How To Tell The Gender Of A Cat

Distinguishing Males From Females Is Tricky

• Email

Kitten genitals are not as developed as adult cats, making gender determination a crapshoot. At first glance, even professionals find it tricky to distinguish a;female kitten from a male. However, a few characteristic differences can be observed in kittens as young as five weeks oldgenital spacing, coat color,;and behaviorindicating their sex.;

The Differences Between Male And Female Cats

Many people think that male and female cats act differently and swear that boys or girls make the better pets. But is that true?

A lot of cat lovers swear that their boy and girl cats behave in different ways. So, is there really a difference between the ways boys and girls behave, or is it more complicated than that?

Our vets have delved into some common myths to find out more!

Why Is It Important To Know The Gender Of Your Kittens

One of the most important reasons to know the sex of kittens in your house is for breeding purposes. Whether you are in interested in preparing young cats for breeding, or are concerned about your developing kittens or cats breeding with each other, take the time to identify the sex of your cats. With this knowledge, you can separate cats that may cause problems.

Knowing the gender of your cats is also important for naming and identification purposes. Particularly in the case of a large litter of new kittens, learning to identify the gender of each cat will help you to recognize individual kittens within the group.

Also Check: Sedating A Cat For Travel

Need More Help Sexing Kittens

I hope that my kitten sexing guide helped you determine the sex of your kittens. If you need any further help sexing your kittens then please feel free to contact me via the contact page, social media or by using the comments section below. If you can send me photos of your kittens sex organs as in the photos above then I should be able to let you know the sex of your kitten.

Ross

About the author

Ross writes extensively about cats and kittens and has been featured in magazines such as Your Cat and Our Cats and has also guest authored on newsletters for various cat organisations. He is also a guest speaker at cat seminars.

Leave a Reply

Determining Sex Through Other Differences

Recommended Reading: Cat Fur Thinning

How To Know If A Cat Is Male Or Female: Learn How To Start

Then there are the pet cat enthusiasts who are externally happy, certain, and joyful. They might not exhibit any one of the attributes of either withdrawn or extroverted, however they do display favorable feelings toward their animals. Favorable feelings can have an influence on a persons behavior. A cat with favorable feelings in the direction of their proprietors can be more pleasant and outbound than one that feels adverse toward them.

How To Tell The Sex Of Kittens: The Basics

The first thing you need to know about how to tell the sex of kittens is that when you go about identifying their gender, you need to be gentle.

Dont disrupt the important bonding moments between your Momma cat and her babies during the first few weeks of life. Generally, youll want to stay mostly out of the way of your feline friends during this critical stage.

Remember, if you handle a kitten too much during the early weeks of life, the mother can sometimes abandon it and refuse to nurse it entirely. Although you might be keen to know the sex of your kittens, its best to wait until theyre at least 3 to 4 weeks old before you start handling them.;

That means you shouldnt be looking to tell the sex of newborn kittens or even baby kittens.

Its not fair on them or the momma cat to disrupt them by trying to sex newborn kittens. Ideally you should wait at least 3-4 weeks after birth before you attempt to determine the gender of a kitten. And, at that point, again be sure that the mother cat is clearly comfortable that you are going to handle kittens before you do.

If you try to interact with a kitten and it seems either incredibly nervous or stand-offish, then its best to hold off until a later date. You can always start with a different member of the litter and come back to the one thats feeling shy.

Read Also: Does Ladybug Ever Find Out Who Cat Noir Is

Sexing Cats Based On Genitals

The only really reliable way to determine a cats sex is to look at the genitals. This is easier in older cats. In very young kittens, the males and females can be quite hard to distinguish if you dont know what youre looking for.

To see the cats genitals, youll need to gently lift up the tail. If the cat is relaxed and amenable to being handled, this is easy enough. Its a good idea to sit down with the cat on your lap, so you wont drop the animal if things dont go well. If the cat doesnt co-operate with you lifting the tail, try scratching the animals back at the base of the tail. This often causes the cat to lift up its tail instinctively.

A more nervous or hostile cat can be tricky to handle its better to have someone else hold the cat while you perform the examination. It might be necessary to wrap the cat in a towel or blanket.

A male cat will have a scrotum and penis located just below the anus. In an entire tom, the testicles will also be visible. Neutered toms still have scrota, but theyre smaller and less pronounced. A female cat will only have an anus and vagina.

Whatever the cats sex, its important that the cat be spayed or neutered as soon as possible. Your vet can advise you on whether the cat is old enough for the procedure. Its usually carried out at around five months, but may be performed earlier in some cases. De-sexing cats makes them happier and easier to care for, as well as protecting them against various diseases.

How To Tell A Female Cat From A Male Cat Integrating A New In Your Home

How To Tell A Female Cat From A Male Cat ? You might assume that the only thing you need is to instruct your cat how to walk on a leash. How To Tell A Female Cat From A Male Cat ? Thats the whole point of owning a feline. But, to discover if your feline is really the very best friend of your cat, you need to dig deeper than the surface area. Understanding your pet cats individuality will aid you to recognize it better.

Don’t Miss: How Far Do Cats Roam From Their House

How To Tell A Female Cat From A Male Cat: How To Take Care Of Them

How To Tell A Female Cat From A Male Cat, This monitoring sheds light on the cat persons character. Study reveals that people as well as canines have two unique characters. While the personality of a human can be described as cozy as well as friendly, the individuality of a canine can be described as safety, dominant and of course, also caring. This research suggests that owners of pet dogs have a tendency to be cat fans as well, as part of their individuality.

Ask Your Vet For Advice

If youve attempted to determine the gender of your kittens but arent 100% sure that youve got it right, its always a good idea to ask your vet for advice. If youre rehoming kittens, some families will want a particular gender, so its important to know for sure!

