Can A Neutered Cat Still Mate and Get a Female Pregnant?

For cat owners, we know what it means when we say a cat has been spayed or neutered, even though you are not aware of what exactly it does to your feline friend.

You have probably heard of the benefits of neutering cats.  Some of which are decreased health infections as well as prevent unwanted litters of kittens.

Spays and neuters are surgery to remove the reproductive organs of male and female cats. But can a neutered male cat still get a female pregnant?

Neutered male cats are not supposed to mate and therefore should not get females pregnant.  However, if a male cat has newly been neutered, it’s possible to impregnant a female cat  from residue sperm.  This is because residue sperm in   the pipes may take days or even weeks to flash out. So, if you have freshly neutered a male cat, separate from for at least a week.

How long you should separate a freshly   neutered cat from females can vary from cat to cat. According to ASPCA, a newly neutered cat can get an unsprayed female cat up to 30 days after the neuter surgery. On the other hand, Greencross vet recommends separating a cat for a week after the neuter surgery.

Possible Reasons your female cat got pregnant despite neutering your male

1. Residue testosterone and sperm

The most common reason is that the residue testosterone and sperms can get the female cat pregnant.

That is, if you did not spay your female but only neutered the male, its important to separate the male. Otherwise, withing the few days after neuter procedure, your male can still get your female pregnant

2. Your cat was impregnated by another male cat

Its also possible that your cat was impregnated by another cat. That is, if you only had your male cat neutered your female cat remained unspayed. The   best thing to do is to neuter your male and spay your female as well.

3. An Illness

Some illness such a pyometria which is an infection of the uterus could cause the abdomen part of your cat to swell and your cat looking pregnant. This condition is treatable if diagnosed soon enough.

 Your cat could also be experiencing a false pregnancy.  That is if your male cat tried to mate her. 

That would have stimulated her body to volute and fool her body into thinking that she is pregnant.

It’s important to note false pregnancy also looks just the same as the real one, with similar symptoms such as weight gain.

Read also: Why Male Cat Won’t Leave Pregnant Female Alone?

Can A Neutered Cat Still Produce Sperm?

A neutered cat can no longer produce sperm. However, there is a period of time in which male neutered cats can still get female cats pregnant. This is when the hormone testosterone is still active even after being neutered.

This is caused by the residual sperms that weren’t yet cleared out in the pipes. But once the sex hormones become inactive, it becomes impossible for reproduction to take place.

How Long After Neutering Is Sperm Gone in Cats

After neutering, your male cat will start to show signs of being ready to mate once again even though this desire is decreased after the procedure.

But how long does sperm stay in the body after a neutering procedure? And how can you tell if it’s still there?

Testosterone can take up to six weeks for it to decrease completely. Which means that Sperm is gone from cats after about a month, but it can vary. The average time is between 4 and 6 weeks.

How Can You Tell If Your Cat Still Has Sperm After Being Neutered?

If you own a neutered cat, there’s a good chance he’s still got some sperm in his body.

How can you tell if your cat still has sperm after neutering? It can be tricky to determine how much of the male animal’s reproductive system remains intact.

But if you’re looking for signs that your cat may have retained some sperm after being neutered, there are a few things to look for.

You can tell if your cat still sperm and testosterone has if he is mounting a female that is in heat. Presence of sperm means that testosterone levels are active, if so. You will notice that your cat is still being aggressive and territorial around other animals or people.

Neutering however reduces aggressiveness in male cats. But if they still have traces of sperm from testosterone, meaning this behavior can still be present.

Can Cats Get Sexually Frustrated?

Cats can get sexually frustrated. Cats are able to express their sexuality in many ways, including mating.

However, if a cat is not able to mate with its mate due to injury or illness, it may become sexually frustrated. Sometimes this will result in inappropriate behavior i.e., scratching at furniture or climbing on objects.

Not to forget that cats are nocturnal animals, and that means they’re more likely to be frustrated by their lack of sexual activity at night than during the day.

Sometimes if you think your cat is frustrated maybe due to another reason It could be a sign that they’re feeling anxious or scared.

A lot of cats will do things like jumping up and down in the house, stare at the floor, or just sit by themselves when they’re feeling down on themselves.

If this happens often enough, it might indicate a medical problem like separation anxiety or general depression.

Read also: Can a Cat Die from Neutering? All You Need to Know

Do spayed female cats still have the urge to mate?

This depends on the period of time since the cat was spayed. If the residual hormones that cause your cat to be in heat are still present after being spayed and have not yet been cleared from the cat’s body. Then your female cat can still have the urge to mate with no doubt.

A female cat will have a heat cycle every year. And will go into what’s called “estrus” and will have an urge to mate.

You can tell when a cat is in estrus by her behavior: she’ll become more affectionate, chase you around the house (or even outside), and rub against you as well as your furniture.

She’ll also develop a “calling card”, a scent mark on her fur that marks her territory for potential mates. However, if your female cat is spayed. The desire to mate starts to decrease. You will notice this as she will start being aggressive to male cats who are trying to mount or mate with her.

Neutered Male Cat Mounting Unspayed Female

It’s a part of their normal mating cycle! Neutered male cats are still able to have sexual desire a few days after the surgery because of the residue testosterone in his body which eventually fades away days or weeks later.

 But it’s not easy for them, when they try to mount unspayed females, it’s because they want to try and satisfy their desire to mate.

It can be tough for neutered male cats because when they go through the neutering procedure. Their testosterone levels soon decrease, and also their sperm count goes down.

Which means that their chances of having the urge to mate go way down but only a few days later. But when they’re neutered early enough in life, there’s no reason for them to try and mate with unspayed females at all!

They can spend the rest of their lives as good cats who don’t have any desire whatsoever ever again to try and mount or impregnate any other female cat.

Also read: Cat Won’t Keep Cone on After Neuter: What To Do if Cat Keeps Taking Cone Off

Why Is My Cat Acting Like She’s in Heat After Being Spayed?

There are some reasons why your cat might be acting like she’s in heat after being spayed. One reason is that the hormones are still intact.

When cats are spayed or neutered, their hormones change but not just right away. They can still go through a period of time where they get in heat and want to mate with another male cat.

Cats, like many other animals, undergo hormonal changes after being spayed or neutered. This is normal and nothing to be alarmed about.

Another reason that could be causing your cat to act like she’s in heat after being spayed might be Ovarian remnant syndrome. This is what might be triggering your cat to act like she’s in heat.

Sometimes it could be that the surgery was done too soon: If your pet was spayed or neutered before being comfortable with the procedure.

She may develop stress-related behaviors in reaction to the surgery. This can include crying excessively and becoming very clingy.

It can also be due to the type of anesthetic drug used together with dose: Anesthesia drugs can react and affect cats differently and can cause cat owners to think their pets are having trouble coping with their new bodies.

Male Cats After Neutering

Neutering is a relatively safe procedure for male cats. Most males are content to live their lives without much fuss.

And if you decide to get your cat neutered, it’s usually only because you want to keep him from spraying and/or fighting with other cats.

In addition to eliminating the risk of injury or death from fighting, neutering also helps prevent some unwanted behaviors in male cats, such as roaming by reducing their testosterone levels. The success rate for neutering male cats is around 90%, so it’s definitely worth doing!

Conclusion

So, there you have it, a neutered cat can still mate and get a female pregnant, but this is only possible a few days after neuter. That’s because of the viable residue sperm which takes about 4 to 6 weeks after the neutering procedure to clear off completely.

On the other hand, neutering will obviously make your male less aggressive, he’s not going to turn into a eunuch. So don’t feel like you have to get him snipped just to prevent him from spraying in the house.