From: jonathan@geop.ubc.ca (Jonathan Thornburg)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: personality of spayed cats (was: Re: Spaying cat? HELP!)
Date: 8 Nov 1992 21:14:40 GMT
Organization: U of BC Geophysics & Astronomy  +  U of Texas Physics/Relativity
NNTP-Posting-Host: rubis.astro.ubc.ca
Summary: spaying is a good thing, it doesn't change a cat's personality
Keywords: cat spay neuter hunt kill attack mouse shrew bird snake

[I *think* I have the attributions right here, if not please blame Mortina]

In article <1992Nov8.202258.10395@cs.odu.edu> colli_c@aelle.cs.odu.edu
(Catherine Collingwood) writes:
| [ whether or not to have Zeb spayed ]
| ... Zeb is | approximately 8 months old and we got her from a shelter
| at 2 months old.
| ...  Zeb is an inddor cat, very "outspoken" as the vet says and very
| playful. (yes my cat fetches too!!) I am very afraid that this operation
| will take away her energetic manner and make her docile....which is NOT
| what I want...I like her fiesty and mean :-)

Don't worry.

(In 1972), we obtained Mortina (I) at birth, and had her spayed at
age ~9 months.  We noticed no change in her personality from the operation.
Both prior to and after to being spayed she had a very strong-willed,
independent, and feisty personality.  She was always quite willing to
draw (human, other-feline, or rodent/avian) blood at the drop of a
whisker, completely intolerant of strangers, and unwilling to come
when called.  If I had $0.01 for each {mouse, shrew, bird} she delivered
to either the front door, the lawn, the living room (!), or some other
such location (all *after* being spayed), I could afford to pre-pay
my next tuition fee payment!  On the other side, she was also very
fond of sitting on a suitable lap for chin scratching, petting,
purring, etc, and always preferred to sleep on (and generally managed
to occupy about 1/2 of) my bed, preferably close under a light bulb.
She died in January 1989.

(In December 1989), we obtained Mortina II from a shelter at age
~6-9 months, she was already spayed.  She is much more docile, never
claws humans, and purrs the moment anyone pets her.  She too is very
fond of sleeping on my bed, preferably close under a light bulb.
But she is just as much of a Great Black Hunteress as her namesake,
and the body count ran at about ~10/month this past summer...

| I also feel as though this is unnecessary surgery
| and will be traumatic for Zeb and I feel as though I am taking away a
| part of her for no reason and that I am betraying her when she can't
| give her consent.  My fiance says that if we keep her as a house cat
| its not fair to burden her with the sexual frustration and that spayed
| cats live longer and are healthier.

Your fiance is "all four paws" 100% right on all counts.
Sex may be pleasurable for humans, but it's not for cats.  Try
catnip, cantelope, broccoli, or various other vegetables for safe
feline turn-ons.  Or just the old-fashioned "you scratch my back,
I'll scratch yours (and your chin, belly, etc too)..."

- Jonathan Thornburg and Mortina II (who will stay in Canada when I, alas,
				     go back to Texas for 9 more months)
  <jonathan@geop.ubc.ca> through mid-November 92, then
  <jonathan@einstein.ph.utexas.edu> or <jonathan@hermes.chpc.utexas.edu>
  [for a few more months] UBC / {Geophysics & Astronomy, Physics}
  [then through Aug/92] U of Texas at Austin / Physics / Center for Relativity