| I want to adopt a female because male cats spray, right? |
| March 13, 2010 |
| Male cats are villianized because of their known 'ability' to spray to mark their territories. People pass on information as if they are experts in feline urinary behavior, when there are really nuances to the answer of 'do males spray?'. Read on to clear the air on male spraying and females being 'more standoffish' in their behaviors. |
| First, remember, we are talking about felines, but more specifically, Siberian felines. Some behaviors are known to be more problematic in certain breeds (i.e. Persian males MAY be more likely to spray). But we are going to focus our attention to the Siberian breed alone. The information is collected from years of experience with Siberians from ourselves as well as fellow Siberian breeder's and owner's experiences. |
| Do Siberian males spray? |
| If you are talking about a 'whole' or 'complete' male (one who is used for breeding and NOT neutered), than, yes, they can be known to spray. Many are very well behaved and spray exclusively in their litter boxes. This is why we use very high sided litter boxes (see Bringing Your Kitten Home), so if a male wants to spray to mark their territory (and let the girls know where they are), they can. Some male breeders can be worse than others, but this has to do more with how their environment is set up - are there breeding females within close smelling range? Are there other males to 'compete' with for the female's affections? Breeders have to take all these things into consideration when setting up a cattery. |
| But if you are adopting a Siberian as a pet, than you are safe. If a Siberian male is neutered by the time they are a year old or earlier, they will not spray. Since Sibs mature a little later, the Siberian males stays a little more 'naive' a little longer (thankfully!). (Again, to read of any urinary issues, such as peeing outside the litter box, refer to the Bringing Your Kitten Home page - this is NOT a male/female issue, but a medical issue or behavioral issue). |
| Early spay/neuter is often performed now and is often done to prevent spraying issues in males. (There used to be urinary problems in males that were neutered early 5 or 6 years ago, but I understand that this is not supposed to be an issue any longer.) However WE DO NOT BELIEVE IN EARLY SPAY/NEUTER. Siberians mature late - at 5 years old. They are large structured cats, and thus need as much time with their reproductive hormones so they can grow properly. Early spay/neuter has been linked to hip dysplasia and other problems related to growth plates when the kitty's size becomes large. We recommend waiting as long as possible - keeping reproductive hormones for as long as possible, without allowing them to grow too old and begin to 'spray'. Thus, we recommend spay/neuter between 6 and 8 months. If you adopt both a male AND a female, the male will DEFINTELY need to be neutered at 6 months, because normal play/wrestle time eventually becomes an enlightened male kitty who then gets the 'hots' for the female, even though they may be a little early to be shooting more than blanks. (Take NO chances). |
Early vs late spay/neuter links
info to come soon...
info to come soon...
| Neutered Siberian males do not seem to be sprayers. They are more into their playtime, human interactions, other pet interactions, to really focus on the issue of 'hunting' females, or declaring their territories by marking around the house. |
| I want to adopt a male because female cats are independent and standoffish, right? |
| Once again, generalizations about female cats have been assigned to the Siberian. This is not completely accurate. For one, the Siberian's wonderful, dog-like personality is just as present in the female as the male. If you had to be nit-picking, than the female Siberian is more contemplative - they are deep thinkers and problem-solvers. Males are more impulsive and impetuous, and thus, they may come when they are called much quicker - be more snuggly and 'velcro' cats with their humans ALL the time. Females are judicious in their sharing of affections (and as I write this, I start to think, well, what about our girl, Kaleena, who calls for her human mommy from under the door to come hold her, and Keirra, who does constant Siberian flops at your feet to get her belly rubbed, and Enya, who is so demanding for your attention, she will nibble with her teeth on your fingers until you pet her, and Mairi, who is an absolute ragdoll when lying next to you on the bed, or if you pick her up...) |
| So, you see. It really is NOT the sex of the kitten, as it is the GENETIC lines and PERSONALITY of parents, and the way kitties are socialized at their crucial period of before 12 weeks, that is important. This is why we all LOVE felines - they are INDIVIDUALS - they have more personality quirks than dogs. |
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