Boys Make Better Pets?

I too have a kitty that I describe as a "cuddleslut". Miss Arizona is pretty shameless about the business of demanding pets. Loud, persistent fussing, flopping belly-up across your feet, sticking her nose within an inch of yours, smacking your chin while on your lap to get your attention.

When people come over she tries to be all aloof stereotypical cat, but cannot walk past a dangling hand or empty lap. And if I'm not home, she's even worse. Once she ankle-whapped one of my friends (who was kindly checking in on her) for daring to get her food before petting her "properly".

ETA: Oh, and she is a lap cat, obviously. :-)

Out of my 5 kittens...

2 boys are sweet, calm and very affectionate
1 boy is mischevious, boisterous but affectionate
1 girl is super affectionate and clings to me non-stop
and the other girl is a 'dont touch me, just look at me' kind of cat.



The 4 affectionate ones have been with me since birth. The not so affectionate one I got at 11 weeks and she was from a very small litter. I think socialisation time with their mum, kittens and humans from a very young age determines if a pet is going to be affectionate and friendly.

And of course individual personalities plays a big part too as opposed to the sex of the cat, IMO. Some element of their personality I swear is genetic...take Boris for example...the michevious one out of my lot. He looks the most like their rough and ready local red tabby tom cat dad and acts like him too. Whereas the other boys, who look like their mum, are poised and calm.

I used to think that was true until my Domino (male) came to live with us a few years ago. Growing up we had 1 girl cat who was mean until she got older (or maybe till I got older, lol). We also had 2 boys who were always sweethearts. A few years ago my dog found Domino, about at about 3 weeks old. he was the only survivor of his litter and him mom wasn't taking care of him anymore. I decided to take him in and bottle feed him. We was a very bad kitten who grew up into a miserable adult cat. He's what they call a "stimulous biter" (I think that's what it's called, I'm a bad speller too). He only purrs when he's biting you.

I also just raised a litter of 5, 3 boys and 2 girls. 1 girl is so sweet, loves to cuddle, purrs if you look at her, while the other is shy and more reserved. Out of the boys, one of them turned out to be the world's sweetest loverboy of a kitten, while the other 2 were crazy boys.

I'm sure it depends on the kitty!

Here I have 3 boys, one girl. Zakk can be affectionate, but only on his terms. Rocky is always affectionate and seeking attention. Not exactly a lap cat, but a I'm gonna follow you around, mew and cry for pets and sit with you on the couch. Cookie is a nice cat, but a bit skittish. Will come up for pats once in awhile.
Suzie is extremely shy, but lately coming out of her shell..
I've met some nice girls.. just the other day I visited someone who had a female cat that reminded me of Rocky, but I guess I would say that the friendliest were boys, and I suppose if I had a choice between a boy and girl that were exactly the same I would pick the boy, just on my experience.

I have a boy and a girl. The boy is more playful and the girl is more of a cuddler. The one big difference is that my girl always goes through the hissing thing when the boy comes back from the vet and he never does that to her. I have even started taking her to the vet when I have to take him. I just take her back too and leave her in the carrier. A couple of times he had to stay though so it was go through two days of hissing from Alice. The vet tech told me she thought the girl cats had more of a tendency to get hissy about different scents.

This is all interesting. I had heard before I got my 2 kittens that boys were the way to go, but I decided on getting a boy & a girl.
I agree that it really depends on the character of the cat. My boy is outgoing, friendly and a rascal at times, but always loves a cuddle. My girl is a true girly girl. A little more shy and reserved but is still friendly and loves a cuddle. She has times where she purrs so loudly and wants to be with you and even follows me around (and I am female).

So my thoughts - it really does depend on the cat. Girls really can be affectionate too.

Originally Posted by jaycee

athe boy was very affectionate, knew his name, would come when called, while the girl was aloof.

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my male baby that i had for 5 years was very lovey and also came when i called him. just like my Mikey now. the female Asia we had was the opposite, she hardly ever came around us.

Since that I've only gotten male cats and probably will always.

Also I think it depends on if she is the only cat and what age you got her...stuff like that.

I have two males...Fergus is 4 years old, and Captain Steuben is 5 months old. Fergus is the biggest sappiest syrupiest smoochy-loving creature I have ever seen. If I so much as breathe in his direction, he gives me bedroom eyes, turns on the big loud purrs, head butts me, kisses my face, and gloms all over me. He loves to cuddle, and spoons with me all night long, he little red and white head mashed next to mine on my pillow. Now Steuben...well, let's just say he's your typical spastic kitten. Now that he's a bit older, he'll take a break now and again, and snuggle with me, and turn on some lovey purrs. I predict he will grow into a cuddler as he matures.

Then, there's Ripley. She's kind of cranky, and has decided that she has a clear distaste for Captain Steuben. She can be very affectionate (towards me and me ONLY...she hates men, and does NOT like my husband), and has LOTS of tortitude...being the lovely tortoiseshell princess that she is. She calls the shots with lap time, and DEMANDS affection on her terms only. Now with Fergus, all I have to do is glance in his direction, and he's all over me in 0.5 seconds. Ripley is much more moody and reserved. Definitely all-girl...I love her to pieces, but she definitely determines how much affection she needs, and sometimes prefers her alone time.

