Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / September 2007
Male and Female Kittens
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Douglas - 01 Sep 2007 00:29 GMT I am planning on adopting 2 kittens and was would like to know if there is any problems with adopting 2 female kittens that will be spayed. My sister has told me that it is better to get 2 males or a male and a female. Any Opinions?
Cantate - 01 Sep 2007 00:56 GMT If they're from the same litter, it shouldn't matter. If you get young kittens at the same time I don't think it should matter either. (In my experience.) If you get two older cats, two males will fight just as much as females will. (Again, my experience.)
And have a great time with them.
Takayuki can tell you about adjustment problems of older cats. (I hope it's going better, Takayuki.)
Cantate
Wayne Mitchell - 01 Sep 2007 13:31 GMT >If they're from the same litter, it shouldn't matter. Even being littermates is no guarantee. We had a pair of sisters who were quite close as bitties but gradually, over several years, got to the point where they wouldn't stay in the same room together.
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Wayne M.
Takayuki - 02 Sep 2007 01:38 GMT >If they're from the same litter, it shouldn't matter. If you get >young kittens at the same time I don't think it should matter either. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >Takayuki can tell you about adjustment problems of older cats. (I >hope it's going better, Takayuki.) Well, I don't think that my two are a particularly good example, and each situation is so unique. The situation here continues to evolve. Tensions are escalating because Buster seems to be taking Dot's increased incursions as a violation of their previous unspoken cease-fire, and Dot's mood is darkening under the oppression. I've never seen such displays of rage and hatred as between these two!
Enfilade - 02 Sep 2007 16:43 GMT I have two sisters (spayed) and they get along wonderfully with each other and also with the two older cats since they were just babies when I first got them.
The only thing I have heard is that sometimes male cats can be more affectionate with guests than female cats. I don't know if that's true. I do know our sisters are very loving towards us but they don't like visitors much--but the way they love to sit on us and sleep on us, we don't care.
--Fil
> >If they're from the same litter, it shouldn't matter. If you get > >young kittens at the same time I don't think it should matter either. > >(In my experience.) If you get two older cats, two males will fight > >just as much as females will. (Again, my experience.) jofirey - 02 Sep 2007 22:26 GMT > I have two sisters (spayed) and they get along wonderfully with each > other and also with the two older cats since they were just babies [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > --Fil My daughter is very much a cat person. She love them all. But in her opinion after having both around all her life "girl cats are mean!"
I really have no opinion. All of our have got along fairly well. But our male cats have always been Meezers, while with the exception of Rosie our girl cats have not.
Jo
Marina - 03 Sep 2007 04:09 GMT > My daughter is very much a cat person. She love them all. But in her > opinion after having both around all her life "girl cats are mean!" I have to agree. Most girl cats seem to have a mean streak. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule (Gandalf's Kenzie comes to mind). Still, I wouldn't want to be without them.
 Signature Marina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.
Joy - 03 Sep 2007 04:30 GMT >> My daughter is very much a cat person. She love them all. But in her >> opinion after having both around all her life "girl cats are mean!" > > I have to agree. Most girl cats seem to have a mean streak. Of course, > there are always exceptions to the rule (Gandalf's Kenzie comes to mind). > Still, I wouldn't want to be without them. I haven't found that at all. The only cat I've ever had who might have been called mean was a male. He wasn't really mean; he just didn't like the young upstarts that other cats in the family brought home. And that was only when he got older.
Joy
jXwXeXrXmXoXnXt@sonic.net - 03 Sep 2007 10:32 GMT > > My daughter is very much a cat person. She love them all. But in her > > opinion after having both around all her life "girl cats are mean!"
> I have to agree. Most girl cats seem to have a mean streak. Of course, > there are always exceptions to the rule (Gandalf's Kenzie comes to > mind). Still, I wouldn't want to be without them. My two girl kitties are very sweet. I don't think either of them is mean at all.
That said, I admit that I did see Roxy get mean when I took in a stray cat for a short time a few years ago - for some reason, Roxy just hated that cat. She would see the other cat from across the room and mount a totally unprovoked attack.
Then again, male cats certainly behave that way sometimes, too. And in general, Roxy has a very laid-back personality, so something about the stray kitty just got under her skin.
Joyce
jXwXeXrXmXoXnXt@sonic.net - 01 Sep 2007 01:17 GMT > I am planning on adopting 2 kittens and was would like to know if there is > any problems with adopting 2 female kittens that will be spayed. My sister > has told me that it is better to get 2 males or a male and a female. Any > Opinions? I'm a bit skeptical about the folk wisdom that says you shouldn't adopt two cats of the same sex. (You've heard two males together is OK - I've always heard that they should be opposite sex.) My personal experience was that I adopted one female, and then a year later, another female, and they got along fine. The second female was a kitten, though, so the older girl maybe didn't see her as competition, or a threat, or whatever.
A few years later, I adopted a male - also a kitten - and he does not get along with one of the girls. So, so much for the "opposite sex is always better" theory. He gets along fine with my other girl, though.
