Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: Notesfiles $Revision: 1.7.0.8 $; site convexs Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!convex!convexs!ayers From: ayers@convexs.UUCP Newsgroups: net.pets Subject: Re: Better mousers?? Message-ID: <23000010@convexs> Date: Fri, 23-Aug-85 14:19:00 EDT Article-I.D.: convexs.23000010 Posted: Fri Aug 23 14:19:00 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 26-Aug-85 01:18:45 EDT References: <247@drutx.UUCP> Lines: 47 Nf-ID: #R:drutx.UUCP:-24700:convexs:23000010:000:1987 Nf-From: convexs.UUCP!ayers Aug 23 13:19:00 1985 >I am considering getting a couple of cats from the dumb friend's >league to use as mousers. My questions are: > 1) Which is usually a better mouser - male or female I've lived in the country most of my life, and always used cats as "mouse traps" during that time. Based on my experience, there has been no difference based on sex. It has been strickly a personality thing. > 2) Does the fact that a cat has been spayed or neutered > effect its hunting ability/desire As a child, I'd never heard of anyone other than "fat old ladies" neutering a pet, but after I got older (and wiser?) I recognized the importance of stabilizing population growth [i.e. I've had both] -- again, no difference either in neutered and un-neutered, or at what age the animals were neutered. > 3) If I obtain 2 animals, will I be better off obtaining > one of each sex or two of the same. If two of the same > sex, which sex (this question refers to compatability > of the animals) Being in the country, we often have animals "donated" to us via midnight express. If the animals are neutered, they don't seem to care about what sex their neutered "friend" is. Again, every- thing I've seen has centered around personality, not sex. Right now we have a very "active" male kitten, and very "composed" female kitten. It has often been the other way around. For What It's Worth Department: As soon as the vet says "go" we'll have this batch "fixed," and we'll be set until another crop is dropped off. (Being in the country is nice, because the cats can roam around. Unfortunately, so do every- one else's dogs.) BTW -- our vet says that the only time she has seen (neutered) male cats spray their territory has been when they were "fixed" after they had grown up instead of as a kitten. She says that she has _never_ had that problem if the cat is under 12 months old when neutered. ("There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact..." blues, II