Answer: Of course, both male and female can be neutered and there is then little to choose between them. On balance, however, a spayed female cats seems marginally less aggressive and less likely to spray urine indoors then is a castrated male cat. (It does, however, cost slightly more to neuter a female then a male.)
If the cat is not neutered, then a female cat is definitely preferable because it will fit in better with normal human life. Even so, when she is ‘in season’ (‘on heat’)she will difficult to confine indoor and will make the typical load calling noises. And she may easily become pregnant and produce a litter of kittens, a process which might be repeated several times. You could of course have her spayed later, which would eliminate these problems.
An uncast rated (entire) male i.e. a tom cat, usually does not make an acceptable pet because of his habit of living home for long periods, sometime several days, being more aggressive and getting into fights. He will also tend to spray his pungent urine in the house, which impregnates everything, including clothes, with a smell the most people find objectionable. Most boarding catteries are unwilling to board a tom cat. Incidentally, a tom cat’s skin is exceptionally tough and giving an injection can prove a problem because the needle may bend rather then penetrate, particularly around the neck region.
