What Is a Female Cat Called?
Thanks to the all-time classic Tom and Jerry, everybody knows that male cats are toms. So, it’s simple enough to point out that a cat is male by calling it a tomcat. But what is a female cat called? Does it even have a specific name? Yes, it does, and it even goes into greater detail than it does for male cats. Also, it’s definitely not “she-cat”.
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What do you call a female cat?
Depending on the development state of the female cat, there are several terms that you can use:
Term No. 1 – “Molly”
Female cats are generally called Molly. You would refer to a female cat as “a Molly”, not “a Molly cat”. This is the case for male cats, which are called tomcats. The term has been so widely used that is has made it into the general vocabulary. Molly, on the other hand, has still to reach such popularity.
Term No. 2 – “Queen”
When a cat is pregnant or nursing or a breeding cat, it is called a Queen. This is meant to reflect the cat’s importance, as well as its protective nature. So, a Molly becomes a Queen as soon as it gets pregnant and you should keep calling it a queen when it is nursing its kittens and raising them.
Term No. 3 – “Dam”
This is a lesser-known term because it has more of a technical value. “Dam” refers to a purebred female cat during the act of recording or maintaining records for cat breeding. As you can imagine, you are likely to hear this term from people who are passionate about cat breeding, but rather unlikely to come up in general conversation.
Do you think it’s time for the terms Molly and Queen to make into the mainstream?
Will it take another cartoon classic to make this term as popular as its tomcat counterpart? What do you call a female cat? Tell us all about it in the comments section below.
Hi, I’m Jenny Dean, creator of Floppycats! Ever since my Aunt got the first Ragdoll cat in our family, I have loved the breed. Inspired by my childhood Ragdoll cat, Rags, I created Floppycats to connect, share and inspire other Ragdoll cat lovers around the world,
I call my female cats Angel, Darling, Baby, Princess, Beautiful, Gorgeous – the list of names is endless, giggle!
Very interesting, I was always wondering about that…
I was always curious why there was no specific word for a female and a male cat.
There is in Dutch and I’m glad there is.
The cat = kat
Male cat = kater
Female cat = poes
It’s way easier, at the vet for instance.
Are there separate words for male/female dogs etc. in English? In Dutch most animals have a that.
Wonderful post, Jenny honey! I had no idea about this information at all! TYSVM for the SUPER PAWESOME & FABULOUS information! #Education Also, I always adore seeing pics of Addie! 🙂 <3
Big hugs & lots of love & purrs!
Patti & My Good Golly Miss Molly (Miss Pink Sugarbelle) 🙂 <3 <3 <3
P.S. I don't have any real names for female cats other than the squillion nicknames we have for Miss PSB…lol. Although…I was thinking of replying to your question about that with "Miss Kitty" (intending that Pop Culture reference from the very old Gunsmoke radio & TV shows but realized that many folks probably wouldn't realize that…unless they are my age or older or Old Time Radio Fans like me…). 😉 <3