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My cat is 6 months old but his balls still haven't dropped.

Published on: February 18, 2022 • By: Spoopy_Ramen · In Forum: Cats
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Spoopy_Ramen
Participant
February 18, 2022 at 08:33pm
a couple of weeks ago I got curious when my cats balls would drop and searched it up, most websites said that at the latest they should've dropped by 6 months. He's 6 months almost 7 and there's just nothing. He's def male, he's not castrated as far as we know and has no other issues. He's growing as expected literally everything else is fine. He's happy and healthy but I just find it a bit odd? Maybe he's just a late bloomer?
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Liz Buchanan BVSc MRCVS
Keymaster
February 18, 2022 at 11:39pm
Hello!  Cats testicles appear very young;  I would definitely have expected them to have appeared by now, usually a couple of inches below the anus.   This makes me wonder whether a) they have been removed at some point - does your cat definitely not have a secret second owner?    b) whether the cat is male - you tell me it is.  Whether perhaps there may be an unusual / rare intersex situation at play?   c) whether your cat is a bilateral (on both L and R sides) cryptorchid - this is rare, but not impossible.  It sounds as though you need to take them to the vets to discuss this possibility - the concern is that testicles that do not descend could prove cancerous or experience a painful / surgical torsion later.  If you haven't had your cat for long enough to be sure that they haven't been castrated, there may also be a blood test available to try. Please do come back and let us know how you get on!
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Spoopy_Ramen
Participant
February 20, 2022 at 12:46pm
We got him at 4 months old so there was a chance he might've been castrated although the breeder didn't say anything about it, I've asked her but she hasn't answered. He's also only our cat, we live in an apartment and he's an inside cat. We think he might be a cryptorchid and we're planning to take him to the vet to get him checked out! If he is he will def be getting castrated.
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Liz Buchanan BVSc MRCVS
Keymaster
February 20, 2022 at 01:20pm
Hello!-  Bilateral cryptorchid male cats are pretty rare and castration before the age of four months is relatively common.  It is very common for castration to leave no scar, so vets cannot reliably distinguish between the two from an external examination of a cat.  It is therefore common in UK rescue practice to assume that if there are no testicles, then the cat has been neutered.  This proves to be reliable for the vast majority of the time.   However, rare cases do come up where assumed 'castrated' rescue cats have presented with internal testicular cancer at an early age and I agree that it would be a shame to miss one of these cases, so if blood testing is available then I can see why you might consider it.  I look forward to hearing how things work out!
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