Male Vs Female Kitten Parts
At 8 weeks, a kitten has not fully grown its genitalia. It might pose some difficulties, but the other parts of cat anatomy can help us figure out the cat gender. Try checking the following parts:
- Developing genitalia
You would be able to identify a female kitten if there is the presence of a teardrop or slit shape, while a male would manifest a circle shape.
- Fur Color
If you spot a kitten with a tri-colored fur color, chances are you came across a female kitten!
Although, this is placed lower in terms of reliability since this physical trait can mistake a male kitten for a female kitten. It is still highly recommended to check the two previous features.
Why Is It Important To Get Your Cat Fixed
Getting your cat fixed is of utmost importance when youre a pet owner. If you already have gotten your cat from the shelter, your cat might already have this surgery. If not, you will have to make arrangements with your local shelter or veterinarian.
So, what are the perks of spaying or neutering your cat?
- Prevents running away Cats that are fixed will not be inclined to run away, as they wont be out seeking a mate. Some cats might still wander off if given the opportunity, but the likelihood of venturing away and getting lost is a lot less.
- Prevents pregnancy Once you get your kitty fixed, you dont have to worry about any unwanted pregnancies. Finding suitable homes for an entire litter of kittens can be quite challenging. Many cats wind up in shelters or on the street due to a lack of care. You wouldnt want that happening to a litter of your precious kittens. The best preventative is to avoid pregnancy entirely unless you breed for show.
- Prevents spraying and marking When cats reach sexual maturity, both genders can spray to mark their territory and attract mates. Cat urine can be tough to get out of fabrics and other surfaces. Its best to avoid the behavior entirely. Spaying and neutering isnt always a solution to spraying behavior. Its best to always get your cat fixed before they reach six months of age. Because once it starts, it can be extremely challenging to get them to quit, if they quit at all.
What Should You Know Before Trying To Tell The Gender Of A Cat
The first thing you should know about cat gender is that it is very, very hard to tell for sure. In fact, there is no definitive way to tell the gender of a cat. Male cats, or mousers, tend to be muscular, often feline, and have bushy tails. Female cats, or sneakers, tend to be small and graceful, with slender bodies and short fur. But some female cats have tails, and some male cats have tails. Cats can be hairy, so a cat with a hairy, bushy tail might look like a male cat, or a cat with a short, slender tail might look like a female. There are a number of other characteristics that can help you tell the gender of a cat. For example, male cats usually have a higher frequency of purring, while female cats usually purr more softly.
Recommended Reading: How To Heal An Open Wound On A Cat
First A Primer On Cat Ages
Before we dive into how to tell a cat’s age, let’s first review the cat age stages. Six stages comprise a cat’s life. From 0-6 months, they are kittens. Kittens are small, adorable, and always exploring so that they can learn more about their environment. From 7-24 months, felines enter the junior stage. Juniors are becoming more independent and getting ready for the transition to being in their prime years.
After two years, a cat is in its prime. This time is when your cat will be the most alert and will have the most ability. They’ll be in this phase until they hit the seven-year mark. At seven years, your cat will be mature. After ten years, they’ll be senior. Finally, after fifteen years, they’ll be geriatric.
So, when looking for how to tell a cat’s age, really what you’re trying to do is figure out in which of these age buckets they fall. It’s tough to tell the difference between a seven-month-old cat and an eight-month-old cat, but, as we’ll see, it’s relatively easy to determine whether your cat is in its junior years or if it’s of the senior cat age.
How Can I Tell The Gender Of A Cat
Recognising the gender of a cat can be quite a challenge. After all, the differences between a female cat and a male cat are not all that great. This is especially true for kittens, in which the sexual organs are not yet properly developed.
How you can still tell the gender of a cat is explained below.
Also Check: Why Do Cats Knead The Bed
Once Youve Decided That Its The Right Time Gently Pick Up Your Kitten And Proceed To The Next Steps
- Place the kitten on its front on a soft non-slip surface like a towel.
- Lift up the kittens tail so that you can visually inspect the perineal area .
