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Let's hear your thoughts on this one.
For those of you who live with more than one cat, what would you recommend to a person who has one cat and wants to get another? Should the new kitty be male or female, or does it make any difference?
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PHCurious
Cat Chat Host
Good question, have to give that some thought....
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Let's hear your thoughts on this one.
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>>For those of you who live with more than one cat, what would you recommend to a person who has one cat and wants to get another? Should the new kitty be male or female, or does it make any difference?
That's a tough one, Curious. Since I have 1 male and 3 females, I would have to say that it really depends on the cat(s).
Simba is by far my most affectionate cat and everybody loves Simba. However is that because he's a neutered male or was he just born with a sweet disposition? In this family, he is the cat with the most issues. Male cats have a tendency to want to be the top cat and will constantly strive to achieve that position by stalking the other cats and humping inanimate objects. Also male cats are more prone to UTIs and blockages. Simba displays all of these male cat tendencies.
Samantha is smaller than Simba but is clearly the top cat around here and has never backed down from Simba. She is very independent and is clearly a Mama's Girl. However when I'm at work, she'll go upstairs and knead on both Pam and David. I suspect that she doesn't like being mauled by Paula the Maula and keeps her distance from her - thus "The Mean One".
Katrina keeps her distance from everybody unless she wants loving, but the loving has to be on her terms, no holding her. She is Simba's best friend. My grandkids always say that Simba and Katrina are IN LOVE because they are always together and often cuddled up to one another. She has no issues.
KatyKatt is too shy and always has been. She spends most of her time eating, sleeping or laying on my feet. She follows me everywhere I go and it doesn't seem like she really likes the other cats too much, especially Simba.
So I guess that I would say that in my family, there is no difference between the sexes, just a difference in the cat's personalities which is mostly a genetic predisposition.
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Ruby and the Kitties
Our household is owned by five neutered males (plus one male mini rex rabbit).
My parents have four males and two females. For some reason the two females do not get along.
In my case I would probably get another male as I think they might compete for a female's attention?! I have seen all sorts of combinations that work well....I have to agree with Ruby it depends on their personality.
Kristen
I think males (neutered while still young) are a little bit better pets...
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Captain Video begs to dffer about the early neutering phrase. He says that he was neutered late in life and is still the purrrfect pet.
I guess so much would depend on the personality of the cats already in residence and the one being considered for adoption. I'd probably go for a female, although I think CV might enjoy a young tom.
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Well, as a general rule of thumb, I really prefer the temperment in males. They are just more layed back and mellow than those girly kits. However, my little Banzai is the exception to this. For unknown reasons, she is not a typical girl cat. Most of the ladies I have shared my home with, were stuffy, did things on their terms only, and really just weren't as friendly as the boys. Banzai however, is just as friendly as the boys, and just as "goofy". She isn't moody, and has never paw-slapped a soul that I know of, where the other girls do, if someone does something they don't like, a hiss and a swift paw is given almost 100% of the time. Mia doesn't do that either tho, but she is much closer to the kitties than to people...she has gotten biffed by Smudge a few times, and she just gives her a dumb look, wondering what she did to deserve it...
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Just as all humans have different personalities, so do cats. Some humans can cohabitate exceedingly well and some just can't live together no matter what they do. This also holds true for the cats. Much depends on the cats themselves, their backround, as well as the living conditions and how the home is set up. I have 8 cats with 8 very different personalities, 5 females and 3 males. One male is my velcro kitty. Where I am, he is. He's the most affectionate and mellow boy you can imagine. He thinks my lap was made especially for him. One female is just like that too. The other males and females are affectionate in their own right, but prefer to be the one to make the first move and aren't particularly fond of laps, altho they do want to lay up against you. It's a peaceful co-existance with the occasional spat. So I can't honestly say that one sex is better than the other to introduce into your household. But I can say from experience that with proper introductions, almost all cats will become friends and that they usually figure out a way to live in harmony. As for one sex being friendlier or more affectionate than the other, it all depends on the cat itself. You just have to love their uniqueness. 
Purrs,
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Wow. You all have some really interesting thoughts on this!
I fall in the camp of people who tend to think that male cats are slightly more affectionate than female cats. However, it's such a huge generality that it's worthless. Plenty of male cats are just hissy, and plenty of female cats are cuddly, lap cats.
Also, it appears to me that female cats are more likely than male cats to want to be "top cat" or the boss. I am probably biased because I have spent so much time in "Calico Tude" chat where stories of female cat dominance are applauded. Adding a cat who may want to be "top cat" to your home could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your resident cat and family dynamics.
I don't think anyone can say for certain that male or female cats make better "second cats," regardless of the sex of the current, resident cat. Nevertheless, this is a question almost always asked by single-cat owners looking to add another cat to their family. So it's very interesting hearing all the different stories and opinions. I'd love to hear more!
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PHCurious
Cat Chat Host
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