Date: Thu, 11 Aug 1994 08:41:33 EDT

From: Wayne Glowka wglowka[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MAIL.GAC.PEACHNET.EDU

Subject: Re: Your male and female type cats



I am saving everybody's cattish remarks. Let me, however, provide some

clarification. My mother-in-law's practice does not use "she" for all

cats. Male cats are inevitably referred to with "she," but female cats are

referred to as "he." I'll have to listen, but I think that she may do the

same thing with other animals. My wife, by the way, insists that her mother

also inverts the gender of pronouns with her own cats, not just ours.



I guess that I am learning that pronoun use for animals is fairly complex.



One note: despite joking remarks to the contrary, neutered male cats are

still fairly masculine in their behavior. They may not spray or stray, but

they put on shows of dominance and even attempt mounting. I've got two

neutered male cats, and they are extremely hard to live with--they are

demanding, needy, willful, and violent. The same thing could probably be

said of me, I don't know.





Wayne Glowka

Professor of English

Director of Research and Graduate Student Services

Georgia College

Milledgeville, GA 31061

912-453-4222

wglowka[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]mail.gac.peachnet.edu