Dominant Behavior in a Male Cat After Neutering

There's no guarantee as to how much your cat's behavior might change after he's neutered -- period. While dominant behaviors like mounting and territorial aggression are less likely in snipped cats, they can still exist after the operation. One reliable predictor, though, is the age at which you get your cat neutered. Cats who are neutered when they're 6 months old or younger are less likely to develop behavioral problems, particularly those associated with dominant behavior like aggression.

Neutering your cat can change him indirectly as well as directly. For example, an outdoors cat may not roam the neighborhood like he used to, because those were his days of looking for a mate. With that behavior put to an end, he's likelier to be a bit of a layabout and can consequently pack on extra weight. If he cuts back on his hormone-influenced roaming drastically, he'll need a dietary change to keep from gaining too much weight.

If you have multiple cats, neutering just one may not change dominant behavior -- you have to go all-in. A single unfixed cat, male or female, can influence the behavior of every other cat in the mix. Even a neutered cat may try to mount a female or demonstrate dominance over a non-neutered male. If you really want to put the kibosh on hormonal behavior, you have to get everybody done.

Don't feel bad about getting your cat neutered. Even if his dominant behavior goes away, that doesn't mean he's upset -- cats just don't think about the whole thing in those terms. In fact, removing that which gives him his biological imperative to mate could remove a lot of stress from his life and from yours. He won't miss a thing and he won't harbor resentment toward you.