Hello - I breed and shown persian cats. I imported an unproven, entire, male well over a year ago. Personality loving, likes to be stroked, but very quiet and keeps himself to himself. On arrival, he lived in my house with my other male and few females. They got on well, neither sprayed. About 10 months ago, I separated them as I sensed my new male felt inferior. In all the time he has been with me, he has never shown any interest in my females whatsoever - they have been calling and throwing themselves at him. He has lived with a young 1 year old female all this time, no reaction at all. I am so disappointed, I do not know what to do. I have not been to my vet yet, but many breeder friends say he will work when he is ready, others feel its gone on too long. Can you recommend a specialist vet I can take him to, or is there a fertility test or vitamins etc, that will help. He has stunning eye colour and I feel he will break my heart.

Our vet says: I can certainly understand your concern, however it would be useful to know how old your male is now, since some males can be later developers. This often occurs in males who are isolated from other cats and these toms may have low testosterone levels, even at a year of age.

One of the first things you should check (or have checked by a vet if you are unsure) is that both testes have descended and are present in the scrotal sacs. You should be able to gently palpate these yourself as two "balls" in the scrotum. As an experienced breeder you have probably already done this but I feel I must include this information to be thorough!

A second anatomical problem which may be present in male cats is a persistent frenulum. This is a fold of tissue which attaches the penis to the prepuce during development. As a cat matures this tissue should break down but rarely may persist. The male cat can then not achieve intromission. Surgery can correct this problem if it is present.

Chromosomal abnormalities are known to occur in cats which can affect the fertility of the male. This is commonly seen in male tortoiseshell cats who are almost certainly infertile. There is a possibility that this type of problem could occur in any breed or colour of cat. Does your male have secondary sexual characteristics typical of the entire male? Most entire toms will be larger than females and develop a typical "tom face" with wide cheeks, they also tend to have thicker skin than females and their urine smells strongly. If your male cat does not have these characteristics yet there is some reason to be suspicious.

Some infections (eg panleucopenia) may cause testicular abnormalities if they are aquired early in life. Even if your cat has both testicles it may be worth taking him along to your vet to check that they seem to be the right size and are not smaller that would normally be expected.

Trauma to the scrotum perhaps from a previous cat bite may cause fertility problems later, so do think about any fights which may have occurred in the past. Penile hair rings which can easily be removed are sometimes a source of fertility problems too.

Is your cat the correct weight? Being too thin or too fat can cause problems with libido.

Hypothyroidism or other chronic disease may be a reason for infertility in males. Your vet can check for hypothyroidism with a blood test.

Psychological issues may also cause a tom cat to ignore females in heat. If he is inexperienced and has previously tried to mate an aggressive female this may make him very wary of trying again (even with a very receptive female). Equally, changes of routine (such as you mention with the change of companionship) may be enough to upset a sensitive young male cat and be expressed as a lack of libido even when queens are very much in heat.

I would suggest you take your cat to your regular vet in the first instance, since some of the more common problems can easily be checked with simple examination or blood samples if necessary. From there you may wish for a referral or you might consider keeping your male with other friendly cats in a very stable environment for a little while longer to see if he matures.

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Answers to Your Pet Healthcare Questions

Showing similar questions and answers in this category

Urinating

Species: cat | Category: behaviour | Submitted: 17-Jul-09 04:06PM | viewed 32668 times

Sharon asks about jazzy (cat) :

We have a 3 year old cat we got from Cat's Protection last year. The past few days she's started to do little wees everywhere including in her litter tray. We don't have any other pets and she's a house cat. We know from when we got her she wasn't treated well. She's eating and drinking normally. She still purrs, her eyes are clear and her coat is lovely. I'm really worried.

Our vet says: It is obviously impossible to tell you exactly what is wrong with Jazzy over the internet, but with the signs you mention most vets would start to think about problems such as cystitis or other bladder problems. You should take Jazzy along to your vet and if you can take a sample of the urine along with her it would be helpful.

