Are Male Cats More Affectionate Than Female Cats?

When getting a cat, there are many factors you will need to consider. There are lots of people who wish to have affectionate cats to cuddle up with after a long day. This leads to rumors about whether certain cats are more affectionate than others or not.

Namely, people say that there is a difference in the amount of affection male cats show versus female cats. Is this true?

If you have a regular house cat, you won’t notice much of a difference between the sexes. There are some factors that may play a role, such as whether your cat is spayed or not and what breed your cat is. But there is no guarantee that you’ll get an affectionate cat and it mostly depends on the individual.

Some people say that male cats are more affectionate, but this all comes down to the individual cat and the environment they live in.

In this article, we will talk about affection in male and female cats and some factors that may have an impact on how affectionate your cat is.

Affection: Male Cats vs. Female Cats

There seems to be mixed reviews on whether male cats are more affectionate than female cats. There are still many cat owners who maintain that their male cats are more affectionate than their female cats.

There are even some people who refuse to get a female cat because they believe that the cat won’t be as kind.

Guess what: there’s no real difference. Cats are unique in that each one has their own personality. You likely won’t own two cats that are the same.

There are a lot of things to account for when it comes down to the way that your cat is going to behave, but sex is probably the last on that list. However, there are some factors that might play a role in how affectionate your cat will be.

Breed

Your cat’s breed can also play a role in the type of personality it can adopt. The breed might also determine whether the male cats are more affectionate than female cats and vice versa.

It’s difficult to tell what kind of breed many cats are, but some have been proven to be a lot more affectionate than others. Even still, it’s important to mention that you’re going to find cuddly and aggressive cats in every breed.

Some of the most affectionate breeds of cats: Ragdolls, Scottish Folds, Birman, Tonkinese, Siamese, Abyssinian, and Burmese.

Examples where there are differences between males and females:

• Male Maine Coon cats generally tend to be more affectionate than female Maine Coon cats. The male cats enjoy making sure they are at the center of their owner’s attention, whereas the females are more laid-back.
• People agree that male British Shorthair cats are a bit more open with their owners than females.
• People also tend to agree that male Siamese cats are more cuddly and will be more affectionate than female Siamese cats.

With that being said, however, even breed will not always determine how affectionate your cat will be. And breed won’t always determine whether a male cat will be more affectionate than a female cat.

Some cats are just naturally kinder and more outgoing than others and there is no guarantee that the small kitten you adopted will want to spend its days lying in your lap.

But there are some other factors that you can control, which could end up making your cat feel more affectionate towards you.

Pierre’s Maine Coon Maze, has a way friendlier character than his regular house cat, Gigi. Both are female.

Environment

A cat’s environment will have a lot to do with what kind of personality it will end up with. Did your cat come from an abusive home? Was it left on the street? If so, then you can expect your cat to be a bit more aggressive at first, whether it’s a male or a female.

If you provide your cat with a home that it enjoys exploring and playing in, then your cat is bound to have a much more relaxed personality.

Socialization

How much your cat socializes is also important. If you’re someone who keeps your cat outside mostly, it might grow a bit aggressive towards you.

But if you keep your cat indoors most of the time and make time out of your day to play or simply cuddle, then your cat is bound to have a more pleasant attitude towards you.

And finally, it may just depend on your cat’s personality. Some cats are simply more ornery than others.

Many people seem to think that cats are these cold animals that don’t need any sort of human interaction, but that certainly isn’t true. All you need to do is surf the web for stories of extreme affection shown by cats and their ways of showing empathy for their owners.

A cat may show affection in different ways than a dog, but that doesn’t at all mean that it hates you and doesn’t want to be around you.

Cats are also independent and you may not know what your cat is up to most of the time, but make sure you take time out of your day to feed your furry companion, to play with it, and to let it sit on your lap for some petting and cuddling.

Spayed and Unspayed Cats

Another factor that could determine how outgoing your cat will be and whether a male cat will be more affectionate than a female is whether or not it has been spayed.

Male cats:

Most people agree that non-spayed male cats are a bit more affectionate than female cats. They’re much more likely to come up to you wanting to be pet or cuddled. Some people even refuse to get female cats because they feel that male cats are much friendlier.

However, when they go into heat (mating season), it might be very likely that your male cat will grow aggressive and territorial.

Female cats:

The main reason why many people feel as though non-spayed female cats are not as affectionate is that they’re usually mothers. A female cat is going to give all her love, attention, and affection to her kittens and not so much to her human companion.

However, this does not necessarily mean that a female cat will be aggressive. In fact, they tend to become a lot more loving and affectionate when they are in heat.

Conclusion

To conclude, there are no significant differences in the level of affection that male cats show versus the level that female cats show.

There may be some factors that can affect how affectionate a cat may be, such as their breed, environment, and whether or not they are spayed, but even those things don’t guarantee that your cat will be kinder towards you.

The level of affection your cat will give you will mostly depend on the personality of the cat itself and not on its gender.

Related Questions

Can male and female cats live together?

Yes. Gender is not the most important factor when it comes to choosing another companion for your cat. Male and female cats are able to live with one another in harmony, but it also will depend on your individual cat’s personality and behavior.

Why are cats so mean?

The most common stereotype about cats is that they are evil and mean. While they’re certainly more independent than dogs, that is absolutely not the case. There are plenty of affectionate, sweet, and cuddly cats out there. It all depends on their individual personalities.