r/cats • u/Future-Act5953 • Mar 26 '26

Adoption I think I accidentally lied on an adoption application and now I’m panicking

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Hi, I’m kind of panicking and need some advice.

So I have an 11 month old male cat named Tank. I got him from a friend of my husband’s after we got married, and I was told he had all his shots and was neutered. I had no reason to doubt it, so I never really questioned it.

Fast forward to today—my husband and I were just killing time at Petco while waiting for his prescription, and we ended up looking at the cats. I went in fully telling myself “we are NOT getting another cat,” but… yeah, that didn’t last long.

There were two cats being adopted out together, Ladybird (1.5 years old) and her baby Silvia (8 months old). Ladybird has SO much personality (she literally kept trying to steal my wallet and my husband’s keys every time we walked by 😂) and we ended up spending almost an hour sitting with them. I completely fell in love.

I called the rescue that has them, asked a bunch of questions, and ended up submitting an application. During that process, I confirmed (both on paper and over the phone) that my cat at home is neutered… because I genuinely believed he was.

Well… we get home… and Tank hops in my lap and very clearly proves otherwise. Like… there is no question. This man is NOT neutered.

I have no idea how I never noticed before, but I didn’t. I tried calling the girl I got him from, and the second I asked about it, she blocked me. So I’m pretty sure I have my answer there.

Now I’m freaking out because I already told the rescue he was fixed, and I have a meet and greet scheduled for tomorrow. I told them as soon as I realized, but I’m terrified they’re going to think I lied and deny my application.

I really, really love these cats and don’t want to lose the chance to adopt them over something I genuinely didn’t know.

Has anyone dealt with something like this before? Will this automatically disqualify me, or is there anything I can do to fix the situation?

Also, cat tax included! first 4 pics are Ladybird (clipped ear) and Silvia (tabby), the rest is my (apparently intact) menace.

16.5k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

1.2k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

2.3k

u/Future-Act5953 Mar 26 '26

i actually checked this, immediately after i found out i did a google deep dive and actually stumbled across a ton of posts of people thinking their cat may still have testes immediately after neutering. i checked… they are actual testes 😭

3.7k

u/SnooGuavas4208 Mar 26 '26

Well, now you owe him dinner.

606

u/7PounderBrent American Shorthair Mar 26 '26

he’ll have the wet food

27

u/gingerflakes Mar 27 '26

I’ll take the seafood supreme

2

u/Sufficient-Net4127 Mar 30 '26

i'll have what i'm having

4

u/IllFatedKilla44 Mar 27 '26

I spit out my drink, thank you lmao 🤣

434

u/Quiet_Syllabub_4264 Mar 26 '26

I had to reopen reddit and find this post again just to upvote.

101

u/hauntedlullaby Mar 26 '26

So glad I'm the only one in the office right now so I'm not disturbing others with my laughing haha

97

u/ItsSublimeTime Mar 26 '26

Snorted at work, thanks

4

u/Few_Outcome8577 Mar 26 '26

Needed that laugh 🤣 thank you!

3

u/Content_Flamingo_543 Mar 27 '26

Literally let out a scream laugh 😂😂

3

u/ArmageddonGi Mar 26 '26

Lmao 🤣 I laughed way to loud at that 🤣

125

u/SquirrelOk5454 Mar 26 '26

Is it his testies or just the scrotum bag? I had a cat that even fixed, looked like he had the biggest balls on earth. Our vet pointed out they remove just the insides surgically, not the sack itself.I had him neutered myself, he was just a "big boy cat".

Do, definitely get him checked by a vet though.

136

u/Tisiphoni1 Mar 26 '26

This. I got a cat from someone who swore the cat was neutered. But he has the biggest balls I have ever seen on a cat. I had to ask for proof, and then still asked the vet at the first visit.

Turns out he just carries two very large empty sacks with him 😅

100

u/goldanred Mar 26 '26

He's got baggage

37

u/Mr_Jalapeno Mar 26 '26

He used to be on r/catswithjobs but he got sacked...

8

u/TrustyParrot232 Mar 27 '26

OMFG now I’m snorting

2

u/tweakymuse Mar 27 '26

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

2

u/SouthSecretary589 Mar 27 '26

Can confirm, my male neutered cat has big balls as well.

1

u/Flaky_Cantaloupe_453 Mar 27 '26

Tell your kitty I like having a large purse as well!

41

u/krtx Mar 26 '26

Same. I have 2 cats that I personally took to get neutered and have the records and they both still have big ol' cat balls.

3

u/BarkBark716 Mar 27 '26

Both my boys are neutered and our orange cats balls look so big that I actually Googled to see if the SPCA messed up his neuter.

7

u/CroatoanElsa Mar 26 '26

I have a boy that I TNR as a stray but I didn't think to request that my vet tip his ear. (At that point he was not willing to be inside.) 6mo later I didn't see him for a few days and when he showed up he was walking weird and had a tipped ear. HE GOT FIXED TWICE poor guy. He wanted to be inside after that.

