General
Intact Vs Eunuched
General
1) Intact cats have less "falciform fat" and "earlier distal radial physeal closure" that cats neutered at either 7 weeks or 7 months of age.
2) Intact cats showed more development of secondary sexual characteristics, most notably with the cheeks, muzzle, and jowls of a tom cat. Secondary sexual characteristics are "features that distinguish the two sexes of a species". Cats eunuched as kittens have heads that are undeveloped or abnormally developed and can appear kittenish. Castrato (early speutered) male cats can have female looking faces from having their gonads divested from them as kittens.
3) Intact cats have more symmetrical eyes and eyes with a more focused gaze than eunuched cats.
Males
1) Intact toms seem to have coarser, thicker, or greasier coats. If the cat's fur is on the coarse, thick, or oily coated side, being intact might make the coat rough and/or greasy while a castration might make it silkier or less greasy. If the pelage is on the dry, brittle, or thinner coated side, being intact might make the coat seem nice and silky, and a castration might turn it dry, thin, or brittle.
2) Castration can sometimes cause the male cat’s secondary sex characteristics to fade over time, so they eventually lose the cheeks pads, similar to the way male lions will lose their mane once neutered, even if they are older than three years old at the time.
3) Testosterone thickens the skin significantly around the head and neck of toms. This is pretty apparent and does not usually go away after castration.
1) Intact cats have less "falciform fat" and "earlier distal radial physeal closure" that cats neutered at either 7 weeks or 7 months of age.
2) Intact cats showed more development of secondary sexual characteristics, most notably with the cheeks, muzzle, and jowls of a tom cat. Secondary sexual characteristics are "features that distinguish the two sexes of a species". Cats eunuched as kittens have heads that are undeveloped or abnormally developed and can appear kittenish. Castrato (early speutered) male cats can have female looking faces from having their gonads divested from them as kittens.
3) Intact cats have more symmetrical eyes and eyes with a more focused gaze than eunuched cats.
Males
1) Intact toms seem to have coarser, thicker, or greasier coats. If the cat's fur is on the coarse, thick, or oily coated side, being intact might make the coat rough and/or greasy while a castration might make it silkier or less greasy. If the pelage is on the dry, brittle, or thinner coated side, being intact might make the coat seem nice and silky, and a castration might turn it dry, thin, or brittle.
2) Castration can sometimes cause the male cat’s secondary sex characteristics to fade over time, so they eventually lose the cheeks pads, similar to the way male lions will lose their mane once neutered, even if they are older than three years old at the time.
3) Testosterone thickens the skin significantly around the head and neck of toms. This is pretty apparent and does not usually go away after castration.
Health Effects of Gonadectomies
Health Effect 1) The early neutering of male cats (or toms) keeps them from developing the trademark bigger muzzle, jowls, and cheeks that they would otherwise develop.
Health Effect 2) Castration causes the inability of a tomcat to extrude his penis completely. All intact tomcats and 60% of tomcats neutered at 7 months cat extrude their penis, but no male cat that was neutered as a 7 week old kitten was able to do so.
Health Effect 3) If neutered early, a male cats penis spines won't develop properly.
Health Effect 4) If neutered early, a cat's anal glands (two glands near he base of the tail) won't develop properly and they never start spraying. If neutered after the anal glands have developed, they may or may not continue to spray if they have started. Spraying involves shooting out a couple of tiny drops of clear fluid from the anal glands as well as shooting out urine.
Health Effect 5) Gonadectomies affect physeal cartilage maturation and on the closure of the distal radial physis. In cats, it normally closes at 14-20 months, after puberty for cats. Neutering causes delayed physeal closure, which is most obvious in male cats.
Health Effect 6) Gonadectomies also have an effect on external genitalia maturation. For example, the external genitals of castrated male and spayed female cats is infantile compared to that of their intact counterparts.
Health Effect 7) Even if castrating doesn't cause obesity, it still makes male cats less muscular if castrated early.
Health Effect 8) Two symptoms of gonadectomies are a loss of confidence and an increased risk of depression. The depression may only last for a few days or they may last for the rest of their life.
Health Effect 9) Female kittens spayed at 7 weeks have a smaller urethral diameter than intact female kittens
Health Effect 10) Gonadectomies cause the bones to overgrow in length and to not thicken enough, making their bones longer, thinner, and finer and making the cats appear taller.
Health Effect 11) Gonadectomies cause most cats to lose their libido.
Health Effect 12) Body condition scopes and body mass index values were higher (P<0.01) in animals gonadectomized at 7 weeks or 7 months than in intact animals, indicating that animals gonadectomized at either age were more likely to be obese than intact cats.
Health Effect 13) Heat coefficient, a measure of resting metabolic rate, was lower in desexed cats than in intact cats. Neutered male cats require an intake of 28% fewer calories than intact male cats and neutered female cats require an intake of 33% fewer calories than intact female cats.