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Delaying Neutering

Species: cat | Category: behaviour | Submitted: 31-Aug-07 01:28PM | viewed 43581 times

Carolyn asks:

I have two british shorthair cats, a little 10 month old girl who has been spayed and a 6 month old boy. I shall have the little boy neutered but have been advised that I need to leave this as long as possible so that he develops the british shorthair characteristics. I am concerned that as he matures he might take an unwanted sexual interest in the little girl. Can you please advise me on this. Thank you.

Our vet says: Opinions may differ on this but if he were mine I would get him castrated sooner rather than later. If you want to show him you might be wise to leave it longer but if he is purely a pet then there is really no benefit in waiting in my opinion. I should think that "the British Shorthair characteristics" referred to are the well developed facial features, especially the cheeks. This is also a characteristic of entire males of any breed so if your male is left entire he will develop these more prominently (as would any male cat). However other aspects of his "maleness" will also develop including the desire to mate, the need for territorial marking (such as urine spraying around the home) and if he is allowed out he will be more prone to wandering in search of a mate (making him high risk for road accidents) and fighting with other cats in his area. Many of these "male characteristics" are undesirable in the average pet and can be difficult to eradicate once they develop even when the cat is eventually neutered.

Hopefully this information helps you in your decision but of course you must take into account the lifestyle which he will have i.e. indoor/outdoor cat, show cat/ pet etc before you reach your final conclusion.

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Suckling behaviour

Species: cat | Category: behaviour | Submitted: 09-Aug-07 02:34PM | viewed 43856 times

Leanne asks:

My almost 12 week old kitten came to me four weeks ago along with her brother. When they are curled up sleeping (usually when its near us) Marley will often begin suckling her brother. This ends up with him pushing her away and then suckling on himself. It can last for quite a while and he generally ends up quite wet underneath. I have tried to dry him a few times and at the moment there doesn't seem to be any skin problems but I am worried that it may lead to. Why are they doing this as they seem very happy and contented and its usually as they awake from sleep and whilst purring!

Our vet says: Remember that these kittens are very much still babies and, just like human babies, derive much comfort from sucking. I would not worry too much about it at the moment- they will probably grow out of it. If you do become concerned that there may be some sort of skin condition developing take them along to your local vet.

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found cat drooling, vomiting

Species: cat | Category: behaviour | Submitted: 01-Jul-07 01:53AM | viewed 45408 times

Lisa asks:

We found a cat under our deck. Our dogs cornered it and when we pulled it out from the deck, it was drooling and its fur was wet. It is contained now but vomits and has loose stools. What is this a sign of?

Our vet says: It sounds like a sick cat and you should contact your local vet about it. Drooling saliva may be a sign of many things including bad teeth, tumours in the mouth etc. The vomiting and diarrhoea are signs of a gastrointestinal problem of some sort but it is impossible to say exactly what without examining the cat. I know that this web-site is now getting questions from people outside the UK so if you live in a country where rabies is a possibility this should always be of great concern if you come across any animal salivating excessively; if you do live in a country where rabies is endemic please seek professional advice urgently.

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pining

Species: cat | Category: behaviour | Submitted: 05-Jun-07 11:16PM | viewed 43907 times

Carole asks:

Following death of other cat (aged 20) George is refusing food, although his weight has not been affected. It has now been 2 months. Is this usual and what is recommended other than another cat!

Our vet says: A cat refusing food is always cause for concern. Sometimes, I know, cats can grieve for a lost companion, but if your cat is not eating then you must get him checked by a vet to make sure that there is nothing else going on. Some problems can cause a fluid build up in the abdomen so that a cat can appear quite fat even when they are not eating very much. Once you have had George checked by your local vet, if he is found to be perfectly healthy, you can start to assume that he could be distressed by the sad loss of your other cat. In this situation you could try giving him extra attention if this seems to make him happier and possibly try a product such as Feliway which might help him to feel more at ease. Hopefully in time he will feel better, but I personally would not really recommend a new cat at this time- it could cause many more problems than it solves.

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