It's been almost four years since I adopted a pair of stray cats, that
wandered onto our property one day with their mother and two other siblings.
The others soon left, but these two stayed and decided to make this their
home. But one disappeared a couple of years ago, leaving me with just the
one cat. But he's been a very nice one, very affectionate and well-tempered
for a stray. He's lived partly indoors and partly out, usually sleeping
inside at night (often on a sofa or sharing someones bed), and coming in to
nap several times during the day. No need for a litter box, as he always
goes to the door when he needs out.
 Over the years, he's often gone away for as much as a day or two,
presumably to hunt or go on the prowl. The most he ever stayed away for was
three days, and that was during the warmth of spring. So when he went out
last Thursday, in -20 degree weather and 6" of snow, and hadn't come back by
Sunday, I was quite worried. Last night and this morning I spent some time
calling neighbors around the small community, asking if anyone had seen him.
Nobody was certain, but one lady who keeps numerous strays, said she thought
she'd seen one like it among the gang of stray cats in her woodshed. I know
for a fact this was where my cat originally came from as a kitten, so I
decided to check there first. The owner led me out to the woodshed, the
place was cold, full of cats (about 7 or 8 in all), and reeked of cat urine.
I was only half-surprised, to find my cat sitting proudly in the middle of
the group. He acknowledged me and allowed me to pick him up, but only for a
moment, as he soon scrambled to chase after one of the others. The owner
told me that all the other cats were female, and (presumably) in heat, which
didn't surprise me at all. With seven horny females, and no other males to
compete with, my cat must think he's in Heaven.
 The cats are fairly well-cared for, the lady feeds them regularly and all
of the cats looked quite healthy - not at all like a hoard of feral cats
several miles away, which I mentioned in a post last fall. But living in a
cold woodshed, and having to fight 7 other cats for food, is still a far cry
from having a personal foodbowl and sleeping in a warm house, at the foot of
someones bed. While I'm grateful to have found him alive and well, I must
say it hurts my feelings that this creature would all but disown me after
the years of love and care I've given him. My biggest fear is that he may
never return; that living among a bunch of feral cats could make him revert
to that lifestyle.
 I'm not sure what my options are at this point. I didn't make any effort
to bring him home, figuring he'd just run back there again. If he does
return I will of course welcome him back, but I wish there was something I
could do to keep him from running away again. I don't think it makes much
difference how well he's treated, as long as there are females around he'll
just continue to run off like this. Someone will probably suggest I have him
neutered; I wouldn't mind having this done, but it would be impossible to
get him to a vet, unless he were sedated for the entire trip - he won't
travel in cars, and he's deathly afraid of all strangers. I also wonder if
neutering could have any adverse effects, such as causing him to spray
indoors, or perhaps even hate me for ruining his love life.
 Any advice on this matter would be appreciated. This is a rather complex
issue and I don't think there are any easy answers.