By Elaine Carlson 

"A male fox is called a dog ["Foxy Facts, Gaspard the Fox]" And "... a female fox is a vixen, 

"but there is no equivalent term for a female goldfish [Bryan A. Garner, "Grammar and Usage," The Chicago Manual of Style, 5-11 pg 51]."

Garner suggests there is a way to compensate for that lack of an "equivalent term." He tells his readers, "If gender is to be indicated, descriptive adjectives such as male and female may be needed if there is no gender-specific term."

I don't care that there is not a term for a female goldfish. What I really would like to know is how to refer to a female cat. I think everybody (or at least the vast majority of people in the United States) knows the term for a female dog. But what is the "equivalent term" for a female cat?

I looked online and found: 

"There are three different terms that can be used when talking about a female cat. These are Molly, Queen and Dam." 

"These are not as well-known as the male counterparts but these are all names for female cats … [but] there are a few key differences regarding when you can call a female cat each of these names."

"Molly. This is a general term that can be used to refer to any female cat. Molly is the female version of a tomcat."

"....unlike male cats which are referred to as tomcats, a female would simply be referred to as a Molly rather than a a molly cat. The origin of the term Molly is not fully known but generally speaking, if you have a female cat then she is a Molly."

"Queen is such a fitting name for a female cat, isn't it? This is a term used to describe a cat that is of breeding age, pregnant or nursing kittens. So, if your molly gets pregnant she becomes a queen."

"The final term you may come across when talking about a female cat is Dam but this is a lesser-used term that is rarely heard in general conversation.

"This is because Dam is used for a rare or purebred female cat and is used exclusively for recording or maintaining records of cat breeding ["What is a Female Cat Called?" Tuxedo Cat]."

Some authorities restrict the use of the word Queen to rare or pedigree cats. 

Queen "A female cat capable of or used for breeding [Tab Cat]. 

So now I know what to call a female cat --- a Molly, a Queen or a Dam.

But I don't know what I will do with this information.

Ever since I got my cat twelve years ago I have referred to her as The Little Girl and by her name Charity. I am not sure if I want to call her a Molly. 

I would rather call her a Queen. I know the websites Tuxedo Cats and Tab Cats insist Charity (My Little Girl) is not a Queen because just after I got her I took her to the vet to have the operation so she cannot be a mother. . 

But those websites only have as much authority as I let them have. And if I want to call Charity, My Little Girl, Queen I will.

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