Hi all
I found this article on the web while searching for something to fill a page in our newsletter... I had a good read, the poll with it shows that 90percent of people agree! What do you al think? But the way i have always has male and female cats and have found the males to be more loving and like to be close and content with like, but females are a bit more reserved but still show a great deal of affection. So they are both friendier and loving but in two diffeent ways..
So what do you all think?
by Annette RadfordCats are definately individuals. I have two speyed females at present - Patch who is a patchy tortoiseshell and Diana who is a blend of all the tortoiseshell tones with only small areas of individual coloring. Patch is quite affectionate when it suits her; Diana is extremely affectionate any time I pay her attention. I bought Patch at a pet store over ten years ago; Diana was an abandoned kitten I rescued nearly two years ago and then couldn't bear to leave.
Patch is also quite friendly toward whoever will feed her whereas Di is a one woman cat. Di carries this to the point that I cannot leave her for others to feed. She disappears until I return, which caused quite a few worries last Christmas when I had to spend nearly four weeks in hospital. I advise any carer to just leave some dry food for her because she has the name Diana because of her prowess as a hunter (there isn't any shortage of rats and mice in this wheat-growing district).
Their attitude toward dogs also shows their individuality. I adopted a dog not long after Di joined the household and she accepted the canine family member with her usual equanimity. Patch greeted the new arrival with an arched back and some feline language that would not bear interpretation. She still cannot bear the dog's presence, unless she is sprawled out in front of the fire on a cold day. It is the same with any visiting dog; Patch defends her household with uncivil language while Di ignores the canine intruder.
My second son has a long-haired neutered male cat named Ginger. Whenever I go to visit Ginger is straight onto my lap like he has been there all his life. I have never fed Ginger and because of the distance my visits are not that frequent. Jason says that Ginger has people he likes and those he doesn't - he seems to sense which people like cats and those that don't. One very good friend had a cat allergy and as soon as he comes into the house Ginger disappears.
On the other hand my eldest son (a confirmed bachelor) has a cat he calls Forest. Forest is a desexed male - he came from the RSPCA. As big as a small to medium sized dog, he tips the scale at a little over ten kilos. He is an attack cat, very unfriendly indeed, not accepting the gentlest caress unless from his owner. He has destroyed furniture - sofas, curtains -even his scratch post which is designed for feline mistreat-ment. Given a choice between a female friend and Forest, my son said he prefered the cat. Maybe they are two of a kind.
I have had the pleasure of a lot of cats over the fifty years of my life. Generally I would say that females are friendlier than males at almost all times, the exception for some being when they have a very young litter. Some males, particularly entire animals, get quite territorial and often remain that way even after a certain visit to the vet. Forest is one of those. Males who are neutered when young avoid a lot of problems - they are usually friendier and do not leave offensive marks. I guess the last word here is get your pet speyed or nuetered and leave the hassles to registered breeders. I would say from my experience that female cats make friendlier pets.