It's good to get confirmation about the male and female cats. I've heard others say the males are more affectionate, but my female is a real charmer. I'm very fond of her.

She has made me aware of how much noise there is in my urban neighborhood. She's also broadened my emphathy, because I understand what the noises are, but she cannot. For example:

helicopters
tornado sirens
water department - huge engines and shrill back-up beepers
fire engines with sirens wailing and horns blaring