"Jack Campin - bogus address" wrote in message
...
[Splodge, intact tomcat]
Splodge can be *very* determined when he gets in the mood. Early this
year he got a poisoned foot. We took him to the vet for antibiotics
and painkillers, but the day after he was off again for some all-night
partying, hopping out through the catflap on three legs before I could
say "where do you think you're going?".
Have you ever considered getting him neutered?
Of course.
But we haven't.
Your cat will be fighting with other intact toms in the neighbourhood all
the time. He will not always win. He will be injured if he doesn't and
you
will get an enormous vet bill. Get him neutered asap. It will also
stop
him impregnating any girlkitty that comes his way. He might even stay
home
afterwards.

Do you think we don't know that?

If you know that, why don't you get him neutered, then? It is unfair to
keep him intact to get injured from fighting, not to mention the unwanted
kitten population he is certain to be contributing to.
Boyfriend was an intact tom when he arrived here. It took some time to gain
his confidence so I could handle him but as soon as I thought he was sure
enough of his new home that he wouldn't abandon it, I took him to be
neutered.
He took 24 hours to get over it completely.

I have never regretted "having him done." He used to get very anxious to
go out to defend his territory and presumably to look for girls. He would
only come in for food and would want to go back out asap.
His testosterone seemed to keep him on tenterhooks.

He seems happier. He is no longer driven by his hormones and goes out when
he feels like it, on rat patrol or just for a general look around.
He doesn't get into fights with intact toms now, so his ears aren't ripped
up and he hasn't got an abcess.
If the weather isn't very nice, he's glad to have a snooze on the spare bed.
He would never have done this when he was intact - he was always too worried
about whether another tom would come in to his garden and the necessity to
go out and check, and fight it off if there was one there. No matter if it
didn't happen often, he needed to check out his territory as often as he
could.

I'm glad I had him neutered. He's very laid back now. His life is better
for it, IMO, of course.

Tweed