7 surprising facts you need to know about female cats: kittens in the same litter can come from different dads

After the boys, it's time to find out the special qualities of the girls. A girl kitty is much more than a cute face. If you don't believe it, we'll show you the unique features that only ladies can own.

We are going to talk about the tortoiseshell pattern, the right-pawedness and teenage pregnancy!

1.They find adopters more slowly

A study found that female cats were forced to stay at the shelter longer than male cats. To be precise, girls find a family after an average of 8.3 months, while boys find a family after 6.4 months. This is probably because many people think that male cats are more affectionate than females.

Fortunately, for the sake of the ladies, we can tell off this stereotype, because modern research has established that this characteristic is more regulated by the breed and personality of the cat.

2. Females stick together within colonies

A cat colony is a group of homeless cats that stay together near food and shelter. Interestingly, males and females play different roles in such groups. Females tend to stay together to help each other raise and guard the kittens. However, males often prefer to be left alone so that they don’t have to compete for females and food.

3. Generally right-pawed

Believe it or not, most cats have a dominant paw; just like humans have a dominant hand. This is shown in situations where they reach for food or have to step over an object. But what’s even more interesting is that paw preference actually differs between genders. Males use the left more often, in contrast to the right of the girls.

4. One litter can have more than one dad

Yes, you read that right, and we don’t judge! Sometimes kittens in one litter come from several fathers. This phenomenon is called superfecundation. If a female cat mates with more than one male during her fertile period, her eggs can be fertilized by more than one male. Superfecundation also occurs in other animals, such as dogs and cattles. And although extremely rare, it can happen to people too.

If you look at the kittens after birth and they are different colors, it is almost certain that the father is different. But even similarity does not guarantee a sole father; this can only be determined with a DNA test.

5. They get pregnant very young

The average female cat goes through her first heat cycle between 6-9 months of age. But it can be up to 12 months or as low as 4 months. Yes, a cat can be sexually mature even at the age of 4 months. While there is no way to know for sure when a female cat will reach puberty, certain factors, such as breed, increase the chance of precocious puberty. For example, Siamese are known to be sexually mature early, at around 4 months, while Persians only become interested in boys later, at 12 months.

6. Tortoiseshells and calicos are almost always female

Tortoiseshell cats have two-tone fur that resembles a tortoise’s shell. Generally, black and red are the basic colors of the pattern. Calicos have a tricolor coat with red and black spots on a white background.

It turned out that most calico and tortoiseshell cats are female thanks to their DNA. Girls have two X chromosomes, while boys have one X and one Y. Since two X chromosomes are needed to develop these two patterns, it’s no wonder these kittens are almost always female. However, there is an exception to this rule. Although very rare, there are males born with two X chromosomes. These lucky guys have a chance at these two special patterns as well.

7. Longer life expectancy

Female cats live an average of 1-2 years longer than males. Although the exact reason for this is not entirely clear, we do know that other factors are much more likely to determine a cat’s life expectancy than gender. For example, whether it is spayed and whether it can go outside. An indoor cat can live an average of 10-15 years, their outdoor companions did not fare so well in their 2-5 years.