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Why is my unneutered male cat aggressive, anxious, and meowing?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Male | unneutered | 11 months and 22 days old

My cat, Manny, is about 10 or 11 months old. He is not yet neutered but we have an appointment next week. We found him at 5 weeks old and nursed him to health as he was very sick. He was confirmed to not have any feline diseases. He has suddenly (last 2 days) become more aggressive and is meowing louder and more often than usual. He seems anxiois as well. Could this be because he needs fixed? Hes An indoor cat, but I wonder if hes smelling a female cat outside.

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Macartney, BVet Med, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on August 23rd, 2017

From the behaviours you are describing it sounds very likely linked to the fact that Manny isn't neutered yet. He is reaching sexual maturity and the hormones in his body are alerting his behaviour. After he is neutered it will take a little time but these behaviours should diminish. In the meantime try a few of these re direction and distraction techniques: Feliway diffuser Interactive games like fetch and laser chase Food puzzles

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    Answered By David Darvishian

    Veterinarian

    Published on August 31st, 2017

    Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Oscar. The first thing I would do is neuter him and see if this has any affect at all. Once the testosterone drive is gone (6-8 weeks) hopefully the aggression would lessen. But if not, behavioral problems can be very complex and difficult to solve, and almost impossible to solve in this forum without one on one interaction, videos, live witnessing of the event, etc. If the aggression continues, I would highly advise consulting with your vet. Your vet can take a detailed history, do a detailed exam, and then run some tests to rule out a medical problem driving the aggression. Usually fecal tests, blood tests, urine tests, and x-rays are a minimum data base to screen for disease. Once all of this is done, a sound treatment plan can be drafted. Oscar may need some drugs also to help lessen his aggression. Good luck and I hope this helps point you in the right direction.

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