Health Effect 14) No differences (P>0.05) were detected between desexed cats, regardless of when they were neutered, for mature radius length or time of distal radial physeal closure. Distal radial physeal closure was delayed (P<0.05) in desexed cats when compared to intact cats. In males and females, distal radial physeal closure was delayed (P<0.01) in both groups of desexed cats (neutered at 7 weeks or 7 months of age) compared to intact cats. In female cats, proximal radial physeal closure was also significantly delayed (P=0.02) in cats neutered at 7 weeks of age.
Health Effect 15) Desexing often causes a loss in muscle tone and a belly sag. Plenty of, although not all, intact cats have more taut bellies, whereas desexed cats with a taut belly are rather uncommon.
Health Effect 2) Castration causes the inability of a tomcat to extrude his penis completely. All intact tomcats and 60% of tomcats neutered at 7 months cat extrude their penis, but no male cat that was neutered as a 7 week old kitten was able to do so.
Health Effect 3) If neutered early, a male cats penis spines won't develop properly.
Health Effect 4) If neutered early, a cat's anal glands (two glands near he base of the tail) won't develop properly and they never start spraying. If neutered after the anal glands have developed, they may or may not continue to spray if they have started. Spraying involves shooting out a couple of tiny drops of clear fluid from the anal glands as well as shooting out urine.
Health Effect 5) Gonadectomies affect physeal cartilage maturation and on the closure of the distal radial physis. In cats, it normally closes at 14-20 months, after puberty for cats. Neutering causes delayed physeal closure, which is most obvious in male cats.
Health Effect 6) Gonadectomies also have an effect on external genitalia maturation. For example, the external genitals of castrated male and spayed female cats is infantile compared to that of their intact counterparts.
Health Effect 7) Even if castrating doesn't cause obesity, it still makes male cats less muscular if castrated early.
Health Effect 8) Two symptoms of gonadectomies are a loss of confidence and an increased risk of depression. The depression may only last for a few days or they may last for the rest of their life.
Health Effect 9) Female kittens spayed at 7 weeks have a smaller urethral diameter than intact female kittens
Health Effect 10) Gonadectomies cause the bones to overgrow in length and to not thicken enough, making their bones longer, thinner, and finer and making the cats appear taller.
Health Effect 11) Gonadectomies cause most cats to lose their libido.
Health Effect 12) Body condition scopes and body mass index values were higher (P<0.01) in animals gonadectomized at 7 weeks or 7 months than in intact animals, indicating that animals gonadectomized at either age were more likely to be obese than intact cats.
Health Effect 13) Heat coefficient, a measure of resting metabolic rate, was lower in desexed cats than in intact cats. Neutered male cats require an intake of 28% fewer calories than intact male cats and neutered female cats require an intake of 33% fewer calories than intact female cats.
Health Effect 14) No differences (P>0.05) were detected between desexed cats, regardless of when they were neutered, for mature radius length or time of distal radial physeal closure. Distal radial physeal closure was delayed (P<0.05) in desexed cats when compared to intact cats. In males and females, distal radial physeal closure was delayed (P<0.01) in both groups of desexed cats (neutered at 7 weeks or 7 months of age) compared to intact cats. In female cats, proximal radial physeal closure was also significantly delayed (P=0.02) in cats neutered at 7 weeks of age.
Health Effect 15) Desexing often causes a loss in muscle tone and a belly sag. Plenty of, although not all, intact cats have more taut bellies, whereas desexed cats with a taut belly are rather uncommon.
Notes
1) P is an estimate of the statistical significance of the result and the probability that the result has occurred by statistical accident.
2) Intact here refers to both sexually, reproductively intact cats and cats who are sterilized, but are still hormonally and endocrinologically intact.
1) P is an estimate of the statistical significance of the result and the probability that the result has occurred by statistical accident.
2) Intact here refers to both sexually, reproductively intact cats and cats who are sterilized, but are still hormonally and endocrinologically intact.
sources
1) For Prostate Cancer, Obesity, e.t.c.: https://www.vetinfo.com/cat-neutering-complications.html#b
2) For Anesthetic Death, Obesity, and Increased Appetite: http://www.thedogplace.org/Spay-Neuter/risk-vs-benefit.asp
3) For Capital Femoral Physeal Fracture: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3685007/
4) For FLUTD: https://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.2001.218.1429
5) http://www.catdefender.blogspot.com
6) https://retmeishka.wordpress.com/
7) http://vetbook.org/wiki/cat/index.php?title=Early_desexing
2) For Anesthetic Death, Obesity, and Increased Appetite: http://www.thedogplace.org/Spay-Neuter/risk-vs-benefit.asp
3) For Capital Femoral Physeal Fracture: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3685007/
4) For FLUTD: https://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.2001.218.1429
5) http://www.catdefender.blogspot.com
6) https://retmeishka.wordpress.com/
7) http://vetbook.org/wiki/cat/index.php?title=Early_desexing