Det här låter som The Chanur Saga av C.J. Cherryh :
HuvudpersonenärPyanfarChanur,kaptenentillPrideofChanur.PyanfarärenHani:
Hani are a feline-like species, maned, bearded, usually of red or tawny fur. Females are smaller than humans, males much larger (for much the same reason as Earth lions)....
They live in autonomous clans, each consisting of related females, children, and a single male, the clan lord. A male takes over a clan by defeating the previous lord in personal combat. Most males are not that lucky. Male offspring are thrown out of their clan when they become strong enough to pose a threat to the lord. They live in exile among others like themselves, honing their fighting skills and waiting for the opportunity to challenge for a clan. For this reason and because males are stereotyped as being emotionally unstable, only females go into space (until Pyanfar Chanur changes the rules). Females do all the work on clan lands and in space ventures, although Cherryh does describe some able and intelligent males who become involved in the world around them.
(citatfrån Wikipedia )
Det finns faktiskt fem böcker i serien, även om endast tre finns i "Omnibus Edition". Pride of Chanur är ett handelsfartyg, och den första romanen handlar om störningen som orsakas när Pyanfar Chanur beviljar fristad till en mänsklig flykt från en annan art, Kif.
Den andra boken handlade om fortsatta konsekvenser, och jag misstänker att hela serien gjorde ... Jag slutade aldrig serien delvis, för det var inte min personliga kopp te - igen att citera Wikipedia :
the Chanur novels are unusually realistic examples of space opera, with ship-to-ship shooting minimized in favor of coercion, manipulation, politics, pride contests, and clashing economic interests, driven in many cases by species-to-species miscommunication and misunderstanding.