If a cat gets spayed...

Not at all. We had the most independent cat who could hold her own against man or beast after she was spaded. All it does is stop them having kittens and nothing else. Both my other cats are also able to defend themselves against other cats. At least she now won't be hounded by other male cats to have their wicked way with her!LOL I am sure she will now have a more peaceful life;)

As long as you give her time to recover in the house from her surgery she should be fine. It's not like you are getting her declawed. She will still be able to defend herself as long as she keeps her claws.

No, she will never lose her ability to defend herself, that is a natural defense.

If you spay adult animals they keep their personality. If you spay animals very young the personality doesn`t develop to normal adult behaviour because there is something missing. These animals are kind of childish. But if you spay grown animals they have their normal experiences for life and they will always use these experiences they have made earlier.

No. When an animal is spayed it just loses the ability to reproduce. If your cat is declawed then she can't defend herself. Some people, inculdeing myself, believe that fixing a female animal throws it into menopause, the same as it would to a human. Perconally I think cats should be kept inside, there is more than just other cats to worry about, there are wild animals, cars, and the simple fact that I cat is a domesticated animal, no longer equipt to live outdoors.

She won't lose that ability, maybe she'll lose interest on going out.