does having a cat spayed change their personailty???

jimanuel12

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Our beloved cat, Penelope, passed away last year.
When we got her spayed, it changed her personality altogether, before she was loving, lay in your lap and sleep.
After that, she was never the same again, she would not lay in your lap.
We had this done when she was about 6 months old.
She would not be held at all, she hissed at everyone that came in the house. Before, we could hold her and she seemed to like most people.
She was like that until the day she passed away.

Our cat now, Delilha, is a turkish van, we had her spayed when she was 6 months old also and it did not change her at all.

Why does it seem to change some cats and not others?
 

sharky

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Yes spaying can change the personality as some cats are sensitive to anesthesia.. It happened with my RB girl Kandie and neutering changed RB Simon too.. One was declawed the other was not both did 180 s with personality ....

I know that two of my current boys Pj and Punky had no changes... My one female I was told got sweeter which I believe but she was feral'_
 
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jimanuel12

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Originally Posted by mschauer

Was Penelope declawed at the time she was spayed?
no, we had her declawed afterwards
 
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jimanuel12

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Originally Posted by LDG

I've only seen positive behavior changes from a spay surgery, when kitty becomes more loving.
yeah, i know. we had delilha declawed and spayed at the same time, it did not effect her at all. she is still just as loving as ever and doesn't mind being held.
she recovered very quickly but we had her lazer declawed which is less painful and quicker recovery, i am told.
Penelope waw declawed but the old fashion way, could that have changed her?
 

mschauer

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Originally Posted by jimanuel12

no, we had her declawed afterwards
How long afterwards? Declawing is far more likely to result in the kind of personality change you mention than spaying.
 
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jimanuel12

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Originally Posted by mschauer

How long afterwards? Declawing is far more likely to result in the kind of personality change you mention than spaying.
i cannot remember, it has been too long ago, i just know that afterwards she was never the same.
she did not like anyone except my wife (i always thought she just tolerated me ha ha).
before she was loving and seemed to like most people, afterwards she would hiss at anyone that came into the house and then run and hide.
it may have been the spay, but i just remembered we had another cat, Prissey, we had her spayed also, but it did not change her at all.
 

yayi

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I don't think it's the spaying, most likely it's the declawing causing the personality change. None of my females' behavior changed (except for the need to roam) after the surgery.
 

Willowy

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None of my girls have shown any personality changes after a spay. I have known cats whose personalities completely changed (never for the better) after being de-clawed. It's a traumatic surgery and very painful, so is more likely to cause personality changes, in my experience.

Cats are also commonly altered around 6 months of age....and that's when they're starting to mature and come into their adult personalities. So that could account for some of it as well.
 

momto3cats

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I've had five cats spayed in the last 20 years; I don't remember any of them changing noticeably after their surgery. I'm sure it can happen, but I don't think it's a major risk.
 

missymotus

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I've only seen cats become more affectionate after spaying/neutering.

I'm surprised the breeder let your Turkish Van go before spaying, and that they allowed declawing - most have in their contract saying you cannot do it. Thank heavens it's illegal here.

So sorry your cats lost their claws, poor babies
 

Asteria

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I agree it's most likely not the spay, but the declawing.
Both of my girls are just as sweet as they were before they were spayed.
 

p&r

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I've never met a cat who changed for the worse after being fixed, usually they becoming more loving and affectionate. Sounds to me like the declawing was cause for her personality change as I have heard that happening 9 times out of 10.
 
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