Our male MC is now nearly 10 months old and seems to have started marking. We don4t see it, but we can smell it. Sometimes he4s coming home really wet on his backside. He seems to be ashamed and likes to by rinsed. But he hates to be washed properly, so the smell stays.

We heard that MC development is slower and male cats are mature with 18 months. So we would like to now what is true. Is he just testing and will he learn how to do without marking himself? Or is the only way of getting back a good smelling cat castration(neuterization). He is an adorable beautyful blue and white MC and we hate to do this and we don4t want to harm his development. He is our first MC and the nicest cat we ever had, so please everyone with experience tell us what is the right decision for a MC of this age.

-- Anonymous, July 17, 1999

Answers

Unless you plan on keeping a stud male and breeding him frequently (which is an extremely difficult thing to do unless you want your house to smell awful!!), then please do ahead and castrate him as soon as possible. Not even all breeders keep a stud male but often go to those who do keep one for their females' servicing. Most breeders with stud males have to build outside runs or cages where the cats are still protected but cannot spray inside their houses.

Regarding his "development", altered males actually develop into larger animals with much thicker coats and huge ruffs than the "whole" males do. You would in no way be restricting his development by castrating him. Many male cats are now castrated as early as even 8 weeks, let alone 8 or 10 months! I am surprised he has waited this long to start spraying! Some lines of MC I know of start at 4 months and the females may come into heat that early too. Our MC boys were all fixed at between 14 weeks and 4 months and they are absolutely gorgeous (two out of two have supremed at TICA shows so far!!).

I am absolutely sure that you will be happy with your boy once he has been fixed and that he will be a lot happier too when sex isn't the ONLY thing on his mind!

-- Anonymous, July 17, 1999