For many new pet owners, determining the cat’s gender can be a bit challenging. However, by observing certain behaviors and physical traits, you can easily figure out male vs female cats. In this article, we will help you determine your kitty’s gender with confidence.
Identifying the Genitals
The easiest way to determine the sex of your kitty is to identify the genitals. When identifying the genitals, make sure to make your kitty safe and comfortable, as it can be very stressful for them. Once you’ve made sure they’re all set, you can identify their gender based on these differences in genitalia:
Male kittens usually have an opening situated right under their anus. Many young male kittens have this opening as a tiny circular spot. As the male kitty grows, their testicles will grow in size as well. They will become far more noticeable and can be seen as tiny solid lumps.
On the other hand, in female kitties, the genital opening has a more vertical shape and becomes more visible as the kitty grows.
Older Kittens
Kittens take up to two months to reach the point of identification by their sex characteristics as they develop their sexual organs fully at the age of 8-10 weeks. This is the developmental stage where it is easy to tell whether a kitten is a male or a female.
For male kitties, their testicles start developing and the entire reproductive system starts moving down towards forming a scrotum. This process causes an increase in the visibility and the palpability of the scrotum. The distance separating the anus from the genital opening, or the penile opening of a male kitten also becomes more distinct.
Compared to male cat genitalia, female kittens have very little change in their genitalia as they grow. Their vulva remains as a small vertical slit located close to the anus.
Younger Kittens
Determining the sex of newborn kittens can be more challenging due to their undeveloped genitalia. Newborn kitties have similar genitalia, especially those under 6 weeks old. In these situations, careful observation and the help of a veterinarian may be needed to make an educated guess using subtle anatomical differences.
Coat Color
Although this way is not as accurate as observing genitalia, the coat color may suggest whether a kitten is male or female. There are certain breeds and genetic traits in which color is predetermined by the gender of an animal, however, such patterns are not constant and may be different.
Behavior
Observing your kitty’s behavior is often not a conclusive approach to gendering kittens. But, it can provide some indication of the kitten’s sex. While many male kittens are generally more aggressive and females more cautious and caring, these traits are often interchangeable. They can be absent in one kitten and expressed in another one, so it’s impossible to determine sex just by looking at one’s behavior.
Conclusion
To determine whether your kitty is a male or female cat, you have to observe the kitten closely and study their body structure. Out of all of the ways of determining the sex of a kitten, the most certain is to look at the genital area; nevertheless, this may prove to be rather difficult, especially if they are kittens, it might take some time before one can get a good look at the genital part of the cat.
It is advisable to consult a veterinarian or a professional breeder for more direction and to avoid having wrong information about sexing cats. Therefore, it is crucial to learn how to identify the sex of kittens so that proper pet care can be implemented.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do male cats have nipples?
Although male cats do not need the nipples to feed the kittens, the nipple glands remain functional, or rather supernumerary, throughout the cat’s lifespan.
How to tell gender in a kitten?
If you want to know if your kitten is male or female, ensure you hold the kitten’s tail up to assess the genital region; male kittens have a tiny, round hole next to the rectum while females have a larger, vertical opening.
