Necessary to neuter an indoor cat?

[grace123]

My kittens are like Lynn916's cats. So far no spraying or howling or any bad behavior. They are angels. I found this conversation as I love my kittens and I don't want then to change. I started fostering them at about 3-4 weeks old when they were dropped off at a shelter as feral kittens. The plan was to just foster them, but after one of them almost died from FPV soon after I got them. I got attached. They are now just over 4 months old.
When I pet or give attention to one of my kittens, he purrs and lately I've seen a tiny red penis get erect. If male cats get neutered are they missing out on pleasure like humans would without sex?
Is it possible to neuter the male cats like humans by just tying the tubes but not actually removing the balls and thus their hormones? Based on the above conversation it seems most people prefer their male cats not to have the sexual instinct and thus removing everything is the preferred and only method.
Thanks.

 

[pinkdagger]

No, many people anthropomorphize cats and other animals as if we are taking something away from them when we spay or neuter. Very few animals have sex for pleasure, and the huge majority that don't are only doing it to procreate, which is hard wired into their brain, just like it is (and was for humans) for all living creatures. The hormones make things very complicated caring for unaltered cats, especially males - they sniff out females far and wide, have a tendency to wander and spray and howl (your kittens are very young, see how fun an intact male is at 8 months or 1 year), they have a tendency to get into fights. Even if you're very diligent in keeping them indoors and away from other cats, they could take out their frustration and aggression or even territoriality on each other or on the people in the household. I think intact males who don't spray, don't wander, don't have any aggression, etc. are in the minority.

Animals have zero attachment to their reproductive bits or sex, and it's better to be proactive, especially if you don't want them to change. In the animal world, no matter the species, puberty can make their old and new behaviour and personality seem like night and day. Don't forget that reproductive cancers aren't all that uncommon either.

I believe there are other methods to alter pets, but I don't know how frequently they are practiced on cats (not unlike a vasectomy). If you have a hard stance against neutering but still do not want to take the risk of either of your cats contributing to overpopulation, definitely reach out to your vet to see if they have any alternative methods. They're not as common as the typical de-sexing, so it may be a tough find, but as long as it's something in the best interest of the cats, I see no reason to ask around about different methods.

I know we treat our cats like our children, but it's important to remember that cats are cats - not cats with people thoughts.

 

[equestrian06]

Ive rescued quite a few kittens and I have about 50/50 experience with the boys being well behaved for a long while, vs being little terrors.

But the 50% that have been terrors are enough to make me warn anyone not to chance it. That half sprayed EVERYTHING they could reach, and some things that made me question if the cats weren't of spider descent or some such wicked little insect that could climb walls. Some of them got really bad tempers/attitudes, until they were neutered. There were more than a couple times I made the rescue I worked with extremely annoyed because I was calling them a little often trying to get spay/neuter appointments moved up.

 

[grace123]

Thanks so much for the additional comments. This is very helpful.
My priority is the kittens, and I wanted to provide them the best life they could have (without human's selfish needs).
If I'm able to help curb the growth in the homeless cat population, while making my kitty a better pet, and it's not going to make my kitty sad or have a worse life, I'm all in.
As I type this I have my orange kitten massage my neck while purring into my neck. He's such a cuddler! He has CH, I wonder if that's related to how baby like he is. The other kitten only makes that massaging paw gesture on a soft fabric bed. They are brothers, both very affectionate but different.
I will take them in to get neutered soon ... I read that if you do it before 6 months old, their faces keep the youthful structure.

 

[kagami]

I would have to agree with everyone else; I was very skeptical about neutering my oldest cat when I first got him years ago, but a few months after the neutering, it was like he was a different cat. His temperament was incredible, he became so friendly and he was just a lot happier in himself.