Sterilisation or castration for a male cat? At what age?

[candycat]

Hi, I have decided to keep the two male kittens I told about in my other thread. They are 14 weeks old now. I am really doubtfull about weather to choose for castration or sterilization. If I understand it right, sterilisation is only the cutting of the 'seed tubes' (don't know the right term for it since I'm not a native speaker), and castration the removal of the balls. Sterilisation seems to me like the less invasive (less painfull, and better to recover?) option. But if the balls are still there, will the cat still have the thrive to go and look for a female to mate with? I cannot seem to find this on the internet.

And what's the best age to have the operation?

Thanks in advance!

 

[ldg]

According to my vet, the best age is when the first baby tooth falls out (around 4 months), because you know the cat is maturing at that point.

There are concerns about sterilization vs castration in dogs, as there have been health issues linked to castration in some breeds, females, and is age-dependent. This is not true for cats.

Sterilization leaves all of the hormones in place, and you will have unhappy cats driven by hormones. These cause the cat to want to spray to mark territory, get out and roam to mate with females, fight to protect territory (which, if outdoors, exposes them to many potential diseases), among other things.

You will have happier, better adjusted pets if you choose castration.

 

[jcat]

Yes, the drive will remain if he's just sterilized, as will marking behavior (spraying very smelly urine), so there will still be a lot of unpleasant behavior and the danger of him being hit by a car while searching for females, injured by another male cat while fighting over a female. etc.. Castration isn't a big deal with male cats - it's a very short operation - and recovery is very quick.

The best age really depends on where you live. Pediatric neutering at a very young age is common in North America, while six months is the average age in Europe. You don't want to wait till the cat is already marking and searching for females.

When to spay/neuter a cat
Spay and Neuter Your Cats

 

[candycat]

Hello, thanks for the info, it helps a lot. Seems like castration would be the better option then... Would I get pain medication to give them after surgery, or how will that go? I live in Europe, and I am considering to get them castrated within a few weeks, when they are 4-4,5 months old, to prevent them from starting to look for mating opportunities. But isn't it too young then? Won't it harm them in any way when they are still so young? Thanks!

 

[Willowy]

Yep, for pet cats you want full castration. The only reason I can think of to choose vasectomy for a pet cat is if a breeder wants a sterile boy to bring her females out of heat when it's not their turn to be bred.

4-5 months isn't too young because cats sexually mature so early. I haven't noticed boys being in much pain after a neuter, so I've never gotten pain medication beyond the shot that's given during surgery. It's really a very simple procedure for boys.