In my country it is recommended to castrate kittens to counteract the roam-cats. My government thinks this is the best way to dam the population.
The veterinary recommends it because the cat stops to pray their urine and the odor takes off.
Additionally the cat makes fewer hormones so he looses his fighting spirit and becomes an easier home-cat.

One part of my thinks that’s a good thing. I don’t think cats should roam on the streets, but should have a nice home.

One the other hand, every procedure has his risks. They are now totally healthy.

What bothers me most is that he looses his fighting spirit; personally I believe that is what makes a cat, really a cat. If I would want a fluffy puffy animal, I would have bought a hamster....

So should I follow the recommending or not?

I want to do what is best for my kittens !

Yes, please follow the recommendation! There are way too many cats that are born in the United States that are homeless as it is. Some reasons are as you said, they tend to stay closer to home, they tend not to spray in the house, and the most important reason is that they also tend to live longer. They tend to live longer once fixed because A) They don't roam from home as far and B) it drastically reduces the chances of any reproductive cancer! It won't make them any less of a companion.

Are you planning to keep him/them indoors? If they are not allowed to go out and mate with females, they will be incredibly frustrated if locked inside. Before I spayed my girls, they desperately tried to get outside and made a mess spraying inside. After they were spayed, they were still very territorial (fighting amongst eachother) and typically cat-like. Although they were not desperate to find boy kitties, they were not the lifeless blobs some people imagine a spayed cat to be.
If he's allowed outdoors of course he will find females, and add to the popuation of homeless (probably starving) cats. You might not ever have to deal with the babies, but you can assume that they are out there. It's a hard choice to make, because although he deserves freedom, it can be quite dangerous outdoors (especially if you live on a busy street).
As much as I would like my cats to live according to nature, I think people have a responsibilty- humans domesticated cats (and dogs). They did not naturally evolve. We have a responsibity to care for them and keep populations under control.
As for any healthy risks, I think it's quite safe- sometimes safer- testicular/ovarian cancer will no longer be an issue. I'm for neutering, but do what you think is best for him, taking into consideration where you live, etc. Good luck with your cats!

You may be interested to know that there is a CoS members only forum 'downstairs' for discussing Satanic familiars.

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What bothers me most is that he looses his fighting spirit; personally I believe that is what makes a cat, really a cat. If I would want a fluffy puffy animal, I would have bought a hamster....

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From my experience, if you want a very smelly house until such time as your tom cats leave home forever to follow their mating instinct, then leave them intact.

Otherwise, castration at around six months old is highly recommended. By then, they will have some male aggression, but won't yet have become wandering Casanovas or territorial stinkers.

HS!

~ Entity

None of my cats, or the ones of persons I've known have ever lost their fighting spirit.

I share my home with 8 cats. After the castraion they were as before.
They're joyfull and messy. The only difference is that they eill never give birth to stray cats.
Say "living according to nature" may sound poetic, but there nothing natural in our cityes and towns. Stray animals have to face dangers and sickness that are not to be found in a natural enviroment.
I think we shul take our responsabilities about this.

Having your cats spayed or neutered also decreases the odds of a number of health problems and increases their longevity.

I've heard it said that neutered cats become fat and lazy. It appears that no one bothered telling my cat that. She's active, playful, and a generally a loveable pain in the ass.
What is strange is that she developed bad dietary habits, smokes, and drinks way too much coffee, as seen here.

None of my cats or dogs ever lost their fighting spirit or had any problems related to the procedure. One of my cats that I had moped for about two days, but I think that was largely from the chemicals in his body. I recently had my dog neutered and he was his normal self the next day.

I think that if you do not intend to breed that it is the responsible thing to do. But it is of course, entirely your choice.

I had a male cat who was not neutered for a long time, my parents where lazy about this kind of thing. Plus he didn’t spray because he was an old tom cat and I guess he felt it was natural to go outside. He would leave for weeks at a time, come back all skinny and tore up. As the years went by he looked like a little girls favorite stuffed teddy bear. He had lost the tips of his ears and had a scratch through his eye. My parents finally neutered him because he was getting older and they where afraid one day he may not come back. Even after he was neutered he had no problem jumping on the hind side of a dog to defend his territory. He also had gotten an upper lung infection which he fought for years, one day the infection got out of control and he had to put to sleep. I am under the belief had he been neutered he probably would have been around for a lot longer. He was my buddy from 3 – 4 till 15 – 16.

I have four cats. The most important thing if you want to have a playful kitty is to maintain their diet. I found that outdoor cat food made my cats over weight even though they go outdoors. Indoor cat food has fixed the problem and they are much more active. I got all of them from animal shelters two of them as kittens. One of them, even though he is neutered is still learning not to spray in the house. So I don’t think you have to worry too much about neutering taking away their instincts. (He got a little behind because he developed a bladder infection and felt he had to let me know by spraying in front of me.)

Also remember that these are domesticated cats. Without care from a person they get pretty bent out of shape. Like one of the strays that have been roaming around my house has these large clumps of matted hair. You can tell when a cat is not cared for.

