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| Male | 64% | 737 votes | Total: 1156 votes | |
| Female | 36% | 419 votes |
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Add to FavoritesI have had both male and female cats my whole life, being an avid cat person. In my experience, male cats have always seemed somewhat friendlier than the females.
The cat I had the longest, named George, lived to almost 20, and he was not only friendly but dignified. When George was around, it was like having another person with me. He had a loving nature and was always friendly toward not only other people but all other animals, as well.
Another male cat that I had for a long time, until he died of chronic renal failure about four years ago was Spohnky. He was truly the friendliest male cat I ever knew, which was amazing considering the uneven start we had. You see, Spohnky was an outside cat from somewhere in our hoursing development. There were rumors that he was owned by a family with a little boy who was cruel to him, so they let him go. (I always thought they should have let the boy go instead.) Did I mention the fact that Spohnky had a tail that was broken in two places and ears that were both tattered? We never did find out how any of that happened, but I certainly have my suspicions.
To make a long story short, my sister and I first met Spohnky on our evening walks. He would jump out at us from behind a house or a wall and follow us down the street. He was a black cat, probably less than two at the time, and very playful and mischievous. We couldn't resist him. Night after night, he would appear as we walked down the street on our usual route. My sister started carrying him on our walks, which became a chore as he became heavier from us feeding him.
Finally, it was getting toward autumn and the weather was growing cooler. Since this poor cat was out on the street, we decided we should adopt him. Never mind that we had eight other cats at the time. He liked the idea because it meant a constant supply of food and a warm bed and eagerly came into our home. Unfortunately, he was more feral at the time than loving housecat. When I tried to hold him, he would leave deep scratches down my arms and jump away from me. He would also bite often and hard.
It took me months to socialize him, but when it happened it was quite a reversal. He became the most loving cat I ever had! He would sleep with me under the blankets each night. He loved being petted and kissed and would either sit on my lap while I was working or reading or rub against me to show me he was there and needed attention. I confess I made him into a mama's boy, and I am not sorry. I have wonderful memories of our time together and only regret that he is not with me now.
My last female cat, Sydney was with me for about 11 years. She was a Lynxpoint Siamese, and that might have been part of the problem. Not that there was really a problem; she just wasn't as friendly or affectionate as Spohnky. She and Spohnky lived with me (without other cats) for several years, and although they got along, she would ignore him many times when he was looking for a playmate. He would reluctantly go off on his own.
Like Spohnky, she was diagnosed with chronic renal failure, which I guess is an odd coincidence because they were not related. She was adopted from the Humane Society.
Sydney passed on in February of this year. I spent a good amount of time caring for her because of her condition. She never exhibited bad behavior, didn't ruin things or mess things up about the house when I was gone, and never even put up a fuss when I had to use a long needle to give her fluids each day. As her time drew near, she did seem more affectionate, even grateful in her own way for the care I gave her. The last week or so of her life, a big treat for her was to lie in a cat bed in front of the warm fireplace and snooze. I miss her very much, too.
Yet, from my experience, overall I would have to say the male cats I've known seemed more friendly than females, although I am sure there are exceptions, as there are with everything.
Learn more about this author, Linda Joyce.
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Female
After having cats for pets for almost 50 years, I have found that the female is usually not as aggressive as the male. Most females would calm down at a younger age than the males. Male cats tend to get testy especially if there is a mating female near by. Try interrupting a male when he is about to mate and a female and see which one is friendlier. I can tell you, there are times that a male cat change their whole attitude when they are mating. Your usually docile kitty turns into a tiger.
Females are more calm about mating. They tend to flirt a long time before they even consider wanting the male to mate. The male wants her and wants her right then. He does not appreciate you interrupting him. Females will even usually come when they hear you calling them a lot quicker than the male. I have had male cats that actually pout with me if I interrupt him. The females were just happy for me to give them a scratch behind the ears.
Most of my female cats, especially my calico cats are so gentle and very good with kids. They will let a kid get away with just about anything without bringing out the claws. The male on the other hand lashes out when disturbed. Females are easier to please except for maybe when it comes to food. They do seem a little pickier than the male cats.
Females tend to get attached more than males. My male cats were more apt to find a new owner if they were outside cats than my females. Females are more faithful to their owners. They will come back home even when someone else feeds them, but my male cats usually stuck with whoever gave them the most food or maybe even a brand they liked better. I fed a lot of my cats dry food only and when the neighbor would give them can food or tuna, I would not see my male cat for days, but my females would return back home as soon as the neighbor opened her door.
My female cats would be even more attached to whoever helped her deliver babies. I delivered many kittens because the mother was too young to know what to do or she just lacked the instincts it took to deliver her kittens. The female cats I helped always became very devoted to me even if she belonged to one of my kids. She would start coming to me to snuggle with and for feeding time. I had one female that I helped deliver her first litter, so when she went into labor with a second litter, she started looking for me. I was work and the kids called me and said "Mom, this cat is calling your name." They would hold the phone and let me listen and I would swear she was calling my name. All I had to do was talk to her and she stopped crying and screaming. The kids put the phone to her ear and I had to talk her through the whole delivery. When they would take the phone away, she would grab it. How funny is that.
My sweetest of all females was Daffy. She was so gentle and even tried to save my life once when my place caught fire. She woke me up and tried pulling on me to get my attention. She then ushered all of her kittens out the door after my dog opened it for her. That was another thing. My female cats got along better with my other pets than my males. Most of my females would lie down with my dog, but the males would not get near the dog.
All in all there are sweet females and males, but males just seem to be more selfish than the females. I think it is because of their motherly instincts. I guess you could say that they are a lot like humans in that way.
Learn more about this author, Marilyn Wilke Ramone.
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