What Does A Male Cat Look Like After Being Neutered?

Pet overpopulation is a major challenge around the globe. By allowing your feline friend to breed, you are largely contributing to the issue.

Even if you don’t own a female kitty, you are burdening someone else with finding a home for new kittens. They have to buy toys, food and take care of the medical costs of the new additions.

And God forbid if the queen is a stray, the kittens may be raised in bad conditions or worse, euthanized.

Unless you are a breeder, it is your sole responsibility to fix your male cat before he makes another cat pregnant.

If it is your first time having your male cat neutered, it is natural to worry. You will often ask yourself how your kitty will look and act after the little procedure.

Will he stop being fierce and become a docile little creature who sleeps all day? What about his physique? Will his looks change for the worst or the better? W

alk with us as we explain how a male cat looks after neutering.

Do Male Cats Look Different After Neutering?

Neutering or castration removes a physical part of your cat. Ultimately, he will look slightly different than before.

Both balls are stripped off the cat during the procedure. For one, he will no longer spot the two sac-like body parts at the rear part of his body.

 Apart from the anus, your kitty will have a bare rare for lack of a better description.

Every time he lifts his tail, you will not be able to see the usual pair of testicles dotting that area.

Secondly, some male cats may gain weight after neutering.

The reason is simple. With no testosterone in the body, there’s little motivation to roam around in search of females on heat, mark territory or hunt for prey. Reduced physical activity means a higher chance of weight gain.

Fixed male cats also need fewer calories daily compared to intact males. Pet parents who aren’t aware of this fact may keep feeding the same amount of food hence causing weight gain.

Fortunately, with a balanced diet and some exercises at home, a neutered male cat will not grow larger.

Encourage your pet to play simple indoor games with you or other pets to get her activity levels up. Equally, work with your vet to understand his feeding requirements.

Lastly, neutered cats have shaven bottoms as well. Vets shave the surgical site before making any incision.

For pets with long-coated fur babies, the shaved area compromises the look of the cat a little. Thankfully, the fur will grow back in no time.

How Should Cat Balls Look After Neuter?

Neutering, in its simplest form, is the action of removing testicles from a cat as it is the source of testosterone hormone.

The hormone is responsible for many cat behaviors such as aggression, roaming, and territory marking.

Most importantly, a lack of testicles means sperms are not produced to fertilize a queen on heat.

With the absence of testicles, a sterilized cat essentially doesn’t have balls. The place that once hosted the balls only contains the testicle sac – a tiny bag located above the penis and below the anus and tail.

Cats that have recently been neutered have soft testicle sacs with no hard balls on the inside.

After a month or so, the sac goes flat. When you hold the area below the tail, you may not even feel the sac at all. This rings true for both sacs.

If you cannot imagine your adorable cat without his testicles, you might want to reconsider neutering. This is the most affected part of the body – aesthetically.

Fortunately, cats have small balls (thanks to their small frames). At first, the anal area may appear void without the testicles especially when the sac goes flat.

However, after a while, you get used to the new look of your cat. Thankfully, he will keep eliminating without any problem a few hours after surgery.

Do Male Cats Have Stitches After Neutering?

According to Avon vets, neutering is a simple procedure that doesn’t require stitches.

Under general anesthesia, a vet will make two incisions on each scrotum and get rid of the testes.

This is the situation for a male cat whose both testicles have dropped down in the scrotum.

 After surgery, the incisions are mostly left open to heal on their own. If the vet deems fit, they may close them with a tiny amount of tissue adhesive.

The male kitty will be placed with an E-collar to keep them from grooming the area.

However, if the male cat has retained testicles (undescended testicles), the vet will be forced to make several incisions in multiple locations around the scrotum.

After the removal of testicles, they will close off the incisions with sutures. These will need to be removed 10-14 days after the operation if they are non-dissolvable.

 If the sutures are intradermal, they will dissolve on their own over time.

Like in the first case, an E-collar is necessary to keep the area free from excessive licking and scratching.

The good news is that a large majority of cats have descended testicles. This means that they don’t need stitches after neutering.

However, if yours is among the minority, worry not. The stitches are minor and don’t mean harm to the cat.

Talk to your vet and follow their advice on how to care for the kitty after the procedure.

Signs of Infection after Neutering a Cat

After neutering, a male cat will have some minor bruising and swelling near the incision site. This is completely normal and should not cause any alarm.

However, if you notice the following, it may signal an infection that needs medical treatment.

• Acute redness, bruising, and swelling at the wound

• Signs of pain lasting more than a week (drooling, shaking, and hiding)

• Pus or bleeding from the incision site

• Lethargy for over a week

• Diarrhea and vomiting 24 hours after the neutering procedure

• Refusal to eat more than one meal

• Opening up of the incision site

• A bad smell emanating from the incision site

Additional Tips

After neutering, your male cat will need plenty of rest until his wound is healed. This takes about 10-14 days. Discourage any kind of rough play or excessive jumping.

If possible, replace his litter with newspaper to keep the usual litter granules from sticking to the incision area.

Get him a warm, comfortable spot to rest and recuperate. If you notice anything amiss, don’t hesitate to call the vet.

Final Thoughts

Worried about what your male cat will look like after he’s been altered?

The truth is that besides the absence of testicles and perhaps some weight gain, there isn’t much change.

You can control the latter if it bothers you that much. The former will need a little getting used to but it is certainly worth it in the end.