Thread: Neutering...a step too far?

A local vet who has spent considerable time dealing with stray cats told us that young intact male cats are predominantly interested in just two things: mating and fighting (other males). I witnessed the truth of this firsthand with a MC mix stray male that we eventually took in (after having him neutered). There are several reasons why he would have been a terrible pet and we would not have been willing/able to do anything more than leave him outside and put food out for him, and hope that he didn't run into a bigger intact male that injured him. This vet also said that many intact males get dumped/abandoned by people that don't neuter them but then find that they cannot be kept indoors due to smell, spraying, fighting with their other cats, etc. So, yes, it is the sex hormone that needs to be eliminated if young male cats are to be acceptable--and happy--pets. I would say it is much more cruel to leave the male with his incredible sex drive but then deprive him of all opportunities to fulfill it than it is to eliminate the drive. An intact young male reminds me of being a (sexually frustrated) teenage boy times ten! Not a state I would wish on any animal.