Thread: My cat...

ATTENTION - this post will sound lame and whiny to all "dog-people" and general pet-lovers that don't have, never had cats or do, in fact, have cats but don't have them sharing the bed and chairs with yourself in a small flat and living a life of mild loneliness... Therefore, with no further ado:

I'm the very proud owner of a remarkable cat. He was just a few weeks old when he came into my life, a bit under a year ago. He's always been active and playful. He grew to be a beautiful 4 kilogram cat with a healty apetite, a sweet temper and a nose of his own. The moment I saw him I was totaly caught. I love my cat to bits...

However, the past few months have been a little strange for me because I've been thinking about neutering him. He is a house cat that has access to the yard and nearby yards... and there are other male, bigger cats around. You see my point... My problem has never been having him "knock up" a little maiden-cat. My problem is having him run-over, beaten to death by other cats or having him sick because of fights and brawls.

But I've been debating with the idea that his temper might change because of the removal of his "gentlecat" bits... That frightens me. Because I love him. He is my pal, my companion, the thing that keeps me company all day. Sure, I have friends and a lovely girl by my side. But a cat has this unique way of loving and being loved. I can say without any fear of lying that my cat has been the strength that helped me shake away the mild but constant depresion in which I lived... I love my cat.

The past few weeks have been complete hell for me and my buddy. He has discovered his sex impulses and spent every hour of the day meowing in that funny (at first...) but utterly annoying (after a few days...) way. He fought other cats, he tried everything to reach two pretty neighbours that live nearby. He marked all the things of my house as being his own - even the garage! I have had trouble sleeping because of the noise. My neighbours have had trouble as well... And I've been in anguish because I would hear him "sing". And then I would hear nothing... and after that I heard him fighting other cats. He came back home bruised, tired and thin. I don't think that, having this relationship with my buddy I can cope with this. He got aggresive with me. Attacked my feet when I was playing. And I mean attack! He lost sight of what was play and what was fighting...

Today he made a trip to the vet. He has been neutered. And now I feel that I might have done him some harm... I know it is normal that, after the intervention, he will be strange and sleepy and roaming around with no meaningful objective. He has been quiet all day... and he meows a lot. He "speaks to me" all the time... His eyes are empty. He looks at me in a strange and stoned way. I am genuinely scared that I might have broken the "soul" of my buddy. I know, I know... I'm over reacting, right? Might be... but I really love my cat. I feel guilt... I feel that I might have made a mistake. I'll have to wait a few days and see how he reacts...

The vet (also a man and owner of a neutered cat) asured me that he would not change his temper. he will be more of a house cat, sure - but that is the point. He will lose the urge to go out and fight other cats and make lovely serenades to maiden-cats. But he will hunt, run, meow and defend his turf as before. But I cannot keep myself from wondering if this thing that I have done to my beloved and precious little buddy has not been - in truth... - an act of selfishness. Am I really protecting him? Or am I just protecting myself from the grief of his death or the anguish of his absence and the prospect of having him return wounded and sick? Please note: the cost of treatment is not an issue; I am not rich, but I will not avoid the vet because of the cost of treating my buddy's illness.

Now I turn to you. I'm sorry if all this sounds un-masculine in any way but... well... you understand right? Do any of you have neutered cats? Can you share some experiences? I beleive what the Vet told me, but I would like some input from you as well. Please, ease my feelings of guilt... Tell me that my buddy will snap out of it and turn back into my little trouble-maker... Am I over-reacting? Am I humanizing a cat? Am I projecting my mental constructions into a creature that is "just an animal"?

Thanks!