Cat Guide: Difference Between Male & Female Cats

 

We have always loved cats even before they became viral on the Internet, and so many of us open up our homes for them. People mostly visit the shelter to adopt a cat or two, but most of them struggle with distinguishing the difference between male & female cats. Luckily though, there are a lot of factors that can help you assign the correct gender to them.

Psychological Traits

Every feline has its own personality, but of course, there are universally shared characteristics. For instance, unneutered males tend to be aggressive, while unneutered females tend to be more approachable. Spayed male cats; on the other hand, are very friendly and loving to their human. They don’t feel the urge to be territorial; unlike the opposite gender.

Females don’t like to share and make sure that other pets keep their distance. They are also much calmer than males, but not as friendly. They tend to be more reserved and will only approach on their terms, which makes them not fond of cuddling time. Males; however, are much more cuddly and sociable. Females love playtime, but they don’t engage in play wrestling as much the opposite gender does.

Physical Traits

There are several ways to identify a cat’s gender other than looking at their private parts. You might find this odd, but, “do male cats have nipples” is a question that a lot of people have in mind. Male kitties are often identified as female kitties by many of us; there is a misconception that they don’t have nipples as queens do. Both genders have 2 rows of 4 nipples, but only the mother gets to use them.

Generally, males usually have bigger features. Unlike unspayed female cats; often referred to as queens, males usually have more circular cheeks. This trait is found in unneutered felines and in ones that got neutered a little later than usual. Pregnant felines have big features as well; their nipples tend to look swollen during pregnancy.

Behavioral Traits

A cat’s breed tends to dictate its behavioral traits, but there are some qualities that are just more common than others. For instance, some cat breeds are not usually vocal, unless they are pregnant. All queens, no matter which breed they are, are very loud before and during pregnancy. But, that is not the case with males.

Before mating, tomcats (unspayed males) leave numerous markings, which is a lot to deal with. They sometimes go as far as fighting with potential male rivals. They are also very hyper and find no interest in staying indoors, which increases the chances of them escaping and getting lost. Queens don’t share the same behavior, but they do sometimes mark their territory by spraying it.

All in all, people usually believe that all cats are alike and that there are no differences between them. However, that is a false common belief. There are a lot of factors that distinguish female from male cats. Their differences show in their psychological, physical, and behavioral traits. And, on top of that, there are even more distinctions between spayed and unspayed felines.