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Expert: - 5/8/2011


Question
I have a five year old neuted male kitty who is having some issues. I have six cats in our household two males (neuetered), four females (spayed). My cat has had a howling issue at night ever since we got him in 2006 from a local shelter. Last summer I fostered a pregnant mother cat and raised four of her kittens. We ended up keeping three of them. (Long story) As the females started to reach sexual maturity he started acting differently. We got the girls spayed (a while ago) and we thought it was going too be okay. Well, recently his howling has been completely out of hand at night. We wake up constantly because of it. He has started mounting and aggresively having sexual encounters with the other cats. We caught him being extremely sexually aggressive in the act with the other male cat.Between the howling and the sexual advances that take place all day long with him lately....We are considering taking him to the vet. We have tried squirt bottles, pheromone collar, feliway. Should I take him to the vet on Monday? We really are having a hard time. All of our kitties are indoor kities as well.


Any advice would be extremely helpful. About to go to the vet.


Courtney

Answer
I would most certainly take him in to the vets tomorrow. This cat can become very dangerous very quickly and not just to the other cats, but to you. Sexual aggression in neutered cats is one of the major causes of cat bites to humans.

It's quite possible that he wasn't neutered correctly and is having issues for this reason. Take him to someone that didn't neuter him if possible so that he/she can have an objective look at this cat.

Having six cats indoors is very stressful as it is. Each cat requires about 120 square feet of their own space to feel less stressed, according to some research done years ago about cats with FLUTD (feline lower urinary tracts disease).

I hope that this vet does find something. You need the peace of mind and safety.
Please let me know what you find out.

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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