Female domestic cats live longer than male domestic cats (big 2019 UK study)

Female domestic cats live longer than male domestic cats

Along the lines of humans, female domestic cats live longer than male domestic cats according to a very comprehensive UK study from an available population of 1.25 million cats under veterinary care across six veterinary groups during 2019-2021 (published May 7, 2024). The study is about lifespan (which I have discussed in another article) …

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Can cats be asexual?

Intact male tortoiseshell is asexual

I’m referring to domestic cats. The word “asexual” means to lack the desire to have sex. Both intact male and female domestic cats naturally desire to procreate and therefore have sex. It would be a rare cat indeed who was genuinely asexual because it’s in the DNA of intact domestic cats to procreate in …

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Unneutered male cats have a more masculine facial appearance compared to neutered male cats

Tomcat jowls created by the presence of testosterone

This is a discussion about whether the neutering of male cats (castration) changes their facial appearance. It can also have an impact on their overall appearance indirectly i.e. lower metabolism leading to putting on weight. But I’m focusing on the face. My argument is that it feminises the male cat face by making it …

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Female domestic cats respond particularly quickly to urgent kitten calls

Female cats responded about 10 per cent faster to kitten calls that conveyed high arousal – greater urgency – than to kitten calls that conveyed low arousal

A study found that female domestic cats responded about 10% faster to kitten calls which conveyed to them a high level of urgency compared to kitten calls which were assessed as non-urgent. Females evaluate kitten’s emotional state The conclusion of the researchers was that female cats are able to evaluate the emotional state of …

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Which cat is easiest to take care of?

My cat Gabriel

In selecting a cat to adopt your main or sole criteria might be easy maintenance! 😎 A fair point. The question is ‘which cat?’ I guess this means either an individual cat or a type of cat or a breed of cat. The answer is clear to me. The cat which is easiest to …

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Friendliness in cats is inherited

When dad saw his kitten for the first time

There are two important issues concerning domestic cat character: friendliness and socialisation. They do overlap but they are distinct. Whereas socialisation ‘acclimatises’ the kitten to the presence of humans and dampens down a cat’s fear of humans, friendliness can be inherited, and it is a personality trait which makes the kitten/adult bolder and more …

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Is it true that male domestic cats kill kittens?

Do male cats kill kittens?

To answer the question, you have to break it down into categories which I’ve done. There’s a difference between the behaviour of the wildcat ancestor which is the same species as the domestic cat and from which we can learn about domestic cat behaviour, unsterilised male cats, sterilised male cats and kittens parented by …

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Why are tortoiseshell cats nearly always female?

Dilute tortoiseshell Maine Coon photo by Robert Sijka

As you might well imagine, the reason why tortoiseshell cats are nearly always female is to do with the genetics and how the genes that dictate the coat colour and pattern are linked to the sex of the cat. Female mammals have 2 X chromosomes while males have one X and one Y chromosome. …

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