Do you have friends or family who keep multiple cats? Some people have a whole bunch of cats that never fight, while others only have two cats but find they constantly want to challenge each other. What's really the issue? Does it have anything to do with the cats' genders? And if you want to raise two cats, which gender combination is best?
What Does Research Say?
A behavioral study conducted in 1999 found that conflicts in multi-cat households are unrelated to the cats' genders. In fact, the longer cats live together, the less they tend to fight. However, female cats rarely engage in allorubbing — the friendly behavior where cats rub against each other to show affection.
The Surprising Best Gender Combination
Interestingly, the gender pairing most likely to show affection openly is male-male! Two male cats living together often display the highest chance of "showing off" their close bond. For example, my own cats, Buddy and Chewbacca, have frequently and unexpectedly shown affection to each other since they were kittens. Many cat parents also share photos of their affectionate male-male cats with me.
If you pay close attention to Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) cats you see around, you might notice that cats sleeping together or grooming each other are often male pairs.
Challenges with Male Cats
That said, male cats aren't naturally guaranteed to be best friends. They tend to initiate fights more often than females, especially if they are not neutered — which can make them quite aggressive. But in a multi-cat household, if you introduce new cats gradually and provide plenty of food and environmental resources, you can accommodate more cats peacefully. This creates a calm atmosphere where even male-male pairs can comfortably show affection.
Recommendations for Expanding Your Multi-Cat Family
So, if you're thinking about adding cats to your home and want to carefully select their genders, consider a male-male pair. With proper introduction and care, this combination can lead to a loving, harmonious multi-cat household.
The longer cats live together, the less they tend to fight. Male-male pairs often show the most affection.
Happy cat parenting!