Your kittens will need vaccinating when theyre around 9 weeks old, so this is the perfect opportunity to ask your vet to help determine the gender of each kitten. You may also want to speak to your vet about when is a good time to get your kittens spayed or neutered.

Featured Image Credit: Tom Pingel, Shutterstock

Contents Overview

Don’t Miss: Is It Safe For Cats To Eat Dog Food

Keep Learning About How To Tell A Female Cat From A Male Cat Now

It could be a stray that is starting to be afraid of people due to mistreatment. The difference between female cat nipples and male cats is that females need them to feed their babies while males are entirely unnecessary just like us humans.

How To Tell A Male From A Female Cat Cuteness Cat Care Animals Care Cat Day

Do Male And Female Cats Look Different

Male cats do tend to be larger, more muscular, and female cats tend to be smaller and daintier, but this is not a rule that always applies.

There are some sex-linked colour differences: nearly all tortoiseshell cats or calico cats; are female, while around 70% of ginger cats are male. Tabby cats are equally likely to be male or female.

Recommended Reading: How To Get A Dog To Like A Cat

The Colours Of The Cats According To Their Sex

There are some characteristics in the fur of the kittens that can tell us clearly if it is male or female.

Males usually have just one or two different colours in their fur. The most frequent colours in the male sex are black and orange. But if the kitten is born with up to 3 different colours in its fur, it is most likely that it is a female.

And you, do you already know for sure if your baby kitten is male or female? Does it meet these common characteristics?

Mummy’s Boy Vs Ice Queens

Myth: Male cats are more affectionate towards humans and bond really well with their owners. Female cats are aloof and, because of their mothering instincts, prefer other cats to humans.

Reality: This usually comes down to your cats individual personality. Some are very independent while others are happiest with their humans.

Most cats, male and female, prefer to live alone with just their owners for company. Just like wild cats, our feline friends tend to be loners.

Their upbringing plays a massive part in how affectionate they are towards you. If theyve been socialised since they were a young kitten, theyre more likely to happy and confident with you. Cats that havent been handled from a young age can be a bit more cautious around their human housemates.

Also Check: Is Pretty Litter Safe For Cats

How To Tell A Female Cat From A Male Cat Shortcuts The Easy Way

After that there are the cat lovers who are externally delighted, certain, as well as cheerful. They might not show any of the traits of either introverted or extroverted, yet they do present positive sensations towards their family pets. Favorable sensations can have an impact on a persons behavior. A feline with favorable sensations in the direction of their proprietors can be a lot more friendly as well as outbound than one that feels unfavorable toward them.

Is It True That Calico Cats Are Always Female

The answer to your question, how do I know if my cat is male or female? is a lot simpler in calico cats .;

In over 90% of cases, a cat with a coat thats a mix of black, white and orange is female. This isnt just chance, its the result of genetics. Chromosomes are what define fur colour.;

As you probably already know, in mammals males have an XY combination of chromosomes, whereas in females its XX.;

In cats the brown orange-brown colour is linked to the X chromosome, and it may have an allele ;for black. So the only way in which both alleles can appear together in combination with white is when there are two X chromosomes. This means that the cat will be female .;

That said, be careful, because the answer to your question on how to tell if your cats male or female when they have tri coloured fur might just surprise you.;

Very occasionally calico cats are male. In these cases there has been a genetic mutation causing the cat to have three chromosomes, XXY. This mutation is known as the Klinefelter syndrome. Most of these male cats are sterile.;

In many cultures calico cats are said to be lucky.;

We hope weve helped you to answer your question, how can I tell if my cat is male or female? If even after this explanation you still have doubts about the sex of your kitten, the best thing to do is to consult the vet who will help to clear them up.;;

Recommended Reading: Is It Ok To Leave A Kitten Alone

Whats A Cat Penis Or Cat Dick

A cat organ is a somewhat exclusive organ . Individuals who do not have a kitty almost do not understand what exactly does a cat organ appears like. The main reason comes in two facts: firstly they are modest; minute, cats shield their manhood well by hiding them.

You can view puppies walking across roads prancing their large penis. But cats do not.

What Is My Kitten’s Gender

Determining the sex of a cat can be difficult at times, especially if there is no other cat with which to compare the anatomy. So how can you tell if you have a Merlin or a Misty, a Rex or a Ruby? Here are a few steps to tell what your kitten’s gender is

If you’ve established a good relationship with the cat, pick him or her up and lift its tail. If the kitten isn’t responding well, you may want to solicit the assistance of a friend or family member. If the cat still isn’t lifting its tail, try scratching it where the lower back meets its tail; most cats lift their tails if you do this to them.

Once the tail is up, you should have full view of the cat’s genitals and anus. A male will have a much greater distance between the genitals and anus than females ½ inch apart on a male kitten or over 1 inch apart on a male adult cat. Conversely, if the two are almost adjacent on a kitten or less than 1/2 inch apart on an adult, its a female.

Need some more help determining the sex of your cat or kitten? Check out the pics below.

Also Check: How To Say Come Here In Cat

Wild Toms Vs Mild Moggies

Myth: Boys are fighters and will often get into a tussle with other tomcats. Girls will avoid confrontation where they can.

Reality: Unneutered male cats are much more territorial and will defend their patch if another cat wanders in. This can end up with them getting hurt in fights and they could catch a life-changing infection like FIV . However, there are a lot of other things that can also make your cat aggressive and which arent to do with their gender.

Any cat can get aggressive if they meet a stranger in their territory, or are scared or confused. Female cats will stand up for themselves just as much as males and neutered male cats can still get into the occasional scrap. It really depends on how many cats are in your local area, as well as on your cats personality and mood. It could also come down to the health of your cat theyre more likely to lash out if theyre frightened or in pain.