OT, Male or female cat

Kathy02

Cathlete
Ok, so tonight I am going to surprise my son and get a kitten. DH says to get a male. I already have a female, and think that getting a male might be a mistake. She is fixed, so that isn't a concern, but might they fight? Just a thought, but I already have a puppy that tries to play with the cat, and let me tell you, she thinks he's going to kill her. He's a 75 lb yellow lab, so I can see where she is coming from. But she really doesn't need another cat of the oposite sex to fight with.
what do you cat lovers think? Besides that I seem to already have enough animals and I need this like I need a hole in the head!:)

Thank you for your help!

Kathy
 
I don't own a cat but I understand that when a male cat "sprays" it can leave a nasty odor. I have not heard that female cats "spray".
As many cat lovers out there, I'm sure there will be plenty of responses.

Good luck!
 
I'd go w/ a female cat..there's a chance that the two female cats might not get along, but since one is going to be a kitten, I think there's more of a chance that they'll get used to each other.

My only beef w/ male cats is that sometimes they "spray" things, which can sometimes be stopped by having them fixed but not always. And when they spray things, the smell is *bad*. If you get a female cat, that's just one less thing to worry about dealing with.
 
First off, I've had several cats over the years, and none of my male cats sprayed. But I got them fixed before they reached maturity - about 5 months old.

I don't know how long you've had your current cat, but she will be resentful of the new arrival, regardless of the gender. Be sure to introduce them slowly, and have a room sectioned off so the new kitty can be contained and safe. If you have a spare bedroom you can put some food and a sandbox there. You may have to have the new kitty in this room the majority of the time for the first week. By then, your current cat may be more curious than territorial and they may even play "pawsies" under the door. Keep all kitty contact supervised until you feel they are comfortable with one another.

I think it's more important to choose an new cat based on it's personality than sex. Just be sure to have them neutered or spayed and all will be fine.

-Diane
 
Thank you Diane! I will be sure to keep the two seperated for the time being and introduce the two slowly then. I will for sure be getting the kitten spayed for neutered as soon as we are able to. Our current cat is 2, almost 3 years old.

Thanks to everyone that responded, I truely appreciate all the input!

Kathy
 
Hi Kathy,

I've had a five male cats throughout the years (as well as some female) and have never had a problem with spraying, indoors or out. Some of these were in multi-cat households. At one time, we had two males and two females with no problems.

My advice would be to get a cat or kitten that's already comfortable with other cats and dogs. I don't really think gender is an issue.

Good luck!
 
It seams like most people recommend male, but I have two girls and I love them. They couldn't possibly be any better in my opinion.
 
I completely agree with everything Diane said above. We had a 9 year old male when we brought home our 3 month old female kitten. The older cat was mad (and I mean really mad) for months, but he never tried to hurt the kitten. He pretty much stayed away from all of us (me, my husband and the new kitten) for quite a while. We kept the kitten in a spare bedroom when we weren't home and also at night for several months. The kitten was never scared of him, but she did poke at him and try to play with him all the time, which really pissed him off for a while. Now, they are complete buds and wrestle and hang out together all the time. Don't be too alarmed if they eventually play pretty rough. We used to think they were fighting, but then realized that they were just having their own kind of fun.

Shelbygirl

P.S. We never had any problems with the male cat spraying. We did neuter him pretty young, though.
 
Not being a cat owner, I never realized that spraying had to do with neutering but that makes sense.

We have friends that have cats. I went into the "CAT" room and almost keeled over from the smell.....IT WAS NASTY!!! I was told it was caused from spray.
 
I would recommend a male cat as well. It seems like male and female cats (or male and males) get along better, even when they are fixed (which they should be). I've noticed this in my own cats, but also in the cats I see at the shelter I volunteer at.

As for male cats spraying: if they are unneutered, they will spray any vertical service with the most noxious-smelling stuff you have even encountered (anyone who has an unneutered male cat in the house has either got to be crazy, stupid, or completely lacking a sense of smell!).
 
