Is it a myth that neutering affects a male cat's head size?

January 1, 2018 7:47 AM

Heard this at a party this weekend but couldn't find any good sources. The claim I heard is that a cat who has not been neutered will grow a larger, more masculine head.
posted by johngoren to Pets & Animals (10 answers total)

Yes but I wouldn't call it more masculine. Just a big blocky head. (Source, have adopted previously feral adult toms who weren't altered until they were 2-4 years old)
posted by stewiethegreat at 7:51 AM on January 1, 2018 [1 favorite]

Yes, the big ol' tomcat noggin is definitely a thing.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 7:57 AM on January 1, 2018 [7 favorites]

No, not a myth. Intact, non-castrated male cats have bigger, more robust heads on average, compared to male neutered early. Here's an ok source, I can probably find more scholarly stuff if you want it.

This shouldn't be too surprising, puberty happens in cats too. Males neutered young may also be more likely get chubby, as also occurs in human eunuchs.
posted by SaltySalticid at 8:02 AM on January 1, 2018 [2 favorites]

I have read that toms also get heavier necks, which add to the big head impression. I was told once by a trained vet that this layer of fat/muscle protects a male during competitive fighting, and is a secondary sex characteristic because snipped boys don't develop it. But I have no cite for you.
posted by zadcat at 8:18 AM on January 1, 2018 [2 favorites]

We adopted a cat who had great big chubby cheeks, like Garfield. After he was neutered the cheeks disappeared. Maybe this is what you're thinking of. I was really surprised when it happened, but it's natural.
posted by Enid Lareg at 8:51 AM on January 1, 2018

Oh, yes, the burly shoulders, too. I would never, ever intentionally delay neutering a cat, but I've had enough boycats who came to me as adolescents or adults that I've grown rather fond of the body type.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:20 AM on January 1, 2018

Yes, I adopted an adult male cat with a wonderfully bowling-ball like head, and even the vet immediately said that this big noggin was an indication that he was neutered late. A friend who works for a cat rescue added that late neutering can also result in thicker skin--they've sometimes had tomcats that are nearly impossible to stick with a needle. I'm guessing that also helps with the fighting...
posted by TwoStride at 11:14 AM on January 1, 2018 [2 favorites]

I have had two male cats at separate times and got them both neutered at around nine to ten months old, just before puberty really kicked in. Both had started to develop the lovely big old boy cat heads and both remained distinctly masculine in appearance.
posted by Martha My Dear Prudence at 3:36 PM on January 1, 2018

My friend who works with a cat rescue told me about this some years ago when we had a big old neighborhood tom hanging around my kitty girls (they were both spayed so they had nothing to give him, but he just seemed to enjoy their company and treated them like a gentleman). She said the big sturdy head (which this tom had in spades) is common for non-neutered males.
posted by dlugoczaj at 7:14 AM on January 2, 2018

You'll notice that boys and girls have roughly the same facial proportions and it can be impossible to tell children's gender by their faces. But once puberty hits, the bones in the male face get more pronounced - often there is a bigger nose and jaw, but the brows are the biggest key to guessing someones bio-gender. Men normally have very little distance between the eyelid and the eyebrows where woman do.

So it's not just cats. It's true of humans too.
posted by Jane the Brown at 8:13 AM on January 2, 2018