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Hi amongst my managerie of animals i have a cat that was born with an under developed ribcage .I took him in at 8 weeks old as a kitten when the previouse owners were going to have him put down ,and at the grand old age of two hes just started spraying (i also have two other cats one male one female both neutered indoor cats) what i would like to know is ...off hand and before i spend hideous amonts of money at the vets is there anyone out there that would know if a cat with this sort of problem can ever be neutered .What im scared of is putting him through the stress of being knocked out to be x rayed and worried they may not want to revive him if theres a problem .Hes otherwise healthy and just a bit slow - thanks in advance xx

Maybe a phone call to the vets to ask about the ribcage... just because

he has that doesn't mean his lungs or anything else aren't fine and

able to withstand anesthesia. Is he normal size?



Leaving the neutering until 2 years old is awfully late... it might not

stop the spraying now. I would still do it if it were me, though. If money

is a problem, perhaps you could find a clinic. They might not be

experienced with his particular condition, but would be able to tell you

whether or not they'd even risk treatment for him.



Hopefully, BabyRider might be able to get on here and give you further,

she's experienced with the vet side of things...

valerie wrote: Maybe a phone call to the vets to ask about the ribcage... just because

he has that doesn't mean his lungs or anything else aren't fine and

able to withstand anesthesia. Is he normal size?



Leaving the neutering until 2 years old is awfully late... it might not

stop the spraying now. I would still do it if it were me, though. If money

is a problem, perhaps you could find a clinic. They might not be

experienced with his particular condition, but would be able to tell you

whether or not they'd even risk treatment for him.



Hopefully, BabyRider might be able to get on here and give you further,

she's experienced with the vet side of things...


Thanks valerie moneys not the problem he will have to be done at some stage im just worried his heart will not be able to take the stress - hes always been very scrawny but very loverable.over here vets would rather put an animal to sleep ,we were told he may not live as long as a normal cat .can cats be slow?

Are you referring to "slow" mentally? Or he isn't just as interested in

chasing after toys and stuff?



He could have a lot more going on than you know about. Did you get any

pointers from the vet when he had his original shots as a kitten?

valerie wrote: Are you referring to "slow" mentally? Or he isn't just as interested in

chasing after toys and stuff?



He could have a lot more going on than you know about. Did you get any

pointers from the vet when he had his original shots as a kitten?


Slow mentally its only me that thinks that .The vet said hes fine just had the under developed ribcage, it has fused together now .its just a feeling i have ive always believed he was a bit slow .Im just a bit worried silly really i just dont want to put him through and op if i dont need to .. will phone vet tomorrow ive been putting it off ...

,and at the grand old age of two hes just started spraying

hi pantsonfire,

As i put in my thread both my neutered male cats have sprayed and both were neutered young and it still smells just as bad:-1 , I've found it only happens when they are stressed by something (such as a cat trying to break in - see thread! ). For cleaning I put non bio washing machine powder with water because it neutralises the ammonia from the spray. If your cat doesn't go out and you can figure out what's caused him to start spraying then you may not need to get him neutered.

susan wrote: ,and at the grand old age of two hes just started spraying

hi pantsonfire,

As i put in my thread both my neutered male cats have sprayed and both were neutered young and it still smells just as bad:-1 , I've found it only happens when they are stressed by something (such as a cat trying to break in - see thread! ). For cleaning I put non bio washing machine powder with water because it neutralises the ammonia from the spray. If your cat doesn't go out and you can figure out what's caused him to start spraying then you may not need to get him neutered.


Hi susan i did get my kitty done it took a while to find a vet that could do the operation but the vet that did,was very experiened in his problem(he was born with an under developed ribcage.He only started spraying at two years old and we got him done at 2 years and about 4 months - as soon as he came home he was a different cat ,no yowling no spraying just a lovely normal (i know he'll never be normal) little affectionate boy cat .The vet also said the op should give him about a 12 year life span .

susan wrote: If your cat doesn't go out and you can figure out what's caused him to start spraying then you may not need to get him neutered.
I realize this is an old thread and the question has been resolved, (sorry I missed it first time 'round, pants) I have to say something here. There is NEVER a good enough reason to NOT have your pets neutered. It is a responsibility as pet owners and animal lovers to ensure this is taken care of. Susan, I appreciate what you're saying and I'm not jumping on you at all, I just can't stress enough how important it is to have your dogs and cats neutered.