Everybody who has ever thought about introducing another cat into their home probably had to deal with this.
I know I have dealt with it.
My struggle was the other way around. Ragdoll is an unspayed female, but it’s basically the same.
Depending on who claims the rightful throne in your home, if you’re thinking about a second cat, you’ll have to choose wisely.
There are four possible constellations in any given household with two cats.
If you have an unneutered male, you can pair him with a neutered/unneutered male or a spayed/intact female.
Not all constellations work and in some instances, it can be crucial not to pair your cat up with the wrong one.
Behavioral issues and excessive mounting are not the only possible issues, you should also consider with whom your cat has the most chemistry.
Neutering doesn’t come without risks either, so there’s that to consider.
Unneutered Male Cat With Spayed Female
An unneutered male cat can live with a spayed female but issues could arise such as excessive mounting, sniffing, or licking which, in turn, increases stress and potentially fuels behavioral issues.
It might be wiser to neuter the male once he’s finished growing.
If you just recently added an unneutered male kitten, it’s probably fine to wait until bone growth is finished and then evaluate the need for neutering again.
You have the unneutered male cat and the spayed female already?
Then the only thing you can do is try and observe whether or not your male cat shows stress symptoms (male cats can definitely behave like they’re in heat too).
However, if the male cat came or will come first and neutering is not a solution for you at all (too young/old, health issues, general neutering risk), it can get a bit tricky.
If neutering the male to live with a female cat is not a choice, the alternative is to introduce another neutered or unneutered male cat into your home.
Beware that the constellation of two males can be a poor choice, especially if your male cat or the new male is only into felines is only really in harmony with females.
Similarly, in case the spayed female came first, you might want to think about adding another female or a neutered male cat.
The best harmony is said to exist between a male and female cat but if it’s not possible to rule out a possible pregnancy under any circumstances, you need to look into other options.
A lot also depends on your own cat.
Some cats are super friendly with any other feline while others are only into females or males (or no other cats at all) and that’s totally fine.
If you’ve properly socialized your cat, you should know what he or she is into and what they dislike.
It becomes pretty quickly who your cat is into more, especially if you had other males or females inside your home.
Never try to force a relationship onto your cat and never blindly accept the risk of an unwanted pregnancy.
Raising kittens ain’t no joke and health testing should be performed prior to breeding. Far too many “accident” litters are born every year, month, week, and even day.
Can a Male Cat Be Attracted To a Spayed Female?
Yes, a male cat can be attracted to a spayed female, especially if the spay was only performed recently or if it’s an adolescent male.
While spayed females don’t go into heat anymore, males can still be attracted to her.
Beware that mounting doesn’t always equal attraction, it can be due to excitement or various other factors.
That being said, mounting or excessive smelling are probably the most prominent signs that a male is attracted to a spayed female.
I’ve met cats that just seem to hump anything that comes their way.
While I can’t speak for my female Ragdoll since she seems to smell particularly nice to ANY male cat, I can attest to that fact by first-hand experience.
Females have been mounted, excessively licked, and classically courted (although this can be interpreted as play sometimes) and that’s despite them being spayed.
By the way: It can also happen that a male neutered cat is still attracted to an unspayed or even spayed female since it’s often a behavior pattern that doesn’t go away with the snap of a finger.
Why Is My Male Cat Trying To Mount My Spayed Female?
While male cats can try to mount spayed females due to excitement, it can also occur that a male cat is attracted to a female despite her being spayed, especially if the spay was performed recently.
Mounting might not seem like a problem at first.
After all, your female is spayed and nothing can happen, right?
Well, that is kind of true but if the male constantly tries to mount the female, any given situation can go south pretty quickly.
My female Ragdoll does not like being mounted at all and it doesn’t seem to matter what stage she’s in (even before, during, and after her heat).
Granted, she is not spayed but at worst, the spay only increases that as the hormones are changing.
While some neutered and unneutered males try to mount her pretty often, it’s only outside and only a couple of times before I’ll just leave.
I couldn’t imagine putting my cat through that stress every day.
If you’ve just brought home a new male feline or your adolescent cat is just beginning to get ready for potentially mating, you can just keep an eye on it.
I’ve fostered a neutered male cat and while there was a lot of mounting in the first few days, that behavior quickly subsided with some steering in the right direction.
A male mounting a spayed (or even unspayed) female is not always physical attraction but can be due to excitement.
Male Cat Keeps Licking Spayed Female Cat
If a male cat keeps licking a spayed female it’s more often than not a precursor to mounting, play, or other behaviors that have mating as the end goal.
Smelling and even licking are not rare occurrences among cat who just met but excessive licking can be an issue.
Females will usually show signs of being uncomfortable (smacking lips, flat ears, hackles, removing themselves from the situation, etc.) and it’s essential to look out for these.
To avoid further conflict, male cats should not be allowed to chase their suspect of interest down for licking, or even just smelling.
Personally, I find it annoying if my unspayed Ragdoll meets a male cat outside of her heat who is incredibly persistent with the smelling and licking behavior.
Other cat owners may think it’s fine but they often disregard clear signs that the other cats is increasingly uncomfortable.
Thanks for this article. I’ve been feeding a feral unaltered male and a stray female who live in a ravine directly behind my small yard. They are the only two cats I’ve seen come up out of that part of the ravine, and appear to be devoted to each other. Both come to eat daily on my patio, often together. She became pregneat and gave birth last October. I had her spayed along with her kittens – kittens are adopted and doing quite well. Now the unaltered male is constantly after her. She run and hides but he is bigger and faster and excessively mounts her. While she appears to have accepted her lot, she now seems quite stressed and disheveled. I would welcome her inside, I even offer her wet food inside but she goes back outside after eating. Even is she became an indoor/outdoor cat, he would still be there. What would you suggest I do?
Hi Jeanne,
It’s great that you’re looking out for these cats. Since the unaltered male is causing stress for the female, you could consider getting him neutered through a Trap-Neuter-Return program. Providing separate spaces for them to eat and rest might also help. If possible, consult a vet or animal behaviorist for advice. Keep offering the female cat indoor options, and consider reaching out to local animal rescue groups for assistance. Your care for these cats is commendable!