If you are acquiring a new cat the question of which sex to have arises immediately. Tom or female – both have their advantages and disadvantages. Their vigorous sexual urges cannot be repressed and when a female is on heat she cannot be held in the house, or males prevented from trying to reach her, unless all doors, windows and other apertures are kept closed. The almost nightly ‘concerts’ of caterwauling can be a severe test of nerves. It is usually the owner of the female who suffers most, since she remains in the vicinity of the house, while the toms from the entire neighborhood converge upon her. The owner of the female also has to cope with the results and becomes responsible for putting down at birth those of the litter which cannot be accommodated. (See chapter on sexual life and reproduction, section unwanted offspring.) Yet there are many cat-lovers who would not miss the experience of the birth raising of a litter of kittens. When a female is on heat the tom cat will spray strong, unpleasant-smelling urine around the house, making himself extremely unpopular, and will mark his home territory in this way right through the year. The only tom worth keeping as a stud is a purebred. It should be kept in a stud enclosure, to which visiting females (queens) may be brought.
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