- In younger kittens and in some older kittens, it can be hard to distinguish this difference, so instead, focus on the distance between the two orifices.
- Once you have divided the kittens into a male group and a female group, double-check them by having a quick look again to ensure that each individual in the group has a similar appearance.
Mobility And Activity Levels
Older cats love to sleep, while kittens love to play. While some older cats are spry and active, generally speaking, the more mature the cat is, the more sedentary it will be.
Senior cats and kittens need to sleep approximately the same amount of time each day – 20 hours. Adult cats, on the other hand, need to rest between 12-15 hours per day. Again, much of this is cat-dependent, but if you take a few days to time how much your cat is sleeping, you should get a rough idea of if they are an adult cat or a senior one.
Recommended Reading: Miele Upright Cat And Dog Vacuum
Role Of Hormones In Growth
Usually, if you dont plan on breeding your cats, youll get your male cat neutered before 1 year of age.
For male cats, neutering them before 1-year-old will prevent them from developing:
- Extra muscle
- Thicker heads
- Bigger heads
This is because neutering will remove the testes, which are the main source of testosterone. This hormone is responsible for muscle growth and strength.
Testosterone stimulates other growth hormones to be produced. Increased growth hormone levels in a male cat promote higher bone density and bone marrow.
This further adds to an unfixed cats size difference, and its why a male could feel heavier than a female cat. It also explains why males have a blockier and sturdier build and more muscle.
However, even if male cats are neutered, they tend to have bigger heads than females. According to Reproduction in Domestic Animals, 2 groups of male cats were neutered one group at 7 weeks and the other group at 7 months. Both groups of fixed male cats had a 13% greater bone radius than intact females.
It was also found that there was a higher likelihood of fractures in fixed male cats because neutering inhibits the exaggerated bone growth and density seen in unfixed males.
Therefore, male cats have larger and thicker bones than females, fixed or unfixed.
How To Tell If A Kitten Is A Boy Or Girl: Coat Color
Ginger or orange cats, on the other hand, are often male. Three-quarters of ginger cats are male, so while the percentages arent as high as for calico cats, theres still a high chance that your ginger kitten will be male.
With any color, its worth confirming with a check of each kittens genitals when you can handle them safely.
Don’t Miss: When A Cat Lays On You
Male Cat Vs Female Cat Behavior
Distinguishing cat gender is not limited to the physical and anatomical aspects of the cats we can take into account the differences in their behaviors.
- Contrary to belief, males are actually the ones who are more expressive of love towards others! Despite their loving nature, though, they are more prone to being active and may even ask for attention.
- Females are known to be more silent and tend to act calmly when confronted. Although, this can be a different case when they are in heat.
Due to this event being a painful experience, they may become easily irritated. They can be on par with the energy of male cats.
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.
Read Also: How Do I Move My Cat Across The Country
Are Animal Shelters A Good Place To Get Your Cat
Yes, animal shelters are a great place to get your cat. They are often full of cats of all ages, shapes, and sizes, and most animal shelters have staff who are knowledgeable about cats and can help you find the perfect feline friend. Animal shelters also typically have low adoption fees, which makes them a more affordable option than buying a cat from a breeder or pet store. And best of all, when you adopt a cat from an animal shelter, youre saving that cats life!
Do Male And Female Cats Have Different Facial Features
The common trend in male versus female cats is that males are larger and heavier. They have blockier, sturdier bone and body structures. Meanwhile, females are smaller and lighter with more slender physical features. However, depending on the breed of feline, this isnt always accurate.
Read Also: Best Clumping Cat Litter For Automatic Litter Boxes
How To Tell The Gender Of A Cat
There is a certain level of beauty to the beauty of a cat. A cuddly, beautiful cat is something that everyone can enjoy and is so cute that they want to hug it. But there are different ways to identify the gender of a cat. Cats are well known for changing their gender over the years and some cats tend to be more female than others. There are certain ways you can identify a cats gender. Of course, the most obvious way to tell is by looking at the genitals. But if you look closer, other aspects of the cat will also give you a clue as to their gender. The color of the cats eyes also gives you an idea as to the gender of the cat. A female cats eyes tend to be more blue than green, while a male cats eyes tend to be more green than blue.
