Which sex of cat is better with kids?

Photo by Mad Mex

If you're thinking of adopting a domestic cat and have a family, you might be asking, ' Which sex of cat is better with kids?'

My research on this (from cat breeders comments and thoughts) is that there is no clearly well defined answer. The sex of the cat is relatively unimportant compared to what we do or have done.

For example, is the cat well socialized? This means that if the cat has been acquired from a cat breeder, has the breeder ensured that the cat is familiar with people, including children? The cat should be comfortable around adult people and children. Achieving this is in the hands of the breeder if the cat is deliberately bred (i.e. is probably a purebred cat).

Even if the cat is well socialized one has to ask, 'are the children well socialized'. I mean the human children. No matter how well socialized the cat is, if the children chase around the house screaming and misbehaving a cat will feel insecure.

Also, no matter how well the cat breeder has done, some individual cats will naturally be less predisposed to dealing well with children. My cat is a moggie. She is well behaved. She is though frightened of the sound of children screaming. This is just individual differences.

The type cat breed can make a difference but the other factors are probably bigger. Some cats are less active, for example. Are these more likely to get on with children. Yes and No. Persians and Ragdolls for example are calm. But they can be nervous under certain circumstances.

To me the answer to the question, 'which sex of cat is better with kids?', might be a further question, ' are we, as a family, able to provide a secure and cat friendly home to a cat?' If the answer is, 'yes', we need not worry to much about the sex of the cat.

Update: It seems that cat breeders lean a little towards boy cats being better with kids. Perhaps this is because they are slightly more outgoing and relaxed.

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