How to determine the sex of a kitten: instructions for owners

At what age is gender determined?

Differences in the anatomical structure of kittens of different sexes exist and can be determined from birth. The main helpers in determining the gender of a small pet are:

1. Age of the kitten: the older the baby, the easier it is to determine the gender.
2. The person conducting the examination has experience with kittens.
3. The ability to compare the anatomical features of several kittens.

Sexual characteristics of newborn kittens

A veterinarian or an experienced breeder who delivers several cat births annually accurately determines the gender of each kitten immediately after its birth. Of course, in newborn kittens there are only anatomical differences.

It’s easy to use knowledge of how professionals distinguish them if:

• you are observant;
• have good eyesight;
• your beloved kitty has given you a sufficient number of kittens, among which, with a high degree of probability, there are both seals and female cats - for comparison.

The appearance of the reproductive organs of a newborn cat has characteristic features:

1. The openings of the “causal places” have the shape of a colon.
2. The distance between the anus and the penis is 1-1.5 cm (possibly more if we are talking about kittens of large breeds).
3. If you look closely, you can see the scrotum.

Anatomical details of the corresponding organs of newborn cats:

1. The appearance of the anal opening and loop (vulva) is similar to a semicolon or the letter i.
2. The distance between the holes is 0.5-0.7 cm for medium-sized breeds.
3. The hair in the area between the holes is usually less dense in female cats than in their brothers.

How to tell a boy's kitten from a girl's

How to determine the age of a kitten: basic methods and calculation options

When talking about how to determine the gender of a kitten, it is important to understand the rules of examination, what you can and cannot do during the process. It is important to follow the following rules:

• if the kitten is a week old, or even less, you need to hold it carefully, without squeezing the body and, thereby, without causing injury;
• Place the kitten on its back, gently lifting its tail. This should be done without sudden movements;
• if there is no urgency in determining whether it is a cat or a kitty, you should wait a month when external sexual characteristics are clearly visible;
• When determining the gender of a kitten, in order to recognize whether it is a cat or a cat, you should perform a minimum of manipulations to prevent stress in your pet.

Animal safety comes first

How to separate a cat from a cat at a young age? Simply, the main thing is not to do the following actions, so as not to injure the animal:

• lifting the animal by the tail or holding it carelessly, this can cause injury;
• do not tear the animal away from feeding for inspection or hold it in your hands for too long, since by interrupting the smell of the animal, you can provoke the cat’s refusal of the baby;
• You should not hold it in your hands for a long time, allowing hypothermia, this is fraught with severe inflammation;
• Do not press too hard in the genital area. This will not make the genitals visible any better, but it is easy to injure the internal organs, causing their displacement and improper formation.

Following the rules will make the inspection easier and will not harm the animal.

Tactile palpation of the genitals

How to find out the gender of a kitten? Can be determined by palpating the genital area. Until the first sign begins to visually appear - the testicles, they are carefully palpated. If the testicle is palpable, it is a boy, if not, it is a girl.

How can a testicle be identified? You need to carefully move your middle and index fingers together over the perineal area. The presence of a pea-shaped formation of 3-5 mm in the area between the genitals and anus indicates a boy; if there is none, then it is a girl.

Note! This method of sex determination can be used at any age of the animal.

In the face

How can you tell if a kitten is a boy or a girl? Look at the animal's face. Cats are distinguished by wide facial expressions, plus everything is thinner and softer, it has a small oval, while a cat has wider cheekbones and a nose, a rough shape.

Determining sex by face and habits is too difficult for a novice breeder

By habits

To distinguish a boy's kitten from a girl's, you can take a closer look at its behavior and habits. And here, too, there are rules:

• even a month-old cat is more active than a female. This is due to the psychology of the animal world and the dominance of the stronger;
• the cat will always try to lead in the game, occupy a dominant position: climb to higher places in the room, be the first to demand food, actively defending the bowl or mother’s nipple;
• a cat is more capricious in character, it can be difficult to find a common language with her, boys are more flexible in character and behavior;
• in cats, impudence in behavior predominates, they will be the first to run to food, toys, mother, in girls - wariness;
• If you take your pet by the collar, as the mother cat does, the boy will definitely hiss. If the animal perceives such a technique calmly and without aggression, it is a cat;
• girls are more clean: they constantly lick their lips and choose clean places to sleep; boys are less scrupulous in matters of hygiene and can scratch furniture, thus marking their territory.

These are indirect signs indicating the sex of the kitten; you can definitely find out if you are a female cat by 3-4 months.

According to the shape of the genitals

How to determine a cat or cat more accurately? You can recognize it by the shape of the genitals. Veterinarians call this method of distinguishing gender the most reliable after the DNA test. What will a cat's genitals look like:

• the holes have the appearance of a colon;
• the distance between the penis and anus is 1-1.5 cm. For large breeds, these figures may be slightly larger;
• the scrotum is clearly visible.

