A male cat that gets neutered gets his testicles removed. Thus, if you have a male feline pet that just got neutered, you may find it problematic to see that it still has balls. So, you may ask:
My neutered male cat still has balls; is that normal? When male cats get neutered, their testicles get removed. If it seems like your pet still has balls, then it’s likely the way the surgery got performed. When neutering, vets only remove the testicles. The multi-layer sheath that surrounds the testicles is left as well as the scrotal skin.
For this reason, your pet may seem to have balls still, but in reality, it’s only the skin or the sheath that remains. If you still worry about it, read on.
In this article, we’ll tackle everything you need to know about this matter and how to know if your cat already got neutered.
Without further ado, let’s get into it!
Contents
Do male cats still have balls after being neutered?
Since neutering a male cat means removing his testicles, they shouldn’t have balls after the surgery.
When your feline pet gets neutered, he has the testicles removed. Thus, if there are hard balls inside, then it means your cat still has his testicles, and he is not neutered.
However, if the sac is quite soft, he most likely has been neutered recently.
Why does it look like your male cat still has balls even though he’s neutered?
Most male cats still appear to have testicles. However, it’s not something you need to worry about.
If your pet still seems to have balls, it is due to how the surgery is performed.
As male cats get neutered, only the testicles are removed. Thus, the multi-layer sheath that surrounds the testicles remains together with the scrotal skin.
Should you worry about this?
As an owner, it can be quite problematic to see your pet having balls even after you got it neutered,
Still, it is likely due to how the vet performed the surgery. In general, it’s nothing but empty sacs, and the testes have been removed from the inside.
As a general rule of thumb, the testicles got removed, and it’s just the sac that remains. Most veterinarians do it this way to avoid accidentally damaging the anus or urethra.
How to recognize your male cat is neutered?
If you want to know if your male cat got neutered, you can do it by yourself through the following steps:
Position your cat.
You need to access his buttocks area to examine his genital region.
For this reason, you need to position your cat with his rear end toward you.
Afterward, you need to pull his tail straight up so you can see his genital region. You may need help if you think your cat will wiggle around as you do it.
You can also stroke your cat’s back and talk to him to make him put up his tail. This way, you won’t have to hold it, and he will be more relaxed.
You might also want to put on a pair of latex gloves since you will be feeling around your cat’s genitals. Make sure they are thin enough that you can still feel through them.
Check for the testicles.
If your male cat gets neutered, you should feel the genital region to see it yourself.
To do this, you need to look for the testicle sac. It’s below the tail and anus and above the penis. The testicle sac should look like a small bag.
As soon as you located it, you can pick it up and gently feel what’s inside. If there are hard balls inside, your cat still has the testicles, and it is not neutered.
However, if it’s soft, he most likely got neutered recently. This case is usually accompanied by a shaved scrotum as well.
If there is no sac to get held, he may have got neutered more than a month, and the sac has gone flat.
If you find one testicle, your cat didn’t get neutered.
This method won’t guarantee that your cat has got neutered. Other cases such as age can be a factor in this.
For instance, if your feline pet is young, he also may not have dropped his testicles yet.
It’s also possible that he may suffer from cryptorchidism. It’s a condition where neither of the testicles has dropped.
Measure the length between the anus and penis.
Aside from feeling the sac, you can also do another way to check if your cat got neutered. It’s possible by determining the length between the anus and penis.
To do this, you need to pull up the tail. Afterward, you need to measure the space between the anus and penis.
A neutered cat should have more than an inch of space between the penis and anus. However, if your pet is young, the area should take a little over half of an inch.
Summary
In a nutshell, most male cats still appear to have testicles even after getting neutered. However, it’s not something you need to worry about.
If your pet still seems to have balls, it is due to how the surgery got performed. As male cats get neutered, only the testicles got removed. Thus, the multi-layer cover surrounding the testicles remains together with the scrotal skin.
If you still want to be sure, it would be best to take your pet to the vet and ask for clarification. Your vet will surely provide you with a proper explanation.
Resources
Image credits – Canva
