Safe to neuter older feral male cat?

Igotadose · 04-02-2026 12:11PM #1

We've been taming an older male cat. We think he's at least 11 years old, has always been pretty friendly but clearly is a scrapper, too. He now comes indoors and sleeps on a bed and probably would not take much to litter-pan train him.

He's not neutered, however, and he doesn't smell good, which I think is because he's not neutered. Doesn't spray indoors though, at least, so far.

We're debating whether to neuter him. I'm pretty sure we can get him in the carrier to go to vet, where he's never been before, have him sedated and neutered.

My question is, should we? He's old, if we bring him home, he will go outdoors at some point, and might just take off. If he's in need of post-operation surgery it's likely we won't be able to medicate him. Also, what will happen in his encounters with the other males out here? I expect he'll be less agressive, is that good? Will he end up a 'punching bag' for the other males?

Thanks.

One Who Waits... · 04-02-2026 09:31PM

Since nobody else replied...

Why not just check with the vet clinic?

If a cat's otherwise healthy, it's always good to get them snipped. Much simpler procedure for a male cat as well. Your guy's less likely to wander off after the snip, especially if you're feeding him. Generally, a neutered male is less likely to get into fights but can still throw down as required.

Curious about the "he doesn't smell good" though. A dirty smell or something else?

Igotadose · 05-02-2026 07:15AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124206648#Comment_124206648

He's a pretty dirty cat but I think the smell is 'intrinsic,' what I read says it's a 'musk' because he's not neutered.

He does clean himself, just doesn't do it too well, if he sits in your lap, your lap gets dust on it.

khamilton · 05-02-2026 07:18AM

I've done this multiple times with both male and female feral cats - there's no good reason not to, and nothing to be worried about.

None of them have ever taken off after being neutered, whether male or female.

Igotadose · 05-02-2026 07:34AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124207086#Comment_124207086

Do you know how old they were? We've done it to young cats many times as well, several have disappeared though showed up elsewhere eventually.

The cat in question is at least 10 years old and walks fairly stiffly.

One Who Waits... · 05-02-2026 07:40AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124207086#Comment_124207086

This.☝️

I hate giving advice online but was keen to give you a nudge to proceed. I, too, have had multiple cats neutered - from friendlies like yours, to wild lunatics.

Fair play for taking an interest in the cat's welfare.

khamilton · 05-02-2026 07:47AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124207106#Comment_124207106

The latest (last year) was 9-11. He was completely feral, and by his behaviour, had lived in a colony somewhere. Had to corner him with a blanket in a room after luring him inside and he pissed all over me in fright - I'd tried trapping him for a week with no luck.

Walks stiffly/gingerly too, feral cats age a lot quicker than domestic cats sadly.

dairyedge2 · 05-02-2026 07:55AM

I wouldn’t recommend it. The vets of course will advise for him to be done, easy money. If his that age why put him through it. He may also disappear and never be seen again when taken home.

omicron · 05-02-2026 08:03AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124207127#Comment_124207127

You need a new vet if yours only advises procedures based on easy money.

Much less likely to disappear or get in fights if he's neutered.

Flinty997 · 05-02-2026 08:51AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124207127#Comment_124207127

It's usually recommended to help reduce the population of wild cats.

Most cats are at risk of wandering off. It's what they do. Domestic cats generally come back though.

Igotadose · 05-02-2026 09:00AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124207122#Comment_124207122

He's at least 10 (we saw him as a kitten loose out here 10 years ago.) It's our biggest concern about the surgery - how well he'll recover and whether he'll need subsequent medication, etc.

Anyway, we're going to take on the, ahem, odious task of pan training him. Ferals usually take to it pretty readily, hopefully he will too.

khamilton · 05-02-2026 10:06AM

Mine took to it well. For male cats, neutering is a simple and extremely low risk operation and tends to lead toward positive behavioural changes in the cat.

CelticRambler · 05-02-2026 11:51AM

Male cats neutered in the course of trap-neuter-release campaigns are frequently released the day after their operation - it's really no big deal for them. There is rarely any post-op care to be concerned about.

However, given his age and the fact that he has been living the life of a tomcat for a decade, there's a chance he has other health conditions that may not be obvious. FIV would be the main thing, but he could also have dental problems or kidney disease. If you explain to the vet before you take him in that you're not (necessarily) in a position to commit to any kind of treatment, long or short term, they should take that into account when deciding what needs to be done and what ought to be done.

An FIV test is quick and relatively cheap - you should get that done, as a positive result will have implications for any other problems that show up later.

Edit to correct inappropriate n'ts !

Igotadose · 05-02-2026 12:46PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124207748#Comment_124207748

All the ferals out here have FiV per the vet. We get cats dumped out here and this is common, we had to have one euthanized earlier this year, it was doing very poorly.

Safe to neuter older feral male cat?

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