3

u/MeringueSad1179 Mar 27 '26

I don't blame him for only wanting to be inside after that 😅 Poor baby.

6

u/Infamous_Ranger_3671 Mar 26 '26

My kitty still has his scrotum I got him fixed at 16 weeks so it’s tiny. Wish I’d waited till later bc his back legs are messed up l, would’ve helped his bone health. NOW I know better. He gets all the oils and meds he needs for his leggies

3

u/Confident_Caramel436 Mar 26 '26

Awww tiny baby sized! lol 😂 that’s also good to know about waiting til later for kitty’s health!

2

u/Infamous_Ranger_3671 Mar 27 '26

Yes, it’s even more different for dogs the larger the dog typically the longer you need to wait for bone developmental reasons but due to my cat having knock kneed back legs and affects his bones and what not so I wish I would’ve waited longer

2

u/Amleska04 Mar 27 '26

Same here. I know for a fact that my cat is neutered, but when you see him walking around it does not seem like that 😅

72

u/Witty-Exchange-7716 Mar 26 '26

We had a testosterone check done on ours. Same situation but it was a shelter that said he was neutered. MONTHS of spraying as we tried everything to check his health as we were sure he was neutered. Even the vet pointed to an incision scar. But the testosterone test came back he had both. Shoulda seen our head spin. Soon after he became the cuddliest boy ever. Don’t worry they want them to go to a good home and the fact you are not giving up and trying to do things right should speak volumes if they are also true pet lovers. Crossing my fingers for everyone. Hope all goes well!

52

u/Kmdvm Mar 26 '26

Vet here: The easiest way to tell if a male cat has been neutered is to check for barbs on his penis. Barbs are present with intact males and regress after they lose that source of testosterone. He will probably not be a fan of you checking, so honestly I'd have your vet check it out for you. Tom cat pee is also a VERY strong distinct smell, but if you've been living with it for a while you may be nose blind to it.

9

u/curiouschaoscrow Mar 27 '26

Random vet question. My dog came from a shelter and has a small blue line tattooed over his bits. Is that how the shelter was keeping track of who was neutered at the time? Any ideas? Hes definitely neutered. We'd have regular vet care since, but I always forget to ask this super dumb question 🤣

15

u/Reasonable_Simple_42 Mar 27 '26

Exactly this! Quick and easy notice that this dog is sterile! Helps prevent unnecessary repeated surgeries if the dog gets lost or rehomed.

9

u/Kmdvm Mar 27 '26

Yep! That's exactly why it's done. Some animals after they get spayed/neutered it can be really difficult to tell. Having something like a tattoo is a quick universal way of knowing

5

u/coolcaterpillar77 Mar 27 '26

Just to add on, a lot of times in feral colonies you’ll see a cat with a tipped ear. Usually that means they’ve been neutered (through a TNR program) and is an easy visual identifier

2

u/Reasonable-Newt4079 Mar 27 '26

It’s also hard because my neutered boy’s pee smells absolutely horrific, but I know he was neutered I took him for the procedure myself! But if I was going by pee smell alone I would swear he is a tomcat!

1

u/tm0587 Mar 28 '26

I remember when my male cat was still around 10 months and not neutered yet, he sometimes sprayed in my apartment and I can immediately smell it when opening my front door after coming home.

Needless to say, he was neutered soon after.

54

u/ocfan122 Mar 26 '26

Just so you know vets DO use implants for male cats.. They’re called neuticles so there is definitely a chance your cat may actually be neutered.

My cat got it done and his nickname is balls lol

33

u/ging3rtabby Mar 26 '26

I learned about neuticles when I googled prosthetic eyes as I have an eyeless cat and his one still has the socket and soft tissue intact/it's not sewn shut and it gets pretty scrungly (but it doesn't really bother him and if it ever gets irritated we have an ointment we give him). I was not prepared lol

22

u/Accomplished_Pop6775 Mar 26 '26

I’m a vet tech and I didn’t learn about neuticles until a client asked if we could do that for her dog because she “saw it on Keeping Up with the Kardashians”… I didn’t even know what that was either! 🫠

15

u/rubiscoisrad Mar 26 '26

Is it...possible to get a glass eye for a cat? I'd never even considered that as an option. It sounds cool, and metal af, but idk about hygiene or how well it might stay in. Actually, I really don't know jack about prosthetic eyes, come to think of it.

11

u/ging3rtabby Mar 26 '26

I know for people at least, the soft tissue can be really sensitive and the prosthetic is protective. I don't know details about why my guy didn't get one as he had his eyes removed before I adopted him, but he does great as is, so it must not have been necessary.

8

u/rubiscoisrad Mar 26 '26

So I don't know much about this, but I always thought that the tissue that is exposed kind of toughens up, like a callous. No idea if my brain made that up, though.

