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Female Cat Facts
1. The World’s Oldest Cat Was Female
Creme Puff won the Guinness World Record for “Oldest Cat Ever” after living 38 years and 3 days. That’s right! This tabby mix female was born on August 3, 1967, and lived until August 6, 2005. Creme Puff lived in Austin, Texas, with her owner, Jake Perry. But it gets even more bizarre because Creme Puff isn’t the first of Jake’s cats to win this record. The previous record-holder from 1998 was given to his cat Granpa Rexes Allen, who lived to be 34. According to Jake, about a third of his cats have lived to be at least 30 years old— which is about twice the average life span for a feline. So what’s his secret?
Jake said that on top of feeding his cats dry commercial cat food, they’re also given home-cooked eggs, turkey bacon, broccoli, coffee with cream, and—every two days—about an eyedropper full of red wine to “circulate the arteries.” Just for the record, while it’s possible that Jake uncovered the secret to feline longevity, experts don’t recommend giving cats coffee or wine. So we don’t know how to explain this one.
2. A Litter of Kittens Can Be From Multiple Fathers
Yes, you heard that right. Sometimes a litter of kittens comes from multiple baby daddies. This phenomenon is known as “superfecundation.” Believe it or not, if a female cat mates with more than one male during her fertile period, her eggs can potentially be fertilized by more than one male. This phenomenon also happens in other animals like dogs and cows. And although extremely rare, this can also happen in humans.
So, how can you tell if a litter came from multiple fathers? Look to see if the kittens are a range of different colors. They might also be varying sizes and have different characteristics from each other. But even if the kittens look pretty similar, that doesn’t always mean they have the same father. In a scenario where the mom and all the fathers are purebreds of the same breed, it can be impossible to know for sure if superfecundation occurred without a DNA test, in which case, it’s time to call Maury!
3. They Tend to be Right-Pawed
Believe it or not, most cats also have a dominant paw, just like how humans tend to have a dominant hand. Cats can have a dominant paw for scenarios where they have to reach for food, walk upstairs, step over an object, and so on. But, what’s even more interesting is that paw preference actually differs by sex. Unlike males who tend to prefer their left paws, females usually prefer their right paws. In fact, a study found that 52% of female cats showed a right-sided preference, and about 20% showed no preference at all. This left only 27% of females showing a left-paw preference. I think these findings are pretty clear: females are usually right.
4. They Have a Longer Life Expectancy
On average, female cats live one to two years more than male cats. But if you have a female cat, this isn’t a reason to think your girl is invincible. Although the exact reasoning for this longer life expectancy isn’t totally clear, what we do know is that other factors are much more likely to determine a cat’s life expectancy. One example is whether a cat is indoor or outdoor. According to WebMD, outdoor cats live an average of 2 to 5 years while indoor cats typically live 10 to 15 years.
When we mentioned this stat in our last post, some of you found it hard to believe, which is why I have to point out that these findings are based on averages. So while it’s possible for an outdoor cat to live a long life, you have to remember that the dangers of the outside world (such as cars, disease, and predators) bring the average age down. And also, whether or not a cat is spayed is a big deciding factor, which leads us to the next fact.
5. Spayed Females Live Longer
A study done by Banfield Pet Hospitals, based on a database of 460,000 cats, found that spayed females cats live 39% longer than unspayed females. And there are actually a few reasons for this. First, a spayed female is completely eliminated from the risk of ovarian and uterine cancers. This is because the ovaries and uterus are removed during the operation. Also, a spayed female is at a reduced risk for breast and mammary cancers as well as mammary and reproductive tumors.
In fact, if a female is spayed before her first heat cycle, the rate of her developing breast tumors drops to nearly zero. Finally, a spayed cat is also spared from other life-threatening diseases such as Pyometra, which is a severe uterine infection that is almost always fatal if undetected. Needless to say, the less likely a cat is to catch a deadly disease, the more likely they are to live a long life.
6. They Have Three Nicknames
It’s well-known that a female cat is known as a Molly or a Queen. Molly is a generic nickname that is used for a female cat of any age. Next, the term “Queen” is used when the cat is pregnant and about to give birth to her kittens. This term was derived from the word “queening,” which is a cat’s birthing process. A female is continued to be called a queen until she stops nursing and raising her kittens. After that, she’s a “Molly” once again. But there is a third lesser-known nickname for females cats, which is a “Dam.” This term is used to describe a pure-bred cat that is used for breeding or a cat that is an older female.
