When is a Cat a Queen Cat?

As we bow our heads in recognition of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II we thought it timely to explore the Queen Cat. Of course, in our opinion, all cats are kings and queens. However, this term isn’t referring to kitty cats in the monarchy. It turns out that there’s plenty of jargon for cat types – including Queen cat, Tomcat, Molly and Gib.

As humans we love a little jargon. Whether it’s to make communicating simpler or to spot like-minded people. And it’s no different for describing the furry feline world. For the most part, you can call a cat a cat. But it never hurts to understand what other people mean when they say certain terms like ‘queen cat’. Let’s go over them.

So, what’s a queen cat?

An adult female cat who hasn’t been spayed is called a ‘queen cat’. The term comes from the word “queening”, which used to describe the process of giving birth in cats.

Once a queen cat gets spayed, she goes by the term ‘Molly’. The origin of the term is unknown. For interest, female purebred cats specifically kept for breeding are referred to as ‘Dams.’

Tomcat

You’d expect the male version of a queen cat to be a king cat, right? Wrong.

A male cat that hasn’t been neutered is called a ‘Tom’ or ‘Tomcat.’ The name became popular due to a 1760 book called The Life and Adventures of a Cat, which features a promiscuous male called Tom. The cartoon Tom and Jerry likely continued the name’s popularity. Before that, male cats that weren’t neutered were called “Rams” or “Boars”.

Once neutered, a male cat is sometimes referred to as a ‘Gib’. Why? Because apparently so many cats in medieval England were named “Gilbert,” that “Gib” became slang for cat. Purebred male cats that are kept to breed are called ‘Sires’.

All the terms we’ve just mentioned, besides Tomcat, have been around since the 1300s, and you’re unlikely to hear them used very often.

PS: Did you know a group of cats is called a “clowder” or a “glaring”?

Neutered and spayed cats

As you now know, cats are named according to whether they’ve been spayed or neutered, but what’s the difference?

Spaying is the process of removing a female cat’s reproductive organs. During the spaying process, the vet will remove the cat’s ovaries and possibly the uterus. 

Neutering is the procedure for male cats. The vet will remove both the cat’s testicles and the associated structure surrounding them.

Desexing can refer to either a female or male cat getting neutered or spayed.

Should you desex your cat?

You may be asking should you desex your cat? Or in layman’s terms: “What about kittens!” We get it, kittens are absolutely adorable, and some pet parents choose to allow their cat to have one litter before spaying. Letting your queen cat have kittens is okay if you’re able to take care of the litter and/or find happy forever homes for all the kittens.

However, there are many pros to a neutered or spayed cat – for your cat, you, and everyone around you. Here are some of the factors to consider:

Health benefits of desexing a tom or queen cat

There’s been a great deal of research on desexing animals – and the health benefits for them are significant. Mollies and Gibs live longer and healthier lives than their counterparts. In fact, neutered male cats live 62% longer than tomcats while a spayed female cat lives 39% longer than queen cats! That’s a significantly increased lifespan.

One reason is that spaying queen cats significantly reduces their risk of mammary tumours. If you spay your cat before her first heat (around six months old), you reduce her risk by up to seven times. After that, her risk is reduced by 40%-60%.

Read more in our article ‘Spay and Neuter – Should you Desex Your Cat”. Wondering whether doing the same for your dog is important too? Read our write-up on desexing your dog.

Behavioural benefits

Desexing will also stop the less pleasant aspects of a cat’s mating behaviour.

First off, it will greatly lessen or completely stop your cat spraying in your home. Spraying is when toms or queen cats mark areas with urine to either communicate with other cats, show their territory, or attract mates. As most cat parents will know, it leaves a not-so-lovely smell and can damage furniture and belongings.

Secondly, the rather obvious one – your cat will no longer mate with other cats. Not only does this mean your queen cat will stop all the behaviour that comes with being in heat, but your tomcat will be far less likely to roam and get into fights with other toms over a female.

Reduced fighting alone is a big reason to desex your cat. Bites from cat fights is one of PD Insurance NZ’s highest claims, and can lead to serious abscesses and infections. Not only that, roaming tomcats are more likely to get lost, stolen, or injured.

Population benefits

Desexing also has social benefits. A single queen cat can have up to 20 kittens (or more) in a year. Considering that Kiwi households are already home to nearly 1.5 million cats, just imagine if half of these cats are female and not spayed… That could result in a grand total of 15 million new kittens in a single year!

If every person in New Zealand decides to adopt, they’d need to adopt three kittens each just to keep up with the volume of cats in that year alone. Of course, not everyone wants to or is able to adopt kittens. Nor can they keep adding to their fur family every year. Without desexing being available, there would be millions of unwanted cats that would either end up in New Zealand’s already overburdened animal shelters, or euthanised.

Even with a great portion of our cat population desexed, it’s estimated that there are 196,000 stray cats in New Zealand. A further 25,000 to 30,000 end up in shelters each year. These are disproportionately adult cats, as most pet owners opt to adopt kittens.

With so many felines in need of homes, it makes sense to adopt a cat rather than breed more kittens. Check out all the advantages of adopting an adult cat if you’re in doubt!

Queen cat or not, keep them covered

Whether it’s a Queen cat, Tomcat, Molly, or Gib, PD Insurance NZ is here to offer you value-rich, month-to-month coverage for you purrfect pal.

Our cat insurance will lighten the financial load during hospitalisations, non-routine vet visits, medications and more.  We also offer discounts if you insure more than one pet plus one or more months of free kitten insurance cover when you sign up online. Why not get a quote now?