We finally got tired of our "Too Aggressive" tom cat the other day. I was afraid that he was going to go after our little ones soon. So, I stuck him in a cage with some eggs and milk, tainted with a cap full of rum. When he was a touch woozy, we wrapped him in a towel and let the banding begin. He growled, but was otherwise subdued. When we removed the towel, he didn't run, but just slowly crawled away. He went to the barn, and came out of hiding later that afternoon, wanting to be petted but not held. By the next day, he was ok with being held, and the area looks great. I would count it a success! Thanks to all who gave me advice on this.

Blessings,

Maylene

-- Maylene (bigredbarn@myexcel.com), June 22, 2001

Answers

I have a male cat I'd like to do this to in order to save from the vet bill, but I've never even seen it done, so I dare not do it. Keep us up to date on how it goes.

-- Epona (crystalepona2000@yahoo.com), June 23, 2001.

Sounds like a good way to cause a painful death to the cat. Much too easy to get the penis in the band along with the testicles, thereby causing the bladder to burst cuz he can't urinate. Just let the vet do it!

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), June 24, 2001.

Tom-cats can and have been banded often, successfully. Not everything is perfect, but that is also the case with vets. I've known and appreciated many former toms who've become quite pleasant friendly animals. They also don't tend to roam at night, fighting and getting infected ulcers, or being killed by predators tougher than they were. Ken Scharabo (I think it was) has also done this, successfully, on the basis of what's been posted here and is now in the what-every- other-bulletin-board-refers-to-as-archives-but-Greenspun-calls-older- messages.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), June 24, 2001.

I wouldn't do it, but if you insist on it, at least be sure to give the poor thing a tetanus shot before you do it.

-- Sojourner (notime4@summer.spam), June 24, 2001.

Just a reminder, Ken had a horrible experience banding a cat, and ended up at the vet's anyway.

-- lily (lily@123yahoo.com), June 25, 2001.

Well, it has been 7 days since the banding. All is well. He is playful, and the area is drying nicely. Yes, we were very careful to not include the penis in the banding. We made sure of this. So far, so good.

Thanks, Maylene

-- Maylene (bigredbarn@myexcel.com), June 26, 2001.

Thanks Maylene, this just goes to show that we certainly can do lots of things that we are not "supposed" to do, and that experience, not what we are told will happen, are the best teachers! I band castrated a friends Great Pyr, he simply couldn't afford a vet. Of course giving him up to day vaccines, he also wore an elizabethian collar so he wouldn't chew at himself. He is still alive and kicking many years later. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), June 26, 2001.

i have the same problem. i cannot afford vets bills for my tom cat castration. is the general consensus of opinion that banding is better than sticking him head first in a large boot and snipping his "crown jewels"! i suspect there it is not much difference in terms of the discomfort for the cat.

-- sue (saynsey@cwctv.net), August 17, 2001.