Well a part from the obvious.
I have succumbed to pressure and we are going to pick up a rescue kitten at the weekend. (shakes head in disbelief). A part from a male cat being cheaper to get sterilised, are there any behaviour differences or other things to consider?
Any info reluctantly received.
Male cats cost less to keep in shoes and make-up.
male cats can be bigger, have squarer jaws and spray lots, even when they've been done. Female cats are generally easier but more expensive to spay.
All the rescue centres I've visited have already "done" their cats, and fitted them with a microchip, so you just pay to register it, so that aspect of the cost shouldn't be an issue.
I have heard it claimed males make better lap cats. But not been the case in my experience.
I think costs at rescue centres vary, I have 2 rescues both were kittens so they couldn't be neutered before we picked them up. We got a voucher to cover the cost from the RSPCA.
Furballs?
Male cats cost less to keep in shoes and make-up
Good point! I hadn't thought of that.
Also if a female cat stays out all night I'll be up with worry but if a male does I'll think, go on my son, get in.
I was expecting a joke...
Roper, isn't it you with all the big spiders? That is going to be interesting!
Anecdotally boy cats are a bit 'snootier' and less interested on you than girl cats on the whole, although I have known a couple of 'drama queen'/clingy males and aloof females that would be exceptions to that trend. Both may claw your furniture to ribbons and bring you (and your spiders!) dead mice or parts of dead mice as presents. Neutering is essential for both sexes imho: male's behaviour is much more people friendly after the snip, and females will be very odd and howly when in heat and of course curse you with kittens.
the meat is much more tender on a male
I do have a few spiders and bugs but I don't think they will be too bothered by a cat.
We also have a small child so anything venomous is locked away safely so I think all would be ok. We will have to pay the sterilisation bill, the charity caring for them have a very poor budget and I have agreed to cover any expenses 
Why would a male cat spray? is it to attracted females?
Thanks for the info so far.
In our experience male cats are far friendlier, we've had a fair few that have come and gone and all were lap cats, we have one female left and she dictates when she wants attention and never sits on laps!
As before, even spayed male cats can spray, both my mum's did in later years. I remember once as a teenager ignoring our family mog in favour of the games console, don't think it was a coincidence that he peed on the screen after i kept shooing him off staring intently at New Zealand Story. Kind of an ownership/attention thing? I don't think they chase lady cats after spaying, though same family mog also got a chubby on (like a dog's but smaller) if you tickled him in the wrong place. That was a bit wierd.
I was more thinking about your bugs going for the kitten, not the other way round!
I was joking about the bugs being scared but now I'm talking about bugs, geek mode is kicking in.
Ahem, did you know that cats are very vulnerable to lots of different venoms, more so than us or dogs. I think most of my bugs could kill a cat if they stung or bit one, due to the complexities of the venom and a cats weak immune system.
My bugs are locked away though, some are shelved and they are only kept in the "spider room". I know cats can be curious but the two will be separate.
If a female cat gets pregnant she is a slag. The male who did her is a stud muffin hero.
We have both and they are very similar in behaviour. I think it all depends on how you condition them.
For balance in my life I've had 5 toms and 2 queens, none have sprayed indoors, even in old age.
Is queen a term for a female cat or have you gone off topic?
I don't think you can generalise. I'm told that female cats don't spray and toms do, but I've had one of each and never had a problem either way. Cats' personalities vary above and beyond any differences sex makes.
one tom, two females.
After spending £260 on our Tom cat who got into a scrap with a dog at the weekend, I would say go for a female, but then again our female cats likes to bash the hell out of anything in our garden too.
Both spray btw, but the male is far more social and has more intrest in you being about.
Makes no real difference tbh, have a look at your rescue centre and see what takes you.
Puddle, before the £260 dog ear repair!
British Blue Tom by scotiedog, on Flickr
What's the difference between a male and female cat?
number of eyes..
ours is a house cat so no fighting to worry about
Never had a male cat that has been snipped spray once the testosterone has worn off (take about a week or so).
I prefer male cats (neutered) and female dogs (neutered or entire) and that is what we have and will continue to have until a rescue female cat and male dog the other half can't turn down turns up!
Not sure about generalisation but our male cat was so friendly he was practically gay!
The female one is a rescue & is friendly, but only on her terms when she wants the attention.
Get one of each. Seriously. Assuming you can afford the upkeep and vets bills etc., it's the way to go. Two kittens are soooo entertaining
You can thank me later.
my experience is that males are friendly, especially with the adult male (person) in the house, the one sprawling with me right now was a rescue that came with mrs Ed but he is referred to as 'my' cat
he goes to stay with my brother when we're on holiday (thew who is also on here) and he tends to sit with our kid rather than my niece
don't bother with pedigree, go to the local animal rescue - put money in a separate bank account rather than paying for insurance
male cats can be bigger, have squarer jaws and spray lots, even when they've been done.
can be bigger but not necessarily. our current cat is a male (neutered) and came from the RSPCA; he'd previously been a house cat so we chose to keep him that way, as the previous 3 got run over 
He never sprays, he has a covered litter tray for that, but he is a huge attention seeker - I assume that's because he doesn't socialise with other cats. He doesn't sit on your lap, but he does sit with me. He's watching me right now.
Previous pair were also males, neutered, from the RSPCA - one very timid the other an absolute star. We'd had them 2 years and lost both of them to traffic inside a week of each other.
The cat before that we'd had since she was born, she got run over aged 15.
And no we do not live on a major road. or even a busy minor road
From experience the males are less moody (no surprise there then!), more independant and basically just nicer people...
he is a huge attention seeker - I assume that's because he doesn't socialise with other cats.
See I would say the opposite to that. I reckon a cat being alone all day tends to make them more independent and insular. My three cats are never alone - always playing/sleeping/grooming/etc together, and yet they are always wanting attention.
I'm disappointed by the lack of lolcatz on this thread.
Please rectify.
Yo!!
HTH MTQG x
The dominant cat is usually the male.
Every cat in this thread looks utterly evil. Especially Ski's grey one.
We re-carpeted the house months before inheriting a rescue cat. He's a great cat except for knocking hell out of the carpet. We'll be re-carpeting again once he dies, which might be soon if he doesn't pack it in. He does use a scratching post but the carpet appears to be far more satisfying. 
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