How to determine the sex of a cat by its genitals? You need to pay attention to the following anatomical details:

• the appearance of the anus and the loop resembles a sign - a semicolon or the Ukrainian letter of the alphabet i;
• the distance between the loop and the anus is 0.5-0.7 cm. In large breeds, these figures may be slightly larger;
• The hair in the genital area is less dense than that of a boy.

Both the owner of a mother cat and anyone who wants to have a small kitten in their home can check the presence/absence of such differences.

By voice

One of the methods for determining the sex of a kitten is by voice. It is believed that cats have a lower baritone voice, while cats have a higher pitched voice. Although in reality you should not rely on this method, since some cats can have rather low voices, especially large breeds. And, conversely, cats can have a high timbre.

By body structure

You can also check the animal’s build: cats are more fragile and smaller in build, unlike cats. Also, the skull of a cat, the muzzle itself is smaller than that of cats. Cats have a wider chest and massive paws, but much in this case depends on the breed, the individual characteristics of the animal itself: if the parents were large, the kitten will inherit their genetics in body structure.

It is easy to make a mistake in determining gender based on body structure.

Sex determination in the first weeks

The older kittens become, the more obvious their primary sexual characteristics become. You can accurately determine the sex at the age of 2 months - by the clearly visible scrotum in cats and its absence in females. At the age of several weeks, additional methods of determining sex appear:

• seals become noticeably more active than cats;
• cats more often display dominant behavioral traits and a desire to lead in games;
• more successful results in boys’ struggle for their mother’s nipples during feeding, and later for the best pieces in the bowl.

It is important to consider: the listed signs can only indicate, but not prove, that the kitten belongs to the intended gender.

Determining gender by age

One of the most accurate methods for determining the sex of a baby is a DNA test. Only in this case can you accurately determine the sex of the baby. This method is used by professional breeders of purebred cats, since the cost of this technique is extremely high.

In newborn kittens

A visual examination is not 100% accurate, but it is quite accurate, because newborn kittens do not have hair in the genital area, and it will not be difficult to see the gender. It is best to examine the kitten when it is still wet. The distance in males between the anus and the urinary canal is about 9-11 mm. In females, the distance is from 3 to 6 mm.

How to prepare for a kitten exam

Before inspection you must:

1. Wash your hands thoroughly with unscented soap.
2. Be sure to make sure your hands are warm.
3. Prepare the inspection site: it should be comfortable and well lit.
4. Ensure a calm environment in the room where the inspection will be carried out.

What you can do:

1. If a kitten was born in your home, you need to make sure that the mother cat calmly allows access to the kittens.
2. Before the examination, ensure the kitten is calm, treat it gently, hold it in both palms, gently stroke it, calm the baby enough so that it is not afraid and does not tuck its tail to its stomach. Ideally, choose a moment when the kitten is well-fed and sleepy.
3. Conduct an inspection: turn the kitten belly up, holding it in the palm of your hand and gently holding its hind legs and tail with your fingers.

What not to do:

1. You should not take a baby away from a cat if she is nervous, angry, or feeding kittens.
2. Carry out the inspection roughly, using force, if the kitten resists: press, pull by the paws or tail, hold by the fold of skin in the area of ​​the withers (by the scruff of the neck).
3. Inspect without washing off the skin for extraneous artificial odors that irritate cats (soap, detergent, perfume).
4. Inspect with cold hands. We remind you: the body temperature of cats is more than 2 degrees higher than that of humans. The normal human temperature of cool fingertips is perceived by a small kitten as an icy hot water bottle, which can cause the entire examination to go down the drain. If necessary, use a clean towel heated with an iron or a warm rubber heating pad wrapped in a towel or diaper, and try to warm your hands during the examination.

Approximately

To determine the sex of a kitten by eye, you need to carefully place it on your palm with its belly down and lift its tail.
Do everything quickly, but carefully: look at it and give it to your mother. Under the tail you will see this picture. This photo doesn't tell the average person much. But if you know a few subtleties, everything will become obvious. On the left in the photo is a boy, on the right is a girl.

In female cats, the distance between the anus and genitals is smaller than in males: in males it is 1.5-2 cm. The round tubercle in a boy is ungrown testicles, under them there is another point - the penis. In a small cat, the vertical slit (vulva) is located almost close to the anus. Relatively speaking, cats look like a colon (:), and kitties look like an inverted letter i.

But without practice, it is still difficult to determine the gender of a Scottish and British kitten. To do this, you need to review several babies and compare. However, it is better not to carry out such manipulations again with very small ones, but to wait for at least 4 weeks, when the kittens can be safely picked up and not harm them in any way. Boys' testicles become noticeable at 10-12 weeks.

