outdoor male fighter

Question
QUESTION: i dont even know if i can call myself a cat owner.  but i do feed one particular male that 'owns' my house.  he is a beautiful black and white male tom cat that comes around every day and is very affecionate.  i even treat him with flea repellent and so on.  however he is a brutal fighter.  he will come around with gashes behind his ears that i spend time to try to treat.  he is at least 5 or 6 years old and i know that one of these days he is going to meet his match.  do you have any suggestions for such a cat to improve his life?  is there a way that can put something to repel the other cats that he is fighting?  i was thinking of some type of protective collar or something.  what do you think?

ANSWER: Ivan,

I believe that the kindest thing you can do for your outdoor buddy is to have him neutered. Neutering him will stop the fighting and also reduce/eliminate certain infections and cancers of the reproductive system. It is really a good thing to do for this little man. The sad thing about a tom cat who keeps getting into fights and sporting wicked gashes is that one of these days he may end up with an abcess or serious infection one of these times. While he is in to be neutered another great gift you can give him is vaccinating him against rabies and other serious infections. If you are able to bring him indoors and give him a place to call home that would be the best possible outcome for him. Being a homeless kitty means that he is more vulnerable to cruel treatment by people, attacks from predators such as dogs and dangers of being hit by a car or ingesting poisons like antifreeze. Ultimately I hope that these suggestions help you both to have a great friendship for many years to come. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me again.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thank you for your answer.  i will take him to get shots and neutered.  unfortunately i cant keep him inside because i am allergic to cats.  i have known other cat owners who have told me that even if an older cat is neutered, he will continue to fight.  is this true?  i would feel really guilty if i took him to a shelter,  maybe because i wont see him anymore.  you wouldn't belive it how he even recognizes my car and comes running up when i arrive.  it would be hard for me to send him away.  thanks again.

Answer
Ivan,

Neutering a male cat takes away several contributing factors that cause fighting. Breeding and protecting breeding rights will no longer be as much of a motivation to fight. Neutered cats will also roam less (and not infringe on other cats' territories resulting in a fight). Neutered cats also are at less risk of developing cancers of the reproductive system, sexually transmitted infections and immune system compromising viruses like feline leukemia that will considerably shorten a cat's lifespan. All in all neutered cats are more mellow, less likely to fight and will stay closer to home...To answer your question about will a neutered cat ever fight, they may, but as the 6 weeks or so required for the testosterone to leave his system passes fights will become far less frequent and I would think unless your kitty is a real bruiser by nature I would be surprised if the fights happened frequently. I hope that this answers your question. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me again.