Male or female pet?

News flash (except it’s old news): male and female human beings are different—and not just physically. After years of the unisex concept dominating discussions about men and women, we’ve come back to the commonsense observation that in temperament, attitudes toward relationships and so on, males and females differ. It’s true of cats as well, and in some ways their differences align with human differences.

Talking about neutered males and spayed females, generally females are more affectionate, more placid and more inclined to stay home. There are plenty of individual exceptions, of course, and all cats retain some of their predator instincts. But, as a general rule of thumb, a female might be expected to be a little more loving and more docile.

On the other hand, however, many owners think that toms—neutered or not—demonstrate affection more than females. (Put another way, there are plenty of happy owners of male cats and female cats.) Generally, you can’t go wrong with a neutered male or spayed female, but the more you know about the potential pet’s parents and their temperaments, the better off you are.