My conclusion is, based on my current brood, and others I've had in the past, is that neutered males are generally more sappy and lovey-dovey than spayed females. There will always be exceptions to this rule, but my boys have always been far more needy with me, and love to be loved by me. What can I say, I'm popular with the boys.

Originally Posted by wookie130

Fergus is the biggest sappiest syrupiest smoochy-loving creature I have ever seen. If I so much as breathe in his direction, he gives me bedroom eyes, turns on the big loud purrs, head butts me, kisses my face, and gloms all over me. He loves to cuddle, and spoons with me all night long, he little red and white head mashed next to mine on my pillow.

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Fergus sounds adorable!!!!!

I have one female Misty and two males Marble Cake and Stovepipe who is a kitten still.

I always had thought that males were the most affectionate but Misty is the sweetest most lovable one of the three. Every time I sit down she is right there wanting to be with me. She loves to lick my ears.

I've owned both over the years. I currently have 2 Sp. females. They act like dogs. They come when called...EVERYTIME, they play fetch and are around us at all times. Our home consists of my bf & myself. They act no differently towards him than they do towards me. Male cats I've had have always been just as affectionate. So I really think it depends on the cat and it's environment.

so far my boy and girl are both very affectionate.

the girl is more tolerant of being picked up and carried around, laying in your lap for more than a moment, and cuddling when you want to.

the boy is EXTREMELY, hard core affectionate when hes in the mood, but you generally have to wait for him to initiate any cuddle time, and when hes done, hes done!

My experience from the cats I have had, that had a safe growing up so nothing else interfered with their behavior, is that males in general is more outgoing and friendly to every one while females pic their favorite human.
I have had one exception though - Tixie. As soon as we had guests she used to jump their knee and she wouldnt take no for an answer. If they didn't pet her she grabbed their clothes with her claws and purred so loud you could hear her in the entire house. She didn't let go untill she was properly paid attention to. And she did this to everyone even if she never seen them before.

It really depends on the cat. I have a female who is extremely friendly and affectionate. Upstairs Neighbours have three cats; the two females are fairly independent; one likes to be cuddled more than the other.
The 26 pound male cat adores his 'daddy', and cries when the man is not home. I don't believe that one cat's sex determines friendliness any more than one person's.
Though I think a neutered male would be more tractable than an intact one.

My girl kitty is the most affectionate cat I've ever been around. She's very well behaved - never had a litter box accident - doesn't scratch the furniture, and most importantly, doesn't spray.

Originally Posted by Denice

I have a boy and a girl. The boy is more playful and the girl is more of a cuddler.

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My boy is more of the cuddler and the girls are the playful ones. The girls also dont want to be messed with alot of the time. Bagheera will purr any time he hears me talk and then he will run over for some lovin.

I've had cats practically all my life and I cant say I've noticed too much between them. Out of the 2 British shorthairs I have now, Dandy (the boy) is definitely more affectionate than is sister, Daisy. Although, she's a very gentle cat.

I've only ever had male cats, and they've all been the most loving, affectionate cats. A few months ago, we took in a female kitten I found near my parents house and she was a little pistol! My husband nicknamed her "Lucy" -- because it was short for Lucifer. The 3 days we had her she would hiss at everything, wouldn't let us touch her, bit, attack the door when she knew our Vinny was on the other side of it...when her owner came to get her she even said she acted that way at home. Other people I've known who had female cats, they've all had catitude, been too dominant, hid from people, or weren't too, too affectionate. In my opinion, males are more friendly and loving cats.

I have a boy and a girl.

Kitty is my tortiseshell princess. We have a big bond. She is always by my side - sleeping nearby and even following me into the bathroom. She likes company and will sit beside any visitor and enjoy lots of petting. She loves to cuddle and enjoys being held like a baby. If she were human, she would be a ballerina. She is more my cat than my man's.

Jasper is my grey and white dude. If he were human, he would be a skater punk - the kind that wears the low baggy pants. He is very laidback. He enjoys having his belly rubbed but will not cuddle. When visitors arrive, he comes out to say hi but then retreats to the bedroom. He is more attached to my boyfriend and tolerates me because I scratch his cheeks sometimes. Jasper is very dominant and picks on Kitty for reasons I do not know. Last week Jasper was sitting on the couch with my boyfriend getting his cheecks rubbed. Kitty was asleep in a nearby chair. All of a sudden Jasper just jumped on her and attacked. This is a common occurance. Kitty has lived with other cats and dogs with no problems.

Any cats we get in the future will be female and most likely a tortiseshell.

My preference is for girls but only because my first cat was a female and she was the loveliest thing ever .

My present cat is also a female and she is very affectionate and sweet. It is true that she is not a 'lap cat', but this is probably more to do with the fact that she was not handled much when she was a kitten, rather than the gender.

Malgosia