The Battle of the Sexes – Which One Makes A Better Pet?

You might also like

10 Best Cat Bowls in 2025 – Reviews and Top Picks (Vet-Verified)

Dogs Eating Grass: Are They Turning Vegan?

Ask Dr. Paola – Monday January 20, 2025

The data is present and up-to-date in accordance with the most recent veterinarian analysis.

Learn more »

Hello, I’m Dr. Karyn! Read my introduction to study extra about me and meet my 5 hilarious cats: Clutch, Cyril, Alex, Zelda, and Zazzles.

I could also be opening a can of worms right here, however I’m by no means one to shrink back from a controversial matter. I will even preface this by saying that there is no such thing as a scientific information that may show or deny my view, nevertheless it does come from my expertise with many, many, cats over time. In reality, I can’t keep in mind a time in my life once we didn’t have at the least one cat.

So earlier than we get into it, I’m going to offer you my verdict, and it’s one which my feminist soul hates to confess, however I’ve discovered that for me, males appear to make one of the best pets. In fact, that very a lot relies on the kind of companion you might be in search of!

Let’s get into it.

The Cats I Have Lived With

Together with Quincy, my mother and father’ Siamese, who was there earlier than I used to be born, I’ve shared my dwelling with eleven cats in complete. And except for Quincy, they’ve all been moggies, and apparently, fairly a good unfold of each female and male. I can’t inform you what number of I’ve identified and labored with, however it might be within the 1000’s.

Quincy and I weren’t one of the best of buddies. After I was 4 years previous, I attempted to ‘assist’ him when he was combating the neighbor’s cat. Because of this, he turned on me, leaving me relatively bloody and scarred! Curiously, this traumatic occasion didn’t put me off cats, however my relationship with Quincy by no means recovered!

Sadly, Bindi was not with us lengthy sufficient to make an enormous impression on 5-year-old me, as she met her finish at a really younger age after making an attempt to cross the street in direction of the alluring scent of KFC. Luckily, my mother and father determined that permitting cats exterior was now not the way in which to go after this.

I received’t go into an in depth historical past of each cat, however over time, I’ve undoubtedly seen some patterns.

Habits Developments

Talking solely in generalities, I’ve personally discovered that male cats are typically extra outgoing, pleasant to all, and usually extra assured. By comparability, feminine cats appear to be extra reserved, taking extra time to evaluate the state of affairs, and have a tendency to latch onto one particular person as ‘their individual.’

That doesn’t imply that male cats are by no means skittish, or feminine cats are all the time selective with their affection, however these are traits that I’ve seen in my pets, my sufferers, and different cats I’ve identified or heard about.

When you concentrate on feline social construction, it does make sense.

It’s the prerogative of the male to get out and sow his oats; the additional he can vary, the higher his possibilities of fathering many kittens. As cats turned domesticated over the previous couple of thousand years, it might have served the Pussycats effectively to remain on the nice aspect of people to keep away from being chased off with a brush. Braveness and daring could be favored traits, permitting these lads to enterprise additional.

For females, alternatively, warning and wariness are the abilities wanted to maintain your self and your kittens secure. Befriending one or two people could also be helpful, however you don’t need the entire village turning up once you’re making an attempt to boost a household.

So Which Is the Higher Pet?

There are not any ensures on the subject of the temperament or character of a cat, and the extra you attempt to form them in a technique, the extra seemingly you might be to get the other end result. However, if there are specific traits that you’d want in a feline companion, selecting the intercourse that fits your character could get you one step nearer to an ideal match.

Let’s lay it out with a execs and cons checklist:

I like a bomb-proof cat with boatloads of character who doesn’t thoughts having a houseful of animals and folks. Certain, the boys will quickly abandon you for the comfiest-looking lap, however I additionally love seeing folks having fun with my cats’ firm, significantly one as convincingly friendly as Clutch!

However if you need a quiet and constant cat who will shadow you and bathe you – and solely you – with affection, a feminine cat could also be simply what you want. She might not be so tolerant of noisy canines or kids, and a busy home may ship her into hiding, however when every part has quietened down, you might get to expertise the enjoyment of being chosen by a cat.

Resolve For Your self

Your expertise could also be utterly totally different to mine, and I’d love to listen to about it! I definitely wouldn’t suggest selecting a cat based mostly purely on my perspective. Among the best methods to make sure feline compatibility is to visit an animal shelter and meet an older kitten or grownup cat. That approach, you get a a lot better thought of their fully-formed personalities, with the added bonus that many shelter cats are so grateful for being given a loving dwelling!

Need to weigh in? Drop me a line within the feedback part beneath!