- Joined
- Jan 28, 2015
- Messages
- 51
- Purraise
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Hello all,
Just over 2 weeks ago, I got adopted by stray (not feral - and he followed me home with no invitation and went in my apartment, again, with no invitation, and knew indoor routines). After trying to find his owners for 10 days, I took him to get vaccinated and he is now my cat Sam.
Sam is a mature, tomcat, albeit still young (at 10 lbs and not completely filled out yet, I'm guessing about 1 yr).
I grew up with cats, though currently I wasn't planning on getting one until I owned my own house. I have seen the NIGHTMARES toms can bring. The spraying. The fighting. The aggressive behavior. So I scheduled the neutering surgery while he was getting shots.
I never thought I would say this for a tom...I'm having second thoughts.
Sam is not doing ANY of the aforemetioned behaviors, even though he is obviously mature.
What Sam IS - friendly, playful, curious, spunky, and quite amusing and a lot of company.
If he was still a kitten, I wouldn't be hesitating. "Obviously, it's just a matter of time," I would tell myself. But almost 3 weeks into our co-inhabitation, and him already being a mature tom...is there reason to believe he's one of the 1/million toms that actually is easy to get along with?
And, since he is a mature tom, removing his testes also means changing his chemical balance. He obviously has testosterone running in him by this point, and neutering him will remove that. And testosterone does affect mood. We know it does in people, but its been showing up more and more in animal studies as well. I imagine neutering a kitten may set them on a different path, but its not like the cat you have come to know will seem any different at the time. But a mature cat? I'm wondering if neutering Sam will make him more like the last cat I had when I was young - lethargic, lazy, and disinterested (a spayed female).
Am I crazy?
I know there are other benefits to neutering (obviously you don't have to worry about cancer or other testicular related health issues, and while I never plan on letting him out of the apartment, if he got out, a tom can breed), but with none of the behavior problems present, the pro-con list isn't nearly as clear-cut to me. Most of the health issues wouldn't be until later in life (and let's face it, he'll have health issues regardless -it's a matter of which ones), and, assuming I don't lose him, breeding won't be an issue.
Thoughts? I would really like to hear from a vet too, but other input is welcome.
Just over 2 weeks ago, I got adopted by stray (not feral - and he followed me home with no invitation and went in my apartment, again, with no invitation, and knew indoor routines). After trying to find his owners for 10 days, I took him to get vaccinated and he is now my cat Sam.
Sam is a mature, tomcat, albeit still young (at 10 lbs and not completely filled out yet, I'm guessing about 1 yr).
I grew up with cats, though currently I wasn't planning on getting one until I owned my own house. I have seen the NIGHTMARES toms can bring. The spraying. The fighting. The aggressive behavior. So I scheduled the neutering surgery while he was getting shots.
I never thought I would say this for a tom...I'm having second thoughts.
Sam is not doing ANY of the aforemetioned behaviors, even though he is obviously mature.
What Sam IS - friendly, playful, curious, spunky, and quite amusing and a lot of company.
If he was still a kitten, I wouldn't be hesitating. "Obviously, it's just a matter of time," I would tell myself. But almost 3 weeks into our co-inhabitation, and him already being a mature tom...is there reason to believe he's one of the 1/million toms that actually is easy to get along with?
And, since he is a mature tom, removing his testes also means changing his chemical balance. He obviously has testosterone running in him by this point, and neutering him will remove that. And testosterone does affect mood. We know it does in people, but its been showing up more and more in animal studies as well. I imagine neutering a kitten may set them on a different path, but its not like the cat you have come to know will seem any different at the time. But a mature cat? I'm wondering if neutering Sam will make him more like the last cat I had when I was young - lethargic, lazy, and disinterested (a spayed female).
Am I crazy?
I know there are other benefits to neutering (obviously you don't have to worry about cancer or other testicular related health issues, and while I never plan on letting him out of the apartment, if he got out, a tom can breed), but with none of the behavior problems present, the pro-con list isn't nearly as clear-cut to me. Most of the health issues wouldn't be until later in life (and let's face it, he'll have health issues regardless -it's a matter of which ones), and, assuming I don't lose him, breeding won't be an issue.
Thoughts? I would really like to hear from a vet too, but other input is welcome.