7. Tortoiseshells and Calicos are Almost Always Female
A tortoiseshell cat has a bi-colored coat that looks like the shell of a tortoise. Its colors are usually ginger and black. Similarly, a calico has a tri-color coat with a white base and orange and black patches. It turns out that most calicos and torties are females thanks to their DNA. Remember that females have two X chromosomes while males have one X and one Y chromosome. Since two X chromosomes are needed to make a calico or tortoiseshell coat, these coat patterns are almost always reserved for the ladies.
But, there is an exception to this rule. Although very rare, a male tortoiseshell or calico is possible if he is born with an extra X chromosome. But, this occurrence is pretty rare. In fact, a study found that only 1 out of every 3,000 calico cats is male. The same is true for tortoiseshell
8. They Can Get Pregnant Young
According to WebMD, the average female cat will go into her first heat cycle, between 6-9 months of age. But, a female can be as old as 12 months old or even as young a 4 months. Yes, you heard that right. A cat can start her heat cycle as young as a 4-month-old, which means it’s possible for her to get pregnant as young as 4 months. Although there is no way to know for sure when a female cat will hit puberty, certain factors, such as breed, increase the chances of her maturing early. For example, a Siamese is known to mature early, around 4 months old, while a Persian tends to mature later, closer to 12 months old.
9. They Don’t Get Adopted as Fast
A study done with cats at Partners for Pets animal shelter in Troy, IL, found that female cats were at the shelter longer than male cats. To be more specific, females were at the shelter an average of 8.3 months, while males were there an average of 6.4 months. This is likely because many people believe male cats are more affectionate than females. While some experts think there is truth to this, most agree that a cat’s affection level usually boils down to their individual personality. So if you are thinking about adopting a cat, we strongly encourage you to base your decision on how well you bond with the cat instead of their sex.
10. Females Stick Together in Colonies
A cat colony is a group of outside cats that stay close to food and shelter. Interestingly, males and females play different roles in this group. Females tend to stay together in colonies to help each other raise and guard kittens. On the other hand, males remain on their own to avoid having to compete for females and food. When males aren’t off on their own, they usually hang around the edges and wait for the chance to mate.
11. The Most Popular Female Cat Name is “Bella”
It turns out that “Bella” isn’t just a popular name for human girls. According to Nationwide Pet Insurance’s policyholder database, the most popular female cat name for 2021 was found to be “Bella.” The name “Bella” means “beautiful” in Italian. “Bella” is a popular nickname for Isabella, Annabella, and Arabella. But it’s also very popular as a standalone name, especially in recent times. If you have a cat named Bella, let us know in the comments.
12. 2 of the Top 3 Richest Pets are Female Cats
A list of the Top 10 Richest Pets from the 2018 Pet Rich List revealed that the richest pet is a dog named Gunther the IV. Number 2 was the internet-famous Grumpy Cat, whose real name was Tarter Sauce. And if you’ve seen how huge Grumpy Cat’s presence is on the internet, you shouldn’t be too shocked to hear that her net worth was estimated to be $99.5 million dollars. Sadly, she passed away in 2019. Third on the list is Taylor Swift’s cat named Olivia Benson, who was named after one of the characters on Law and Order: SVU, one of Taylor’s favorite shows. Thanks to her huge social media presence and appearance in ads for Coke and Keds Shoes, Olivia Benson has an estimated net worth of $97 million.
Resources
https://www.humanesociety.org/
https://www.newsweek.com/
https://www.cats.org.uk/
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/
https://www.atlasobscura.com/
https://www.catster.com/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/
https://pets.webmd.com/
https://www.litter-robot.com/
https://thepethandbook.com/
https://www.catwiki.com/
http://www.vetstreet.com/
https://www.thehappycatsite.com/
https://www.petinsurance.com/
https://www.marketwatch.com/
https://taylorswift.fandom.com/
Disclaimer: The Purring Journal is not in the medical field. This post is made for entertainment purposes only. Use the information presented in this article at your own risk. Always seek medical advice from licensed veterinarians.
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