generally longer and taller than those spayed/neutered at 12 months.

Cats who were not spayed/neutered until 12 months of age or older were noticeably less affectionate and more aggressive.

Their were no significant differences in the development of the urinary tract among the three age groups.

So do not worry for little Hamish. Just be sure to feed him a nutritious diet. Monitor his bathroom behavior and go to your vet if you suspect something is amiss. Urinary tract disease can be caused by diet quality and can impact cats regardless of what age they were spayed/neutered. Your Pal, Simba

Dear Simba,
We have a 3 and a half month old male cat named Sniffles. I was wondering how long before 6 months can he be neutered? A local vet here said anytime after 3 months. We (my wife and I) want to avoid having him begin marking his territory. Concerned for kitty

Dear Concerned for Kitty,
You can have Sniffles neutered anytime after 7 weeks, although 4-6 months is the norm. It is unlikely that he will begin spraying prior to that time. Simba

Dear Simba,
I have three cats: a 2 ¼ year-old female, an 18-month-old male and a 7-month-old female (whose parents are the two first). They bred normally until now, but I don't want anymore 'babies'…at least for now. We live in Brazil and I talked to local vets about performing a vasectomy on the male, since I didn't want to interrupt his sexual life. One said that it's not a good idea, because cats are different from humans and mount only to breed. He also mentioned that constant sexual intercourse without breeding could cause infections in the females. He said the best solution was to neuter the male.

I really didn't want to neuter the male. I know he will be calmer, but he is already calm. He doesn't spray. I live in an apartment flat and the females are about to go into heat. I also think he's too old to be neutered and I don't want fat cats ('Garfields').

I don't want also to spay the females, because in the future I want them to breed with another male. Contraceptives the females have many adverse reactions and I do not intend to use them. What should I do? Guilherme

Dear Guilherme,
I agree with your vet that you should not do a vasectomy on your male cat. The operation is not necessary. As your vet said, your cat can expect a whole series of problems if he is operated in this manner. For one, vets are not trained to perform these types of operations. You do not want someone experimenting on your kitty! You are kind to worry about your cat enjoying himself, but as your vet said, cats mount only to breed. The whole act takes no more than a few seconds and is very unlike that for other animals. Being neutered, your cat will still be a loving caring creature and he will not become lazy or fat unless you allow him to become that way.

As for the females, do not spay them if you plan on breeding them. At the same time, if you do spay them you can always adopt. There are many loving kitties out there in need of homes! Keep me posted. Simba