Adopting a stray

[Yinx]

Hello all,

My sister brought home a stray cat recently. It is a male persian-mix, & we reckon it's less than 10 mths old (cos it hasn't started marking it's territory).

We have yet to bring it to the vet for check-up or vaccination. However, we're thinking of neutering it.

My question is, after neutering the cat, will it still mark it's territory by spraying urine?

I know that some people get their dogs electronically tagged. Should we do the same thing for the cat?

Last but not least, is there anythg else we have to do if we wish to adopt this cat for good?

Thank you.

[FosterMom]

Hi,
What a lucky stray - have you named him yet?
I have had several males neutered well after 6 months of age and the majority of them will stop spraying within about 1 month after the surgery.
Regarding electronic tagging, this is a great idea if the cat is to remain outdoors, and your local animal groups actually scan animals that are brought in. I previously owned outdoor cats, and had all of them micro chipped.
When you take him to the vet they will make suggestions as to what else should be done. The most important thing to do is have him tested for any diseases. The vet will most likely insist on this, as well as giving him shots.
Good luck with this new guy!

[suepez]

Another good safety precaution is to always make sure your new kitty wears a collar and ID tag if he will be outside. And even if he's an indoor kitty don't forget they can slip out in a flash, so wearing it all the time is wise. Some rescue shelters don't have the scanners, so although the microchips are a great backup nothing is as effective as a good old tag.

My male kitten was neutered by the Humane Society before we adopted him and he hasn't had any episodes of spraying in the 4 months we've had him.

Good luck with your new one!

Bama

[Tracy822]

Congratulations on your new pet. He sounds adorable. The previous poster was quite right in that it is about 1 month after neutering that they stop spraying. Since yours hasn't started, I can't imagine that would be a problem.

As far as identification, you can ask your vet about microchipping. But I strongly urge you to consider keeping your cat indoors. It is not a cat friendly world out there. A little over a year ago I lost a cat to FIV - a feline disease that has no cure or vaccination. He had been an outdoor cat before I got him and contracted the disease then. In addition, there are people who don't like animals or cats, cat-killing dogs, cars, etc. and so on. So please give it some serious thought.

And ENJOY him! He sounds very cute.

Tracy

[kallie]

Hi Yinx congrats on your new cat. He sounds handsome. I have 2 cats one which is a male and has been neutered, and he does however still spray occasionaly. Though he has only done it around three times in the house, I have however occasionaly noticed he does outside too. I have always had female cats so this was new to me. I researched and found out that occasionaly male cats will spray after being neutered. THIS IS NOT IN ALL CASES. LOL....I happen to be one case though. I have heard that neutering your cat at a later age might be a factor. When we got our cat Zeek he was 2 years old and had already been neutered. Therefore I don't know his age at the time he was neutered. My mom on the other hand has always had male cats, neutered and NEVER SPRAYED. Who can explain these unsolved mysteries we pet owners go thru! Being a firm believer that pets should be sprayed or neutered as to prevent those cute little kittens from begging for food and love. The good benefit also is a sprayed or neutered cat tends not to roam quite as much. So he or she will make sure to come home to mommy for all those hugs and kisses. Good luck to you and your new addition. Let me know what you decide.