How Do You Recognise The Gender Of Adult Cats
Despite all the similarities, there are definitely gender-related differences in adult cats that can help to determine the gender. Male cats are usually larger and more muscular than female cats. They also have a rather round and large head, whereas cats usually have a smaller and narrower head.
However, this is often of little help in determining the cats gender if you only have one four-legged friend in front of you and therefore lack the means of comparison. For an undoubted determination of the gender of adult cats, you have to take a look at the sexual organs, just as you do with kittens.
Recommended Reading: How Old For Kitten Shots
Male Vs Female Cats: Appearance
One of the most noticeable differences between male and female cats is size. Male cats are usually larger and heavier than female cats. This is particularly obvious if the male was not neutered until after sexual maturity was reached.
Additionally, male cats tend to have large, wide cheeks and a more rounded face than females. This is because of the testosterone in the males. Large cheeks are used to signal physical fitness and strength to other cats both male and female. This can signal readiness for a fight with other males as well as to attract females. Males often retain these large cheeks even after they are neutered.
How To Determine A Kittens Age
If youve helped rescue a few kittens or found a stray litter that you want to support, its a good idea to find out how old the kittens are. This can help you work out what specific care they need.
Its worth noting that stray kittens should never be separated from their mother or removed from their nest before you establish if the mother is coming back. Before you do anything, contact your local animal rescue organization for advice.
If youre looking for a quick summary to find out how old is my kitten and key milestones of their growth, weve included a checklist at the bottom of the article!
You May Like: Fiber For Cats With Diarrhea
Male Vs Female Cats: Urine Marking
Although not every male cat does it , urine marking outside of the litter box is a notable difference between males and females. Quite simply, this is because males have much more reason to do it than females. Urine marking is when a cat sprays a small amount of urine onto a surface. Just like big cats in the wild do, domestic cats spray urine to mark their territory and state their presence in the area.
However, cats also use it to send other messages, such as to advertise that they are looking for a mate. Therefore, unneutered males are far more likely to urine mark as they are driven by their testosterone. But even neutered males can still do it too. Even some females urine mark but they are far less likely to do so than males.
How To Tell A Cat’s Age: Look At Their Teeth
Teeth are a fantastic indicator of a cat’s age. First, all teeth don’t come in for a cat until they hit approximately six months, so if you look inside of their mouth and have any teeth missing, you know you have a kitten. Second, if you have an adult cat with all their teeth, you can sometimes tell the feline’s age by looking at the stains. As they eat more, their teeth become more stained. Therefore, if you see pearly whites, you have a younger cat. If you see older teeth, there’s a chance that you’re looking at a more elderly feline.
Of course, this method is a mere approximation, but it can at least help you get a hunch about how old the cat might be.
Also Check: Cat Vomiting Brown Smelly Liquid
How Do You Tell The Age Of A Cat
The best way to tell a cat’s age is to observe its behavior. Older and very young cats need to sleep a lot more. Cats that are in their prime need the least amount of sleep. Young cats have loads of energy and love to play. Older cats might just head to their sleeping space. Observing activity alone will give you a pretty good sense as to what age the cat is.
Check out our and follow me on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date!
How To Tell Cat Gender By Face
By: Author Sarah Davis
Although its not an exact science, its possible to tell the difference between male and female cats by other means.
Cats exhibit a degree of sexual dimorphism, with this being more or less pronounced in different breeds. Females tend to be smaller than males.
Perhaps most distinctive, though, are the facial differences between male and female cats. With practice, you can often distinguish between the sexes.
How to tell cat gender by face: Male cats tend to have a more rounded, fuller face than females. The cheek pads on a male cat develop more, especially in an entire male, giving these cats a jowly look. Female cats tend to have a few narrower face with a more delicate muzzle.
Youve landed on this page because you want to learn how to distinguish between male and female cats. Perhaps you cant get near enough to perform a genital inspection. Maybe the cat is a stray and wont let you get close, or perhaps youre curious about a neighbours pet.
Read Also: What To Do About Cat Dandruff