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Add to FavoritesOver the past six or seven years I've had many experiences with different types of cats, both male and female. I've noted that affectionate cats possess certain behavior patterns that can clue you in as to what degree of love your cat has to offer. These behaviors can also be extremely annoying, but since cats tend to be so darn cute we'll forgive them. On the average, I'd have to say male cats are more loving than females. Every one of my male cats have displayed the behavioral characteristics I'm going to describe below.
1. THE RUB
Imagine this. You're walking down the hallway, carrying spillable or breakable items, and your tabby orange tom comes from out of nowhere and begins rubbing against your legs. You try making a sound to scare the little furball off but he is persistent, meowing and weaving between your (now unsteady) legs. The attempt to deftly maneuver past the little guy is unsuccessful and you fall, probably yelling out something like "OH SH!@!" Of course, you cannot blame the tabby for this behavior since all he was doing was marking you as his property so that other cats would know that you are HIS HUMAN and that they should keep their paws off. He's displaying his devotion to you in one of the only ways he knows how, although it has the drawback of possibly leaving you with a few cuts, scrapes, or broken bones.
2. THE PURR
Who can deny that a purr signifies a happy and content cat? And if we postulate that the louder a cat purrs indicates how happy it is, then some of my male cats are the very embodiment of bliss. When he is in my lap, my cat Teddy purrs so loud it sounds like he has a diesel engine lodged in his throat. I have one female cat that hardly ever purrs, and she is cranky as a cigarette in a NO SMOKING zone.
3. THE COMPUTER POUNCE
In their daily struggles to get our attention, nothing irritates a cat more than the evil machine we humans spend so much of our time staring at. So several of our furry friends have devised cunning strategies to divert our attention away from the glowing monitor of doom. One of my cats will pounce on the keyboard once every five minutes until I give him the attention he craves. When he is in a more laid back mood he will perch on top of the computer tower and take swipes at my hair. Or if he sees the little cursor moving around on the screen he may take a shot at that, though it will forever elude his grasp. This behavior, though annoying at times, usually gets him the attention he wants and deserves.
While male cats tend to be affectionate towards people, experience has taught me that they may not be so affectionate towards other cats. So if you want to avoid fights and potential emergency trips to the vet I recommend getting your males neutered. This does nothing to hurt their ego. In fact, males seem more comfortable and calm after neutering. Then they can give you all the love and cuddles you want, and then some.
Learn more about this author, Anitra Marie.
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Female
Male vs. Female: What truly is the pick of the litter?
To say a female cat is friendlier than a male cat or vice versa is like saying women are friendlier than men or vice versa. People and all other animals, are products of their environment and learn to behave accordingly. Abused children usually turn out damaged in one form or the other, as do any abused animals. We are all products of our upbringing and training. The problem lies mostly in how people train their cats, and whether this training is conducive to good behavior. It is not a gender issue.
Cats, like children, require a lot of attention at early stages in order to bond properly. Child psychologist proved long ago that a child given a great deal of love by holding and playing with them while they are babies usually turn out to be well-adjusted adults. The same holds true for cats, whether they are male or female.
Love, attention, proper handling, and understanding are the keys to having a successful relationship with your kitten. If a cat is held and picked up a lot while it is a baby, under six weeks old, and this treatment is continued through the various stages of adolescence, the cat will more than likely turn out very loving.
It is important then to choose a kitten from the litter that is gentle and well loved. If the person that raised the kittens from birth held and loved on the babies, then they will be friendly even at a very young age. After that first initial step, proper handling and training becomes the key to good behavior.
Many people love kittens because of their prowess and playful behavior, but a kitten's playful behavior, like a child's behavior, needs guidelines. One of the biggest mistakes cat owners make is playing with a kitten with bare hands or with feet.
This all seems fun at first until the kitten begins attacking at will. Anyone that lived in a household with a kitten raised like this will tell you that you never know what to expect next. In order to avoid walking down the hall in the middle of the night and being attacked, it is necessary to let the kitten know human hands and feet are not toys.
This may seem hard, but it is actually a very simple lesson to teach a kitten. First, never use your hands or feet to play. Always use a cat toy of some kind. If the kitten attacks your hands or feet, immediately correct it by giving it a toy. Because kittens are like children, toys are a necessary part of developing motor skills, but if you do not designate a toy, a kitten or a child will improvise.
Cats are extremely intelligent animals, and it is important to keep this in mind too. Simple commands like "No", "Easy", etc. are easily absorbed by a young kitten's mind regardless of sex. Talking to a kitten will produce amazing results.
Some find training a male kitten to go into a kitty litter box more difficult than with a female cat. This is because urinary tract problems often occur in male cats after they are neutered, not because males are harder to train or less loving. If your male kitten begins going outside of the litter box after undergoing this necessary surgery, you simple have to change the food they are eating.
Most cat foods have an ingredient called ash. This additive in most cat foods will block the urinary tract system in a neutered male kitten, and the kitten's only way to tell you of this is to begin having behavior problems when urinating. This problem is found in female cats too, but it is rarer.
Male cats and female cats are equally loving and friendly animals, but like children, they need love and nurturing to become good adults. Gently kittens make for gentle cats. Remember this when choosing your next kitten, and makes sure they were handled a lot before taking one home. If they are skittish at six weeks old, they could be still skittish as adult cats, whether male or female.
Learn more about this author, CJ Grant.
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