{"id":33666,"date":"2023-09-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-27T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hartzdevelop.wpengine.com\/?p=33666"},"modified":"2023-09-26T14:28:57","modified_gmt":"2023-09-26T14:28:57","slug":"should-i-get-a-male-or-female-cat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hartz.com\/en-ca\/should-i-get-a-male-or-female-cat\/","title":{"rendered":"Should I Get a Male or Female Cat?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_34479\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-34479\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-34479\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/male-or-female-cat-1.jpg\" alt=\"Male or female cat - Siberian cats on the sofa, silver female and brown tabby male.\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-34479\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Every cat's personality is unique and has little to do with their gender.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Anecdotally, everyone you speak to will have a different experience to share. You may have heard that male cats are more cuddly or affectionate than females. You may have also heard that male cats are more likely to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hartz.com\/en-ca\/how-to-deal-with-spraying-in-cats\/\">spray<\/a> and become destructive in the home! It\u2019s hard to know what is true of individual cats versus the entire gender.<\/p>\n<h3>Does Spaying and Neutering Matter?<\/h3>\n<p>There are definitely large differences observed between <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hartz.com\/en-ca\/how-to-tell-if-your-pet-cat-has-been-spayed-or-neutered\/\">in-tact (unfixed) male and female cats<\/a>. Do male or female cats spray? Unneutered male cats generally do urine mark, and it can be difficult to control indoors as it is an instinctual and natural behavior. Unspayed female cats go into heat on a regular basis and may also spray urine at this time.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019ll also be extremely vocal and extra affectionate \u2013 but make no mistake, this behavior is less than endearing. You\u2019ll definitely want to get your cat altered, whether they are male or female!<\/p>\n<h3>What if I Already Have a Cat at Home?<\/h3>\n<p>In the wild, without the influence of people, cats tend to naturally live in groups of related females and their offspring. When the male kittens are old enough, they will leave the colony and live largely solitary lives, roaming across large areas.<\/p>\n<p>These natural behaviors encourage some people to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hartz.com\/en-ca\/bonded-pairs-might-want-adopt-two-cats-instead-one\/\">adopt multiple female cats<\/a>. However, there isn\u2019t much evidence that shows that a cat\u2019s gender has a significant influence over if it will get along with other cats if all cats are spayed or neutered.<\/p>\n<h3>Are There Health Differences Between Male and Female Cats?<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re looking to adopt, chances are, you want to pick a feline friend that will be with you for a long time to come. So, are male or female cats generally healthier?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although any cat can develop significant health concerns, caretakers of male cats should be aware that males are typically more prone to developing life-threatening <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hartz.com\/en-ca\/urinary-tract-health-cats\/#:~:text=Cats%20that%20visit%20the%20litter%20box%20frequently%2C%20but%20produce%20little%20or%20no%20urine%2C%20may%20have%20a%20serious%20urinary%20tract%20infection%20and%20need%20veterinary%20care%20to%20avoid%20further%20complications.\">urinary blockages<\/a>. This is because a male cat\u2019s urethra is much narrower than a female cat\u2019s, meaning that it can block up much more quickly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not all male cats will develop blockages. You can help prevent them by closely monitoring your male cat\u2019s litter box habits and making sure he stays well-hydrated.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_34479\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-34479\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-34479\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/male-or-female-cat-2.jpg\" alt=\"Male or female cat - Happy senior woman cuddling and kiss, snuggle up to face small cute gray kitten, which held in arms by his grandson.\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-34479\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">You can narrow down your choice of cat by traits, asking if you want a snuggly or playful cat.<\/p><\/div>\n<h3>Are the Stereotypes About Male and Female Cats True?<\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019ve asked around to friends and family, you\u2019ll probably hear at least one person say that male cats are more affectionate than females, and that female cats tend to be more standoffish than males. But is it really true? The answer is no. Every cat has a unique personality, and whether or not you have a snugglebug or a Mr. or Ms. Independent is up to the individual cat and has little to do with their gender.<\/p>\n<p>Cat personalities aren\u2019t a popular topic in research, but what we can be sure of is that a well-socialized, well-cared for kitty is very fond of his or her human family.<\/p>\n<p>And are male or female cats better mousers? You may have heard that female cats make better mousers, but the truth is, all cats are capable hunters! It\u2019s what they\u2019re born to do.<\/p>\n<h3>Should I Choose a Male or Female Cat?<\/h3>\n<p>We can safely come to the conclusion that gender just doesn\u2019t matter much when it comes to choosing a new cat. However, personality does!<\/p>\n<p>Before getting a new cat, narrow down a few personality traits that you\u2019re looking for. Do you want a snuggly cat? A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hartz.com\/en-ca\/whats-cats-play-style\/\">playful cat<\/a>? A cat who won\u2019t mind being alone while you\u2019re at work?<\/p>\n<p>If you focus on the individual personality of each cat, rather than making a blanket statement that you want a male cat, or an orange cat, or a cat younger than 5 years old, you are guaranteed to find a great fit for your household!<\/p>\n    <!-- Two columns block -->\n    <div class=\"two-columns\">\n\t\t    <!-- Left column block -->\n    <div class=\"left-column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"shortcode product-item\">\n\t\t<div class=\"picture\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"content\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"cta\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"\">View Product<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\t    <!-- Right column block -->\n    <div class=\"right-column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"shortcode product-item\">\n\t\t<div class=\"picture\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"content\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"cta\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"\">View Product<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\t    <\/div>\n\t\n<script language='javascript' type='text\/javascript'>function getWR360PopupSkin(){return 'light_clean';}<\/script>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Anecdotally, everyone you speak to will have a different experience to share. You may have heard that male cats are more cuddly or affectionate than females. You may have also heard that male cats are more likely to spray and become destructive in the home! It\u2019s hard to know what is true of individual cats [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":33660,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[506,524],"tags":[6152,5557,5794,6150,5358,5834,6151],"class_list":["post-33666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cats","category-getting-started-cats","tag-adopt-en-ca","tag-article-en-ca","tag-cat-en-ca","tag-cat-adoption-en-ca-2","tag-cats-en-ca","tag-getting-started-en-ca","tag-new-cat-en-ca"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.8 (Yoast SEO v26.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Should I Get a Male or Female Cat? | Hartz<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Are the stereotypes about male and female cats true? Does spaying and neutering matter? 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