“Just like Romeo and Juliette” the song goes, but in this particular case it would be “Romeo is Juliette.” Yes the neutered male shelter cat currently staying with us is actually an unspayed female – and that is about to change.
I would love to be able to tell you that this never happens, or rarely happens. But in fact, it happens a lot. You see, the “netherparts” of a cat can be very furry – and cats are differently endowed with regards to (there is no modest way to say this) sac size and space between orifices.
One of my favourite examples is “Big Cindy.” Spayed female cats can get really huge and Cindy was a case in point. We knew she was spayed because of her size, and we knew she was a female because she was a tabby with tortoiseshell highlights. Tortis are always females.
But she was very matted and was not cooperative about being dematted. So off to the vet for a sedation and a partial shave. Only to find out that Cindy is a Sidney. But by then I was pretty stuck on her name so s/he became Big Cindy – named after a transexual character is some of Harlan Coben novels.
Big Cindy is currently working a hobby farm near Azilda, along with her friend “Reverse Bowie.” An unusual name, but not a complicated story. She has markings that are the reverse of our cat Bowie. However, Bowie is a very complicated cat. And that is another story.
Cookie is a cat currently up for adoption at Small Things. He is a returned cat – the family had to move and their new place doesn’t allow pets. His first family could not believe how affectionate he was but the yowling was driving them crazy. I wondered if perhaps he was lonely – but they said the sound he was making was more than just a bid for attention. It sounded like he was in pain.
Hmm. I asked her to email me a picture of this cat’s “area below the tail.” Hmm. The problem was very clear and Cookie went off for a spay. How could we have missed this? Quite simply, we took for granted the information provided by the person who surrendered the cat to the City Shelter.
It’s not just shelter volunteers who make this error. A long time ago in a veterinary clinic far away, the vet was doing a spay on a female cat and for the life of him, could not find the uterus of this female cat. On re-examination, he found the reason there was no uterus. Tammy was a Tommy.
It goes the other way too. A friend of mine could not bear to see the neighbourhood tomcat outside another night in inclement weather and let Mario sleep in her spare bedroom. In the morning she was greeted by five mouse-sized kittens and one very proud Maria.
Maria full of grace – and babies.
*****
Update:
Juliette is actually Romeo still. Romeo had a bleeding sore on his “sit-upon-it” and the vet cauterized it. Romeo lolled around through this drama like fortune’s fool. A Juliette would been shooting daggers.
Jan Carrie Steven is a volunteer with Cat Adoption Trust Sudbury (CATS).
