Male vs Female cats

[ladyhitchhiker]

I can't give you guys a scientifically proven answer because I've only had boy cats up until this last year when we finally got a girl kitty.

I think they're just as different as people, although, from my experience of working with both genders at the shelters and the vet's office and the spay bus.

 

[otto]

Originally Posted by Sohni

I should have added 'depends on cat' to the poll, but that wasn't really the point. Enough potential kitten buyers have approached me with the statement that they'd rather have a neutered male that it has made an impression. 'Depends on the cat' is really the same as 'there is no difference' when it comes to answering that question. I tell them that all cats are different, and that I will do my best to match the personality of the kitten to the needs of the new home.

There are other assumptions that I hear from buyers as well, such as:

Kittens should go to new homes at 8 weeks so they'll bond with people (false)

Kittens should be placed as singles or they'll bond with each other rather than their new human family (haven't researched that one enough, but in my experience cats we've owned have bonded with us whether single or double.. cats seem to have a different relationship with each than they do with their people)

Cats should never be fed soft food because it rots their teet. (false)

As a producer of show cats, I do have to deal with a lot of pet kitten buyers as well. I just want to ensure that I am gathering the best knowledge that I can so that I can pass it on to my buyers.

It's good that you are in a position to break up these false myths. People love to stereotype. And saying male cats are sweeter or more affectionate than females is just another stereotype, a generalization based on opinion, not fact.

As I sit here at my desk there is always one of three cats on my lap. One is male, two are female, all were adopted at different times and at different ages and from different circumstances, and all are equally as sweet and affectionate as they purr on my lap.

As for the

s already waiting for me at the Bridge, I would have to say the sweetest most malleable of them would be Bibbs, a female. Baby, a male, was my soul mate but he was a one person cat. Bibbs loved everyone and was super affectionate. Ootay (F), Sissy (F) and Squeaky(M) all were somewhere in between.

However I do the generalization too. Red Boys are my favorite and I always say there's nothing sweeter than a Red Boy. Baby

was a Red Boy, but he loved only me. However I know many Red Girl cats who are sweet and friendly too.

Sissy (

) was a tortie and had what is known as tortitude. However, I know another tortie who is the sweetest girlie you'd ever want to meet.

And so on....

PS "makes no difference" and "it depends on the cat" do not mean the same thing to me, in my opinion.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I much prefer males over females. When our latest 2 adopted us, I prayed they were males, and, thankfully, they were!

It's odd. In our house, our one female only likes my hubby, and the 3 males seem to favor ME over hubby...kind of like real life kids, I would imagine (though I have no idea, not having any human kids)

 

[nekochan]

Originally Posted by Sohni

Kittens should be placed as singles or they'll bond with each other rather than their new human family (haven't researched that one enough, but in my experience cats we've owned have bonded with us whether single or double.. cats seem to have a different relationship with each than they do with their people)

I haven't found that to be true, mine have bonded well either way. My last cat was supposed to be a "single" but while waiting for her to come home I rescued a kitten who was very close to her age so they ended up growing up together. They're both bonded to people despite that. I also raised a litter of 7 kittens together, all 7 were together until 12 weeks old and then 6 together until another was adopted about 4-5 months old, another at 6 months old... I still have 4 of them and they are now 2 years old. They are very bonded with me but that may due to my having bottle fed them from 3 week old babies, however they are also very friendly and affectionate with the rest of the household (who didn't bottle-feed them.)
All my cats raised with other kittens seemed to become quite a bit more distant towards each other once they got out of the kitten stage, and closer with the people in the house.

 

[-_aj_-]

Originally Posted by mrsgreenjeens

I much prefer males over females. When our latest 2 adopted us, I prayed they were males, and, thankfully, they were!

It's odd. In our house, our one female only likes my hubby, and the 3 males seem to favor ME over hubby...kind of like real life kids, I would imagine (though I have no idea, not having any human kids)

its like that with flash and sooty tbh flash is very much a daddies girl so he would of said girl cats are more affectionate where as sooty is a mamas boy and cant get close enough to me thats why i said male cats are so what i really should of said after really thinking about this was there is no difference

 

[anita1216]

It really depends on the cat IMO. I grew up having only male cats and they were not very friendly at all. My first pet as an adult was my beloved Megan who was the light of my life for almost 20 years, a sweet tabby girl. She was very loving until she got into her later years and I blame that on old age and at the very end..pain

We now have 3 males and two females and they boys are very lovey dovey, the females are sweet as well. Of course the males and one of the females are Sphynx and they are usually very affectionate and good natured cats.

 

[northernglow]

I'm not voting because I've only had one female, but with this little experience I'd say males are more affectionate. My girl is only 1 year old (in 2 weeks) and she has been very independent for a looong time, and seems more 'mature' from her mind. My 3 males are 1,5-3,5 years old and they are more dependent on me and my company. You can almost do anything to them and they'll just purrrrr, but my female will let me know her real opinion immediately. If she comes to cuddle, it means she wants something..

My friend on the other hand has a female Angora who will immediately teleport on your lap if you sit down and she wants to be cuddled all the time.