# best combinations?



## Augustine (Nov 27, 2014)

I remembered something today that always confused me. Many a year ago my mom was told that a pair of opposite-sex cats make the best of friends, and that two female cats are the worst combo, and almost never get along.

I'm usually not one for following silly myths like this, although I do realize that in the animal world, some sex-related myths/stereotypes do hold true, even if only to a point.

Thing is, I've had multiple females living together (we had over 10 cats when I was a child), and aside from one of the cats being naturally a bit iffy around other cats, they all got along just fine. Right now I actually have one senior cat and a soon-to-be adult - both females - that get along very well. 

Similarly, I've had no issues with males and females, or males and males. (at least not because of their sex, anyway. If they didn't get along, it was because one of the cats just didn't get along with any other cats. period.) 

I know there are always exceptions, so I could just be very lucky, but for the most part,_ are_ there certain combinations that supposedly work best? Or combinations that people try to avoid?

It's something that I've always been curious about.


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## DebS (Jun 14, 2015)

You know, I'm not sure where I heard it, but I have also heard that opposite sex pairs get along best. That being said, I had two females who got along just fine. Now I only have one cat, but I have her with two female dogs and it seems they are all pretty good buddies except for the dogs being sometimes annoyed by kitten antics.


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## NebraskaCat (Jan 15, 2013)

I really don't think there is a better combination - it is all dependent on individual personalities and how they interact.

That being said, I have seen in our shelter (and these may just be coincidental), if the entire room of cats is one gender, there seem to be more intimidation and/or battles than in mixed rooms.

I have two females currently and their relationship falls somewhere between 'like each other' and 'tolerate each other'. They certainly aren't best friends. If I were to adopt a third cat, I would probably look at males first, but would still be open to another girl.


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## Dumine (Jun 30, 2014)

We currently have 2 females that get along great. And because of the myth didnt think twice about taking in a adorable homeless male last year.
Big mistake! The new addition and my younger resident female fought like.... well, cats and dogs.
He turned out to be a bit of a bully and she was super territorial. 
We ended up having to rehome him to return calm to the house. I would say age rather than gender can play a roll. The younger the cats, the more likely they are to learn to get along, but at the end of the day its really all down to personality.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

Yes I think it has a lot to do with personality, and often a bully will end up harassing a more timid cat. Usually if kittens are introduced early from 3 months to 5 months, and are equal in size, they get along better. IME males generally play rougher than females, and are better to keep two males rather then one of each sex. I recall in the many years of breeding my clowder of females pretty much got along together with an older neutered male and my succession of different stud cats. But I did have a neutered ex-show male that detested his half sister and made it his mission to make her life miserable, all because she attacked him _one time_ when she had kittens. Up to that point they got on well together and played together. So sometimes you never know what incident may trigger a broken cat relationship.


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

I don't know about which combo is the best, I've got one of each and they've gotten along pretty well since I got them as young kittens (not littermates).

On the other hand, there are some cats that just do not like _any_ cat, male _or_ female, and must be the _only_ cat in the household! They only get along with humans!


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

There is no combo that gets along best. Bonded pairs are usually a safe bet, whether they're siblings or not.


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## radtech (Sep 20, 2014)

I agree with Marie, I have 2 males that have been best buddies since they first met. They love on each other all the time


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## cat owner again (Dec 14, 2012)

My daughter has 3 rescue males that were presented as brothers although one is grey and white, one white type Siamese and the other orange. They all get along pretty well. Small bullying going on once in a while over the years. 
My bully boy and his mother tolerate each other because they can be outside and each share the place.
Former brother and sister - didn't get along so well once he lost his tail.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

In my opinion - after fostering 107 kittens and having been owned by dozens of cats - is that sex does not matter. It is basic personality that denotes friendship.


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## Augustine (Nov 27, 2014)

I figured as much. 

All of my kitty squabbles have happened as a result of my "bully" cats (which, thankfully, weren't _too_ horrible) messing with the others. 

Right now I have a bonded pair of kittens, male and female, (who I'm 99% sure are siblings) that get along fantastically well. They were introduced to my female senior, who turned 9 this year, when the kittens were about 8-9 weeks. It took a little getting used to, but the trio all gets along very well. My senior is even happier than she has ever been - she likes other cats but has never really had one willing to cuddle with her up until now.

In my case, age seems to have played a significant part in it, too. Although, I've had kittens (ranging 8 weeks to 6 months) that never really bonded with my older cats either. Funny how that works.


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## Nuliajuk (Oct 25, 2014)

My first pair were unrelated females. One had been found rummaging through a relative's garbage can when she was about 7 weeks old and I got the other from the SPCA shortly afterward to keep her company. THey got along great as kittens, then didn't appear to like each other at all for the next 14 years. However, when one was put down with cancer, the other seemed to miss her.

My next pair were brother and sister. Again, got along great as kittens, then not so much as adults. She was a very bossy cat's cat, only had to give him "that look" and he'd scamper out of her way. And again, he missed her when she was gone.

A couple of years after we had her put down (age 15, cancer again) we fostered and then adopted a 12 year old female cat who's owner had to go into a nursing home. She seemed to love our surviving male cat and he put up with her grooming him all the time, although once in a while she'd try to play-fight and we'd have to break it up as he was getting a bit frail by then. Nonetheless, we were surprised that he seemed to have a better relationship with her than with his late sister.

When he passed on we tried to introduce her to another female cat, chosen because she was described as really loving other cats. Unfortunately, that ended within two weeks because our little terror seemed to hate her. Then we got Saxon, a big nonchalant Siamese who was neither afraid of her nor aggressive to her, and it worked out well.

So, my personal experience is all over the map. It really seems to depend on the individual personalities of the cats involved. When our old female cat passed on and we went looking for a companion for Saxon, we chose a female because of certain macho characteristics of his, but I've know people who had two male cats who got along great.

I'm a huge fan of rescue groups who foster because they can usually tell you more about a cat's individual personality than a more typical shelter can.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

I'm like Nuliajuk,
I've had males that get along great, females that get along great, and males and females that get along great! 
I believe it is all about a cats individual personality!
There are also cats, that hate other cats, but love a dog for a companion! 
And cats, that are complete loners...
You never know for sure, what you'll end up with...till you try!
Sharon


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