My cat gets erect when I pet him

According to Guide to a Healthy Cat (Elaine Wexler-Mitchell, 2003) male cats that have just been neutered will still be able to easily get erections for a few weeks after their operation. This is because it takes one month for testosterone to completely leave the cat's body. However, the cat still will be able to get an erection because all that is needed is a rush of blood to the penis. The penis will also still be capable of sensation for the cat. Removing testicles will not affect that. However, removing testicles does affect sex drive, so a neutered male cat is not usually interested in sex unless a female cat in heat walks directly in front of him. Cats that have been neutered after experiencing sex will get erections and try to masturbate on stuffed animals or soft objects after neutering, although Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook (Delbert G. Carlson, DVM, et al; 1995) claims this rarely happens.

Índice Show

Erect cat - Grooming
Erect cat - Libido
Cat pulling out his penis - Automatism
Cat sticking out his penis - Illness
Spayed cat - Why does a spayed cat take out its penis?

Frequent erections without any additional sexual behavior like pelvic thrusting means that another health problem is occurring in the neutered male cat that gets erections. If he is constantly licking himself and seems to be urinating outside of the litter pan, he could have a urinary tract infection. The infection will cause the penis to descend and sometimes become erect. According to cat health and behavior advice website Paws and Effect, constant erections in neutered male cats could be a sign of a neurological problem such as a brain damage. The brain sends out chemical messages to move certain body parts, such as the penis.

Another serious medical condition is priapism where the male cat's erection will not relax. This can potentially kill the cat because the cat could have a blood clot that is keeping the blood flow in the penis from going back into the body. According to the study "Priapism in Seven Cats" by D. A. Gunn-Moore, et al; Journal of Small Animal Practice, 28 June 2008, three of the seven cats studied with priapism were neutered and those three had blood clots (or thrombosis). Another complication from priapism could be feline infectious peritonitis, a problem with the cat's white blood cells that develop a virus for an unknown reason. The cat's immune system in the blood attacks the cat as it's developing a potential lethal viral infection. Feline infectious peritonitis usually happens after the cat had a problem with blood circulation, such as priapism.

Beast Mode is Slate’s pet advice column. Have a question? Send it to . We love dogs and cats equally, and reserve treats and positive reinforcement for questions about your turtle, guinea pig, bird, snake, fish, or other beast.

Dear Beast Mode,

I have two cats, a boy and a girl, both of whom have been fixed. I’ve had them for eight years, and I love them to pieces.

Today, something happened that I thought couldn’t happen because they’re fixed. I looked over at my male cat, and his whole penis was out and he was licking it. It made me super uncomfortable, partly because I’ve never seen him do this before and partly because it was on my bed.

I feel stupid asking this, but is this normal grooming and I’ve just never seen it before? Or is he uh, enjoying himself on my bed?

—Cat in the Act

Dear Cat in the Act,

There’s an old joke about why animals lick their own genitals, and the punchline is generally accurate: “because they can.” Your cat was blessed with Gumby-like pliability, and he’s just taking advantage of this in order to befriend his Pokey. Apologies if that unfortunate euphemism has ruined Claymation for you; I can be a real blockhead sometimes. Where was I? Oh yes, feline autoeroticism.

“Cat masturbation is relatively common, even in altered cats,” certified animal behaviorist Mikel Delgado tells me over email. “The most common form of this behavior is humping things like blankets or stuffed animals, but we do see males grooming their penises, too.” Different strokes for different folks.

What you interpreted as a shocking affront to decency was in fact some pretty mundane behavior. There’s no use in getting bent out of shape, even if you see the cat doing exactly that just to pleasure himself.

No matter how much this self-love may make you uncomfortable, you should just ignore it. He’s a cat, and there’s no use in trying to impart society’s prudish mores onto him. A strong reaction to his licking can actually encourage the behavior, so please play it cool lest he get the idea that there’s something in it for him (beyond the obvious). Overgrooming can cause irritation, and you really don’t want to turn this occasional habit into a compulsion.

While he’s acting totally normal, there may be a small chance that something’s off. “Sometimes it can indicate some anxiety or an irritation in the penis or urinary tract, so it doesn’t hurt to mention it to your vet.” Delgado says. “If your cat is prone to anxiety and you think this behavior is a response to stressors in the environment, work with your vet and/or a qualified behavior specialist to address the stressful triggers.”

It’s always best to be proactive in contacting your vet directly for advice, so run this by them to ensure your cat has a clean bill of health. If that’s the case, there’s nothing to worry about. Really. According to Delgado, she’s never heard of a case where a neutered cat produced ejaculate from this type of behavior.

Your cat—and your bedspread—will be fine.

This piece has been updated to recommend proactively contacting your vet in this scenario.

Advice Animals Cats Pets Beast Mode

You have some concerns because sometimes you see your erect cat and don't understand why your cat pulls out his penis ?

While this is often normal, there are sometimes cases where it is necessary to be alarmed. This is what we will find out below by studying all the possible cases where a cat takes out his penis.

Erect cat - Grooming

Cats are very clean animals that groom themselves very often during the day. They are very agile and can reach all parts of their body.

It is quite normal for all cats (spayed or not) to groom their genitals. For this, cats take out their penis and lick it to simply clean it.

Erect cat - Libido

From theage 5-6 months, a cat is going through puberty. He will have sexual needs which will gradually decrease with age.

It is therefore normal for a young cat to have a strong libido, especially if he feels that there is a horny pussy in the surroundings… He can therefore have an erection which is visible when he takes out his penis.

Cat pulling out his penis - Automatism

Your cat purrs on your knees, kneads your legs and pulls out his penis? This type of erection is also a common behavior in cats.

These are purely mechanical and completely spontaneous “reflex” erections. In these cases, your cat does not take out his penis for sexual purposes because he does not have in mind to mate.

Cat sticking out his penis - Illness

If you've noticed that your cat pulls out his penis often, licks it very often, and has difficulty urinating or in very small amounts, then this is not normal at all!

Your cat may be sick, have a urinary tract infection or another more serious medical problem. This is because if the cat's erection remains constant, your cat may die from it because it is possible that a blood clot is preventing the blood flow in the penis from circulating back to its body.

So, if you have observed in your cat:

non-sexual and non-reflex erections,
excessive licking of his genitals,

sometimes pain in the abdomen or when peeing,
that he urinates less often and in very small quantities,
that he sometimes urinates outside his litter box,

so, don't wait and take your cat to a vet! A cat that has not peed for more than 24 hours is a very alarming sign (See How long can a cat go without urinating?)

Spayed cat - Why does a spayed cat take out its penis?

It is not uncommon for a neutered cat to continue to pull out his penis. Indeed, the erection just needs a surge of blood to the penis to manifest itself. However, the removal of the testicles does not impact this process.

Un castrated cat can still have erections even if his libido has disappeared!