I have had the same thoughts as you about my cats, but they are all castrated now, and very happy, so don't worry, they still have their fighting spirit and charm, I spoil them like crazy, so I guess they can't be anything but happy beauties

Thank you all for sharing your experiences with me !

I have already called the veterinary and made an appointment to get them castrated.
Thank you again !

@ Reverend Entity;
I still have to wait a few weeks before I get the return-letter. After that I will ask permition for an upgrade to go `downstairs`

I noticed this thread rather late so I'm adding a footnote. Firstly, congratulations; you are certainly doing the right thing in having your cats neutered or spayed and you are ensuring that they live longer and happier lives.

I have been involved in animal welfare for years and one of our major concerns is persuading people to prevent unwanted kittens or puppies by having their animals castrated. The problem is so great that many animal welfare charities will issue vouchers to enable owners who genuinely cannot afford the Veterinary Surgeon’s fees to have their animals neutered or spayed.

Occasionally a psychological problem for the owners is that they anthropomorphise. To animals, sexual function equates solely with reproduction; it is a compulsion, not a pleasure. The reproductive urge is stronger than the desire to eat or the instinct for self-preservation. When the reproductive urge is surgically removed, the animal does not know that anything has happened, but he/she now has time to eat, sleep, relax, play, be a pet. The operation certainly does not make the animal passive. I remember when my first cat, Tiberius, was brought home from his neutering, he immediately challenged to mortal combat my new fake-fur hat. And he won.

The tom (un-neutered male cat) is in season practically all the time. The queen (un-spayed female cat) comes into season every few months, designed to give her time to wean her last litter. The queen in season does not give off an odour noticeable by humans, but her scent, even if she never goes out of the house, will be detected by the neighbourhood toms, who will leave their obnoxious (to humans) calling-smell on the outside of doors and windows of the queen’s residence. Rain doesn’t wash it off and the window-cleaner complains.

Un-neutered toms do not reach old age, nor do kitten-bearing queens.

My current cat Molly Midnight (the first pedigree I have ever had) is a rescued cat. She was used as a breeding queen until she reached the feline menopause and then her owners had the decency to give her to the cat-charity instead of simply putting her out onto the street, where she would not have known how to survive. She was 7 when she came to me and it was felt that this was too old to go through the spaying operation, particularly as she has been an indoor cat for all her life and never goes out.

Because Molly was producing valuable kittens, she would at least have been properly fed and received appropriate veterinary treatment. We are hoping that will make a difference and that her life will be longer than most unspayed females. It was expected that her seasons would stop now that she was unable to bear more kittens. As always, Molly is unpredictable. Every few months she is charging around the house yowling that she wants a tom. If she doesn’t stop soon, I shall have to ask the Veterinary Surgeon for medication or it will be putting too much strain on her heart.

By having your cats neutered at an early age, you are sparing them a lot of the problems in feline life and sparing yourself problems as well.

I look forward to seeing you Downstairs.
Hail Satan!
Magda

Thank you for your reply,

it gave me a better insight of the habits of cats.

I still have to learn a lot about cats. But i think that is what makes life so interesting, a chance to learn something new.

I hope things turn out well for Molly, she sounds like a very nice cat

I'm glad that you are making the right decision to neuter your cats, and I just wanted to add a little to what's already been said...

A single male/female pair of cats can literally produce thousands of kittens over their reproductive lifetime. If a male cat is left intact, it may father several thousand (sometimes millions) through various queens in their area. Pet overpopulation is a real problem - every year over 15 million unwanted cats and dogs are euthanized in shelters. The only way to reduce that number is for pet owners to personally take the responsibility of getting their pets spayed/neutered. Sure, a tom cat may not produce kittens and make it an immediate problem for you, but it adds to an already huge feral/unwanted cat population, of which the only way to combat is by euthanizing them.

I have a 3-year-old male cat who was neutered at six months, and I actually do have a problem with him wanting to go outside practically all the time, and occasionally returning with fight marks. (I didn't name him Jesse James for nothing - he's always had an outlaw way about him). So much for him loosing his "fighting spirit". And let me tell ya, trying to clean up an abcessed bite wound on an ear is no picnic, so you might be better off keeping them indoors too. I'd do it with Jesse but he becomes so destructive and obnoxious if he doesn't get his way that I can't stand it and I relent. I adore and love him though, even if he's a pain in the butt sometimes.

We also just recently acquired a new addition (female), who is going on 15 or so weeks, and she will be spayed at 4 months as well. She is in that hallucinating-kitten stage where she literally tries to climb walls and attacks anything and everything. She's also a pain, but the most adorable thing you could ever imagine. (See attachment if you like - that's her when she was very young, only 5 weeks or so, at her previous home). Her last home was not ideal, she was the only kitten to survive out of her litter, and I'm so glad we have her.

Congrats on getting your new friends, and that they'll undoubtedly have a longer, happier life since they will be fixed.