As the proud owner of 4 cats, my experience has been that overall temperament determines fighting more than gender. I have 3 females and one male (who is not called Zen without reason - he's got the calmest demeanor!). 2 of the females fight a whole lot because one of them isn't very interested or friendly with the other cats at all. I first had one male and one female and after a period of getting used to one another, now they frequently sleep on the couch together and give each other baths!
 
i have one of each: one male, one female.

they get along wonderfully! they play and play-fight! it's so fun to watch! bailey (male) has never sprayed).

technically the two cats "belong" to our two dogs! lol! one for each!
 
I was given this advice by a long time cat owner:female. The male may sprey if he co-habitating with a female as a territorial measure. This may be true even if both animals have been spayed/neutered.

We have a 1 year old female kitty, (Bella Gato) and are contemplating adding a second female.
 
I have a girl and boy kitty and got them fixed when they were 14 weeks old. I never had a problem with any type of spraying. My male kitty was with us for 7 weeks before we got the girl (both were kittens) they are a month apart and he got pretty mean with her at first until she kicked his booty. He is still the 'topcat' and shows her he was with us first. I honestly don't think gender is an issue at all. I have also heard that females spray also. Thankfully mine have not.
 
Well, we ended up getting a male. Only because he was the cutest and according to his temporary owners he was the most likely to be the lap cat. There was only one female in the litter so it wasn't like there were a whole lot of options.
My cat right now is hissing and growling at him, but keeping her distance. The dog on the other hand has to either be locked up or the kitten has to be in my sons room, because the dog wants to play with the kitten in a bad way. Needless to say that would be the end of the kitten. So, until they get used to eachother and the dog realizes that the kitten is not a toy we will keep them seperated.
He is grey with white around his mouth and nose, a white belly and white paws. WE named him smokey. Well, actually my son named him, and has adopted him. He is in love with his new kitten!
Thank you all for your help. Those of you that have had both sexes without a problem, you have helped to ease my mind. I will give you an update in a month or so and let you know how it's going.

Kathy
 
Sounds like the story has a happy ending! :)

I don't have too much experience with dogs, but was the adoptive parent of a Springer Spaniel for about 6 weeks. She stayed at our house while her owner was away. She had been trained from early on, that cats were not to be chased, and she never was agressive in the least with our two cats (then they were 6 month old kittens). So I think that once your dog figures out that the kitten is a new member of the family, all will be well.

Your older cat however, may take longer. But they'll be best buds in the long haul.

-Diane
 
I wouldn't be surprised if there were about two weeks worth of hissing and growling from the older cat. That seems to be about how long it takes for one of my cats to settle into the idea of a new family member ( the other two could care less!). Hissing and growling isn't a bad sign. If there were actual violent attacks, that might be a bad sign. You can help the two cats get used to each other more quickly by taking a washcloth or other piece of material and wiping it on the kitten's face and forehead (where there are scent glands), then presenting it to your female (rubbing and petting her in a way she likes) so she gets used to his scent faster.
 
This may be a dumb question....BUT we just got a kitten about 4 weeks ago. We don't know if it is male or female. Is there an easy way to figure this out? Can't tell by turning it upside down.:) Also, if it is male, how long before he starts "spraying"? :eek:
 
This may be a dumb question....BUT we just got a kitten about 4 weeks ago. We don't know if it is male or female. Is there an easy way to figure this out? Can't tell by turning it upside down.:) Also, if it is male, how long before he starts "spraying"? :eek:
 
Congrats on the new baby! We brought a new little boy Maine Coon home last summer to our 2-yr old pound kitty. Despite the fact that the new guy (Oscar) was tiny and our other cat (Seb) weighs 17 lbs., Seb acted completely terrified of Oscar, even though all he wanted to do was play... It was so funny! The adjustment period was a little nerve-racking for me, but now they're great friends.

One other suggestion I have heard for multi-pet households is to give everyone (including the dog) a bath so they all smell "the same." Kind of like starting things off on a clean slate.

Good luck!
 

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