Male or female?

In regards to my personal experience, I have not observed any specific differences in behavior according to gender. After my cat died, and that my male Birman cat Nina dangerously adventured to the street, I opted for a female kitty. Maybe Matilda is not the most affectionate among its predecessors, but it is still daring and self-assuring within its sociable character.

First consideration: A female cat reaches reproductive age between the sixth and the eleventh month of life. If it goes outside, she will have many candidates. On the contrary, at home -where she will not usually have a chance to find a male cat- she will have an extensive heat period. A male cat reaches reproductive age at the age of nine months and will limit its territory spreading his urine everywhere. Home smells terribly.

My advice: if you castrate the cat, you will avoid all this trouble from the beginning.

Determining gender: in a male cat distance between the anus and its sexual opening is bigger than in female cats. This orifice is round in males and elongated in females.

Only one or a couple? It all depends on how much dedication will you provide to your cat. In any case, two get less bored than a single one. That does not mean they will represent more work for you than one, even in a flat. If they get along, both keep themselves mutually active, they play, or rest or wrestle between them. And because of this they do not leave aside their people. Matilda gets up each morning and goes to greet me to wake me up. And Nina is always ready to give me a kiss when I put my cheek close to it.

There are many possibilities:

• Two brothers from a same brood
• One cat older than the other
• Two adult cats; in this case, one needs a great deal of sensibility to make them coexist and give them a lot of space so that each one can demarcate its territory.