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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Having kittens- should I get 2 boys/2 girls or 1 of each

31 replies

Lessthanaballpark · 24/04/2017 15:49

Or does it not matter at all?

I will soon acquire two kittens from a litter. I chose to have two so they will always have company but am not sure if I should get 2 of the same sex or one of each.

Do any of you cat veterans have any advice? Is there a particular combo that goes well or am I being catsexist and it really doesn't matter!!

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jerryfudd · 30/04/2017 15:17

I had two boys from same litter. They are besotted with each other and are always grooming each other and sleeping hugging each other

RueDeDay · 30/04/2017 22:05

I have two sisters who get on really well... So I think it must depend on the individual cats!!

9GreenBottles · 30/04/2017 23:04

I had a boy and girl from different litters and they still cuddle up to one another - now aged 9.

ellalina · 24/11/2020 13:32

Still on the subject of gender mixing with kittens, 3 years on...

We have the chance to adopt a pair of kittens, from 3 pairs available (boy/boy...girl/girl...boy/girl) I think the pairs are all from the same litter, though I can’t be sure as they’re via a cat shelter and there isn’t much info on them yet, other than they will be ready to be rehomed at 9 weeks, first week in December.

My husband and I have always had cats in the past, but only ever singletons. We thought a sibling pair may be a good idea this time, because we will both be working full time by April next year away from home (currently, I’m at home).

I’ve read that boys are easier going than girls, particularly if paired, but even if neutered early, aren’t they more of a handful/stray further etc? I had one single male cat and he vanished for days at a time, was a prolific birder and...I adored him! But he was a handful. My single female was far more likely to stay closer to home and behave.

The tricky thing is that now, during the pandemic, we can’t go and visit the kittens and choose based on what we see. It’s all done online and other than being emailed that the 3 tabby girls are all ‘a bit shy’, there is nothing else to know,.

Apart from asking the shelter more info about where the kittens have come from, and whether they’ve been socialised at all, what else can I ask to gauge which ones may be the lively ones?

All our other cats in the past were rescues, usually part feral and weren’t lap cats, but since it’ll be our son’s first experience of having cats at pets (he’s 12) it would be nice to get kittens who are lively and more socialised.

Do shelters ever do a WhatsApp call so that prospective adopters can see the kittens on screen, at least, these days?
I know they are currently doing WhatsApp calls to check out adopters’ houses, in the absence of being able to carry our house visits.

Any tips and advice gratefully received 🙏🏻

Ellmau · 24/11/2020 20:37

Definitely the two boys, @ellalina, with the girls being shyer.

ellalina · 16/12/2020 08:49

Thanks all, still searching....

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