I think that if they are two kittens, chances are they'll get along, because they'll be growing up together. Kittens don't seem to be very territorial toward other kittens or cats. If they're from the same litter, so much the better - kittens from the same litter often seem to get very close. So I think the age of the cats has a lot more impact than the sex.
But ultimately, I think it's really about personality. Some pairs of cats just don't get along, or they take a lot more work to help them tolerate each other. Just like people, some cats rub other cats the wrong way, while others are best friends.
Good luck!
Joyce
Ann - 01 Sep 2007 02:37 GMT I adopted a female cat and about 6 months later adopted another female. They get along fine. They are not about 11 and 12 years old.
Almost 3 years age a rescued a mom and 3 kittens and kept one of the male kittens.There was more of a problems with him wanting to play all the time and the girls didn't .
If they are kittens I don't think the sex of the kittens should matter.
Ann
 Signature read Sam's blog at http://kittens-3.blogspot.com/
>I am planning on adopting 2 kittens and was would like to know if there is > any problems with adopting 2 female kittens that will be spayed. My > sister > has told me that it is better to get 2 males or a male and a female. Any > Opinions? EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque) - 01 Sep 2007 02:41 GMT > I am planning on adopting 2 kittens and was would like to know if there is > any problems with adopting 2 female kittens that will be spayed. My sister > has told me that it is better to get 2 males or a male and a female. Any > Opinions? When you adopt them at the same time, I don't think it makes much difference. I had read that when you want to add a second cat to a household, a kitten of the opposite sex from your resident cat is best, but you can't prove it by me.
When Patches decided to adopt us, after three years as a stray, my resident cat was another neutered male, and they seemed to get along okay.
After Miu left us, I got Melisande (a female kitten) who promptly fell in love with Patches - much to his chagrin. (You never saw such a disgusted expression on a cat's face, the first time he walked in the door after she arrived, to be "assaulted" by an affectionate bitty!) He never attacked, although he did his best to avoid her at first, but they became good friends.
After Patches succumbed to complications of skin cancer (a white cat who had lived outdoors in the California sun for several years), Melly and I were alone for about a year, but she was clearly lonesome. Then Cendrillon (another female) joined us when my neighbor across the hall moved away and abandoned her. The two of them get along beautifully, playing together, sometimes sharing my lap when I watch TV, and often engaging in mutual grooming.
I think it has more to do with the personalities of the individual cats you plan to adopt, than with their genders. (Although it would probably be easiest if they are littermates, and already know each other.)
jXwXeXrXmXoXnXt@sonic.net - 01 Sep 2007 02:51 GMT > > I am planning on adopting 2 kittens and was would like to know if there is > > any problems with adopting 2 female kittens that will be spayed. My sister > > has told me that it is better to get 2 males or a male and a female. Any > > Opinions?
> When you adopt them at the same time, I don't think it makes > much difference. I had read that when you want to add a > second cat to a household, a kitten of the opposite sex from > your resident cat is best, but you can't prove it by me.
> When Patches decided to adopt us, after three years as a > stray, my resident cat was another neutered male, and they > seemed to get along okay.
> After Miu left us, I got Melisande (a female kitten) who > promptly fell in love with Patches - much to his chagrin. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > attacked, although he did his best to avoid her at first, > but they became good friends. Aw, poor Melly, but that must have been funny.
> I think it has more to do with the personalities of the > individual cats you plan to adopt, than with their genders. > (Although it would probably be easiest if they are > littermates, and already know each other.) GMTA! This sounds exactly like my post. :)
Joyce
Bridget - 01 Sep 2007 16:20 GMT > I am planning on adopting 2 kittens and was would like to know if there is > any problems with adopting 2 female kittens that will be spayed. My sister > has told me that it is better to get 2 males or a male and a female. Any > Opinions? My first cat was a male. When I went to get another cat, I didn't consider sex I considered age. I didn't want my older male to be threatened by the newcomer, so I got a kitten. A couple of years later when I wanted a new cat yet again, I once again went for a younger cat - time it wasn't a bitty, but just a young 6 month old cat. Both of my older ones then were boys. The oldest one would have nothing to do with her (and only beat her up occasionally for fun) but my younger one who was still more interested in play thought this was great. My youngest one is a female.
To this day, my oldest cat (Tony) and youngest cat (Mattie) are not friends. They can sleep in the same bed or occupy the same lap (with great reluctance on Tony's part) but they rarely fight. Tony and the middle cat, Stripey Thing, are buddies to the end. They groom each other and sleep piled in a heap. Stripey Thing would sleep piled in a heap with Mattie if Mattie would let him, but Mattie isn't interested - just in playing together. I am the one she sleeps in a heap with.
They all have some strong personality traits that make it clear they will get theirs. Mattie more than the other two I think. But they are also laid back cats (luckily for me) I don't have turf wars. No one owns certain territory or anything. And the adjustment period was nil. But I got lucky. I don't know what I would have done with Tak's pair. He has the patience of a saint.
In any event, I went with the age is important, not sex and ended up okay. My crew are about as well balanced as three cats living in a small apartment can be. Hope that helps.
Bridget
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