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Do female cats wander less than male ones?

10 replies

hiddenhome · 18/07/2011 21:28

My female rescue cat never goes anywhere other than the garden.

I've had two male cats who would wander all over during the night and both were killed on the road Sad They were both neutered.

Do neutered females tend to just hang around the immediate vicinity?

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noarguments · 18/07/2011 22:38

I have had 3 boy cats and 3 girl cats (over the course of 18 years or so). All 3 boys got killed on the road. None of the girls have. Have just got a new 1 year old from a rescue centre, and picked a girl for that very reason.
Here's hoping my/your theory is correct!

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FrozenChocolate · 18/07/2011 23:02

How weird, that theory matches two of my three cats (one Tom died of old age).

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MabliD · 19/07/2011 19:01

Have had four girls and one boy over the past fifteen years or so, so admittedly am a bit short on boy evidence.

Pumpkin (girl) - Liked to go swimming in the lake over the road from our house. Would also roll about on the tarmac (v scary) and would wait for me to come home from school/work at a point about 500yards from our house then follow me home. Died of kidney cancer.

Spooky (girl) - Never moved more than three feet from back door - except from the time she somehow got on next doors roof. Died of heart failure (not on the roof you understand, many years later!).

Eira (girl) - Rarely went further than three gardens away in either direction due to massive stray tom's territory bordering those gardens. Killed by a car when she followed the neighbours' cats over the road - probably to go hunting.

Mabli (girl) - Born feral, rescued, now knows exactly which side her bread is buttered and will not leave house even if you leave the door wide open. She just looks at it. Currently sleeping on our bed.

Merlyn (boy) - Will throw himself out of the door, run like buggery into the back garden, roll enthusiatically on a patch of grass under the washing line, then freak out and run back in again. Currently on my lap.

I think it's often personality more than gender that defines how far they'll go. Pumpkin and Eira (my only real 'wanderers') were both 'hunters'. They were also less 'lovey' than the other three, not really lap cats. All of mine were/are neutered/spayed.

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mymumdom · 19/07/2011 19:11

Have had both boys and girls and have had some wanderers and some stay at homers of both sexes. Have also had both boys and girls killed on the road :(
I'd go with personality over sex. If the mum is a hunter then the kittens are likely to be, if that helps?

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lubeybooby · 19/07/2011 19:18

My three are all spayed girl cats and never go far, just the garden really or a quick nip over to the neighbours and they pop back in regularly all day. They don't go out the front where theres a reasonably busy road.

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mollymole · 19/07/2011 20:46

my speyed boy likes to mooch around all day and sleep all night but does go too far away, previous boy (also speyed) was real hunter'roamer and disappeared never to be seen again
my girls have always been home loving cats - just wandering around the garden and lane

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hiddenhome · 19/07/2011 21:29

Thank you for all that info about your cats.

I'm really sad to hear of so many being killed on the roads Sad

I might try with a female. My son's friend has a cat who's had kittens and I might ask about mum's personality and habits.

If I got another cat I think I would have to try and keep her in overnight. Our area is quiet, but there is a dual carriageway a few hundred yards away. No cat would ever venture there during the day when it's busy, it's just so noisy. Both my cats were killed on their way home at the start of the morning rush hour Sad

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purpleflower123 · 23/07/2011 02:25

My spayed female was killed on the road last night, my boy wouldn't dream of going there, he'd much rather be at home.

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mxl · 23/07/2011 12:53

My female cat tends to be in the garden waiting for a bird to fly in her mouth or next doors, whereas my tom cat is off wandering around the front a lot more often. Fortunately we're in a close with no through traffic and nowhere to park so it's not at all busy. Both neutered and originally strays from a rescue centre.

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fruitshootsandheaves · 23/07/2011 12:56

Sad purpleflower Sad

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