If you’re wondering what a female cat is called, our answer would be it depends on how technical you want to be, to whom are you talking and just what life stage you are discussing. We’ve fetched all you’ll need to know about this topic–and what to call male cats throughout their lifetimes, too!
What do you call a female cat?
Similar to calling of a female dog a bitch or a female horse a mare, a female cat is called a molly.
This generic term isn’t used as much (at least in the United States) as the term “tomcat” is for male cats. Perhaps part of the reason is the confusion of the terms molly and queen.
Molly can be used for a cat at any point in her life.
Queen is used for cats who are pregnant or are nursing a litter of cats. When she stops nursing, she is again a molly–although some people use queen to denote all adult female cats.
Now if you live in Scotland, you may call a pregnant cat a Kittling. When she delivers her litter of kittens, she has kittled.
When a cat is spayed, she is then again called a molly.
Confused? Yep, so maybe that’s why molly hasn’t caught on as much as the term tomcat…
What is a dam?
A purebred female cat that is in a breeding program is referred to as a dam.
Dam, derived from the French word dame, is used by cat breeders (as well as horse and dog breeders) to describe the female parent of the litter. It’s not a term that’s heard very often.
A male cat who is a father cat is called a “sire.” (Again, the same as with horses and dogs.)
Now, if you want to go back another generation, you can also refer to a “damsire,” which is the sire OF the dam or–you guessed it–the “grandfather” of the kittens.
The term Grand Sire can be used to mean the grandfather on either the female or male side.
And the grandmother of the kittens? She’s the Grand Dam!
What’s a female cat called in other countries?
In different countries and languages, a female cat is called by various names. Here are some examples of what a female cat is called in other countries:
- United Kingdom and Ireland: In the UK and Ireland, a female cat is commonly referred to as a “queen.”
- Australia: In Australia, a female cat is also often called a “queen.”
- Germany: In Germany, a female cat is known as a “Katze.” The term “Katze” is used for a female cat, while “Kater” refers to a male cat.
- France: In France, a female cat is called “chatte” or “chatte femelle.” “Chatte” specifically designates a female cat.
- Spain: In Spain, a female cat is called “gata” or “gata hembra.” “Gata” is used for a female cat, while “gato” refers to a male cat.
- Italy: In Italy, a female cat is referred to as “gatta” or “gatta femmina.” “Gatta” is the word for a female cat.
- Japan: In Japan, a female cat is called “mesu neko” or “onna no koneko.” “Mesu neko” means “female cat,” and “onna no koneko” translates to “female kitten.”
- Russia: In Russia, a female cat is known as “koshka” or “koshka-kot.” “Koshka” is the word for a female cat, and “koshka-kot” refers to a female cat in a more affectionate way.
So there you have it! Whether you are talking about a spayed, intact or pregnant female cat, you now know all the terminology–and all the confusion that surrounds them!
Personally, I think when it comes to describing a cat, the term I like the very best is “mine”!
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