Optimal Genders in Kitten Pairs For Long-Term Friendships?

Hi everyone,

I've been preparing to take the jump into cats for a while, and have been scouring the forums for a few months now. I'm planning to adopt two kittens at the same time, since I hear that kittens really benefit from the companionship and socialization of another kitten, and that kittens often bond with another littermate. (Also, the rescue I'm planning to adopt from requires adopters to adopt two kittens or have an older cat in the house.) My question is - does it matter what genders the kittens are to maximize the chances of long-term companionship?

I read on another thread about choosing gender for a new kitten where a prior cat is already in the household that it seems anecdotally like M/M pairs work best, and I've also slightly terrified myself with threads here about cat aggression coming out, even in pairs that were BFFs for a couple years. Does the calculus change at all from the prior thread if both kittens were raised together and brought into the new home together? Are M/M (neutered) pairs noticeably more likely to stay buds for their lives compared to M/F or F/F (spayed/neutered) pairs?

Thanks for your help!

In all the cats I've had in my life , 2 neutered males always seemed to get along the best. Females always seemed to have 'attitudes' and wanted to run everything!    My husband always said they acted like me!!! How exciting that you get to choose two beautiful new companions! Hope this helps and good luck!

Thanks very much for your response! I'll probably lean towards M/M pairs then - definitely want to make my own transition into cat ownership as smooth as possible, so that it's also as smooth as possible for the kittens  

I'd suggest M/M as well, girls are too opinionated.

That said, if you fall hopelessly in love with a pair of girl kittens, I wouldn't stress too much. I have two girls, litter mates, and they absolutely adore one another

Honestly, anything can work especially if they are littermates.  I have seen MM work but have also seen FF and FM work out fine.

I would not sweat it that much.  My main advice would be to find 2 who are well socialized and who seem at least somewhat bonded to each other.  If they are littermates, it will most likely work out.  I think it is when you are trying to introduce cats later on in life that the genders tend to be more tricky.

I originally planned to get just 1 kitten and then around a month later I decided to adopt another. I always heard that boy cats were the most affectionate and so I planned to get a boy kitten, but when I saw Sophie I fell in love and adopted her so when I decided to adopt another I got a girl just to make sure there's no pregnancy issues before they're spayed! It took a few days for them to get along, but now they're like best friends. They're not from the same litter, but they've bonded really well and can often be found snuggling up to each other!

I'm also not sure I agree that male cats are more affectionate than female, or at least not in my limited experience. Sophie is like the most affectionate cat I've ever met. I know it's probably not the case, but I really feel like Sophie loves me. Chloe is a little less affectionate but she does also enjoy coming for a cuddle at times that suit her. Usually in the morning when I'm in the process of waking up (I'll often just lay in bed for like 15 mins or so after waking up) she'll come for some cuddles and be such a sweet little girl.

Love your name, Mildlyironic.  If it's an apt description, you will get along with cats very well!

I have F/F bottle babies, litter mates. They are 10 years old now and absolutely adore each other. There are also other cats in our house. The one sister is very affectionate with humans but not fond of any of the other cats and can be very protective of her sister. The other sister, once she gets to know them, loves everyone (human and feline).

Ooh - thanks so much for all the responses! And cute kitty stories So it sounds like, since there're no other cats in the house, two bonded littermates should work out, and if there're multiple pairs, just go with the pair that I find the most adorablest (which is something I can totally do); gender matters less where I'm not introducing older cats to newer ones. 

Also, because I'm super excited: assuming nothing goes awry with the rescue group, I get to start looking at kitties in 10 days! EEEEE.

When we adopted our kittens, now almost five-year-old cats, our original intent was to take only one. But as we watched the four kittens from this particular litter, we noticed the two black kittens were always together. In fact, the male constantly toddled after the female. My husband wanted a black cat and we ended up taking both black kittens because they were already so bonded and we couldn't bear to separate them. This turned out to be very good, as they had each other and adapted to us and our home very well. They continue to get along well, though I suspect the female would have been okay with being an only cat!

I have had both MM and FF pairings and I've never had a problem.

When i was a teenager we got a boy kitten, Bradley, when our boy Tanner was a year old. They are intensely bonded and are best buds.

I got my Luna at 4 1/2 months when Zoey was a year old. They are bonded already as well. Really any type of paring can work, especially if they're raised together.

I have had luck with MF combo here as well as MM and FF.

The first 2 were both seniors and a MF combo followed by MFM then FMF. Now it's a 5:1 MF ratio with the eldest M in charge where as prior to 2013 the eldest F was in charge until her passing at 19.

As long as they are socialized properly and you take your time they and you should do fine.

Good luck.

I have a pair of 2 year old spayed female littermates. they get along great.