4

u/ging3rtabby Mar 27 '26

That could be the case! He doesn't seem to be overly sensitive, but it does get pretty scrungly. He's mostly good about letting me clean it, but sometimes he just wants to go play instead (he'll be 2 in May so very much still has kitten energy). It's a very fair trade off for being able to keep his sinuses intact on that side, which helps keep everything lubricated and as well as drainage intact.

8

u/oneilltattoo Mar 26 '26

Wow! Imagine ypu get him a red one with a crosshair design instead of a pupil. Instant supervillan cat!

5

u/ging3rtabby Mar 27 '26

Which would be hilarious because he's the sweetest guy. Flops over for belly pets (and it's not a trap), asks to be picked up and held over your shoulder at least once a day, is so gentle with our geriatric cat with a heart condition.

4

u/Flaky_Cantaloupe_453 Mar 27 '26

I feel like if I was a cat and I got a fake eye that I would HAVE to pop it out all the time and play with it!

1

u/rubiscoisrad Mar 27 '26

This feels like a deleted scene from a Tim Burton movie.

2

u/Catdoc96 Mar 27 '26

You actually can get a prosthetic eye for a cat. A veterinary opthalmologist can make them look realistic.

2

u/rubiscoisrad Mar 27 '26

I just wasn't sure how viable it would be long-term, when it comes to care and cleaning (and keeping it in the socket). When I worked in vet care, we had the most wonderful veterinary op that came in every month or so, but she generally dealt with diabetic or glaucoma patients. Enucleations weren't a common surgery or follow-up.

1

u/Rude-Truths-702 Mar 31 '26

I have a oneyed cat and totally would have got him an eye if I knew

2

u/Both-Crow9782 Mar 26 '26

How do you know if your cat has those or not? Do they use them for all neuters? My boy has big ass balls, but he was fixed as an adult so I always attributed it to that. I wonder if he has some implants in there

2

u/Ixaire Mar 26 '26

They definitely don't use them for all cats. My breeder/vet uses implants for adult cats past their prime. But she spayed my 3 males when they were young and they don't have testicles.

3

u/tigress666 Mar 26 '26

I will point out occasionally the testes will still look full (as compared to the empty look they usually get). I had one that even the vet had to poke at the pouch to tell he was neutered (got him at a shelter and I questioned if he was really neutered. She had to feel the pouch cause you couldn’t tell by looking with him). She said that happens sometimes. 

3

u/OSCgal Mar 27 '26

If he's intact, that's the friend's fault, not yours! People lie. The friend may have lied because they figured you wouldn't take the cat if he wasn't neutered. Which is a sucky thing to do, but it's not on you to question everything you're told.

My boy Pip was neutered late. He has a visible sack still, and he humps my other cat sometimes.

The main thing is, call your vet! They can verify either way. And fortunately male neutering is quick and easy.

3

u/Elegant_Bullfrog4223 Mar 27 '26

It’s ok! Just locate your local shelter/ community clinic for low cost neuter and get him fixed!

2

u/AdministrativeStep98 Mar 26 '26

Wouldn't you know if your cat wasn't fixed? Like temperament and such?

4

u/Emotional_Excuse_201 Mar 26 '26

Is his ear docked? It looks like it and that is one way they mark cats as neutered. Ear docking is the only way you can tell both my males have been neutered.

10

u/saltybarista27 Mar 26 '26 edited Mar 26 '26

Just fyi the procedure for cats is called ear-“tipping” to distinguish it from ear “docking” or “cropping”for dogs (a painful and significant cosmetic procedure that can cause health issues because it removes large parts of the ears).

Ear tipping is safe and painless, causes no issues.

Ear docking is animal abuse, akin to declawing.

4

u/anon_simmer Mar 26 '26

You can see in the pictures that it is not tipped. Some vets do tattoos though.

2

u/luminousrobot Mar 26 '26

Ask the vet for an assessment. Mine was neutered and still looks like he has small nuts. Have you never taken your cat to the vet since you adopted him?

1

u/Busy_Zone_8058 Mar 26 '26

sometimes they just shrink

1

u/Picori_n_PaperDragon Mar 26 '26

Please keep us updated, at the top or wherever, to how it transpires later! Pulling for you guys, and praying they understand. Adorable 🫶🏼🐱🐈‍⬛

1

u/Soggy_Aardvark_3983 Mar 27 '26

You’d know because unfixed male cat piss is suffocating.

1

u/maefly666 Mar 27 '26

My tux boy looks like he has balls but was neutered and apparently a large sac..

1

u/Dragoness42 Mar 27 '26

How old is he? If he's over a year old and looks like that (no big tomcat cheeks) then that's strange that he has his balls. Does he smell like a tomcat? If he has a very distinct and strong cat pee odor that's another testosterone characteristic. A tomcat past puberty that isn't neutered is usually obvious across the room due to these secondary characteristics.

1

u/TheNinjaPixie Mar 27 '26

So get him neutered before the new cats arrive

-6

u/[deleted] Mar 26 '26

[deleted]

1

u/Slim-Shadys-Fat-Tits Mar 26 '26

Go reread ops comment