Can a neutered cat still protect himself?

Coeurdepirate

So I just got my cat neutered, and in a few weeks I'll start to introduce him to the outside, as he's almost fully grown and I want him to be an inside/outside cat (please don't reply to this if you're gonna tell me about the big bad world outside for cats). Anyway, this is sort of a stupid question, but will he be able to protect himself from other tomcats? I don't know why, but for some reason I perceive neutered tomcats to be 'pussies', so to speak.

Insect Overlord

What. The. Fuck?

Try Animals & Pet Issues!

We talk about young people stuff here, not neutering cats! :eek:

Ginja Ninja

Should fit in here better than C&H

-Alan

Sigma Force

Yes they can but they might not be as fired up as unneutered toms, so the risk may be slightly higher. Cat bites can become nasty and infected and often result in abcesses so if you have to let him out check him over every evening and at least bring him in before it gets dark that's when tom cats prowl around looking for trouble so you'll be keeping him safer from toms but giving him some freedom but also keeping him a bit safer from traffic etc. as the risk is higher at night.

bakedbean

Good job on getting him neutered, very responsible!

Statistically, 'entire' Toms are more likely to be territorial and get into fights. So, by neutering him you are reducing the chances of him fighting other cats and thus getting injuries, abscesses and nasty viruses such as FIV and FeLV.

A win-win situation!

Shenshen

He'll probably be less aggressive than an un-neutered tom, but that doesn't mean he can't defend himself if he needs to. Just because he doesn't pick the fights doesn't mean he won't win them

planetX

If everyone was like you, there wouldn't be any problems!
Unfortunately there will often be an unneutered tom in the neighbourhood, and yes your cat is now a wimp and will have to learn to run away. When mine gets bitten it's usually on a back leg while he's trying to escape.
What was the alternative though? If you had left your cat intact he would be seeking out fights, local toms would come looking for him, and he'd be much more likely to get hurt.
You just need to give him some backup if you hear fighting, water pistols work well:)

Coeurdepirate

Insect Overlord wrote: »

What. The. Fuck?

Try Animals & Pet Issues!

We talk about young people stuff here, not neutering cats! :eek:

I had both of the forums open in different tabs and posted in C&H by mistake, sorry!

Coeurdepirate

Sigma Force wrote: »

Yes they can but they might not be as fired up as unneutered toms, so the risk may be slightly higher. Cat bites can become nasty and infected and often result in abcesses so if you have to let him out check him over every evening and at least bring him in before it gets dark that's when tom cats prowl around looking for trouble so you'll be keeping him safer from toms but giving him some freedom but also keeping him a bit safer from traffic etc. as the risk is higher at night.

bakedbean wrote: »

Good job on getting him neutered, very responsible!

Statistically, 'entire' Toms are more likely to be territorial and get into fights. So, by neutering him you are reducing the chances of him fighting other cats and thus getting injuries, abscesses and nasty viruses such as FIV and FeLV.

A win-win situation!

Shenshen wrote: »

He'll probably be less aggressive than an un-neutered tom, but that doesn't mean he can't defend himself if he needs to. Just because he doesn't pick the fights doesn't mean he won't win them

planetX wrote: »

If everyone was like you, there wouldn't be any problems!
Unfortunately there will often be an unneutered tom in the neighbourhood, and yes your cat is now a wimp and will have to learn to run away. When mine gets bitten it's usually on a back leg while he's trying to escape.
What was the alternative though? If you had left your cat intact he would be seeking out fights, local toms would come looking for him, and he'd be much more likely to get hurt.
You just need to give him some backup if you hear fighting, water pistols work well:)

Thanks a lot, that's very reassuring

Insect Overlord

Coeurdepirate wrote: »

I had both of the forums open in different tabs and posted in C&H by mistake, sorry!

Ah, makes sense. Sorry for the snarky reply!
Glad you're getting proper answers here.

/leaves thread.

mariannewims

Please don't worry too much about letting your little guy out.
I had a tomcat for 12 years who was neutered at 6 months and he was the alpha male of our area all through his life! He was a big cat and seemed to be the boss of all the others, so it's not necessarily the case that neutered toms become wimps!

Now, on the other hand, my new cat IS a bit of a wimp but as long as he has an escape route if local cats are out he is fine.

Just make sure you monitor your cat for the first few weeks to see if he is having problems while out with local cats. Once he has a way of getting away from them if he needs to, like a programmable cat-flap maybe, he'll be fine!

Best of luck!!