Definition by gender

If the sex of the kitten is not determined after birth, the next convenient age for examination is 1 week. Even if the baby belongs to the breed of long-haired cats, by this age he has already grown up enough, but has not yet sufficiently dressed himself in a fur coat, his eyes remain closed (which ensures greater calm during the examination). Visual differences at this age remain, but they are more pronounced than immediately after birth.

An indirect way that caring breeders determine differences is through measurements. They are maintained from the moment of birth and are carried out daily, with records about each kitten. To take measurements you need:

• electronic balance;
• “marking” kittens, if there are several of them (green stuff is often used to mark the paws if the kittens cannot be distinguished otherwise);
• notebook.

The kittens are weighed one at a time at the same time of day and records are taken. Quite often, cats gain weight noticeably faster than cats.

This cannot be considered an accurate method of determination, but the identified pattern can serve as a hint.

Probing is also considered one of the indirect methods. When examining the kitten, gently run your fingertip over the kitten's belly: in seals, unlike female cats, a bulge is felt.

Tactile determination of the sex of a kitten

One of the most effective ways to determine the sex of a newborn kitten is to palpate the genitals. This method can be used almost from the very birth of the kitten. The fact is that even if the kitten’s testicles are not visible, they are still initially formed and can be carefully felt. To do this, you just need to gently move your closed fingers in the genital area. The main thing is to do this without putting pressure on the genitals, carefully and without pressure. Thus, you can feel small pea-shaped formations in the genital area; these formations are the future testicles. The size of such pea-shaped formations is no more than half a centimeter.

Determining gender in other ways

There are several other methods for determining whether a kitten belongs to one gender or another. Below we will look at which are reliable and to what extent.

By color

A very reliable method if we are talking about a tortoiseshell kitten: black, blue-cream or patchwork (tri-color) “tortoise”. A tortoiseshell kitten is 99% of the time a cat. This is explained by the fact that all colors without exception are formed by two genes - “black” and “red” (red). Blue and cream colors are “lightened” blacks and reds.

The color gene is always transmitted by the female X chromosome, so there can be no discrepancies in cats: XY - one color, black or red, transmitted by the mother. Cats have two chromosomes carrying color genes: XX - therefore, it is possible to transmit either red or black genes, or both at the same time, which gives the tortoiseshell color.

Tortoiseshell boys are born very rarely, and their color is a genetic deviation (extra X chromosome: XXY - giving the wrong second color gene). Therefore, “tri-colored” cats are born sterile. All other colors are normal for both sexes.

By voice

With a certain stretch, one can consider the method effective: it is believed that cats have more low overtones in their voices, and cats have more high ones. In fact, quite a few cats have a rather gentle contralto voice, and the voices of some cats, on the contrary, sound menacing and not at all feminine.

In the face

It is believed that the outlines of the girl’s face are more subtle and soft, while the “portrait” of the cat is sculpted roughly, with wider cheekbones and the back of the nose. In reality, the method, of course, cannot be considered reliable. “Facial features,” like in humans, are inherited from parents. Which makes it more than likely both the subtle aristocratic features of the cat’s appearance and the harsh features of some four-legged young ladies.

Moreover, there are breeds of cats (a striking example is the Maine Coon), whose breed phenotype obliges them to look like wild, angry predators, regardless of gender. There are also breeds of graceful, fine-boned cats, the characteristics of which are reflected in the features of the males enough to confuse the untrained eye.

By weight

Weight is a criterion by which it is theoretically possible to determine the sex of an animal, but the reliability of the method is very low. It can be considered more or less reliable in two cases:

1. If daily control weighings of the litter show a consistently high weight gain of some kittens compared to others (indicators vary for different breeds and individual body characteristics of animals).
2. If size and weight are breed-forming characteristics and significantly exceed the values ​​​​possible for cats, with a high degree of probability the luxurious dimensions belong to the representative of the stronger half. The disadvantage of this method is that by the time they reach the indicative size and weight, the animals have already grown enough to easily determine gender based on anatomical characteristics.

Veterinary method

You can accurately find out the gender of a kitten by contacting a veterinary clinic. If a visual examination by an experienced veterinarian does not allow accurate results (for example, when the length and thickness of a very small kitten’s fur “confuses the indications”), there is always the opportunity to donate blood for a test. It makes sense to resort to this method when it is the only way, and for some reason the result needs to be known urgently.

How can you determine the sex of a newborn kitten?

The gender of a recently born kitten can be determined in different ways.

Determination of sex by the structure and location of the genitals

If you know what the division of sexes is based on, then determining the gender of born kittens will not be difficult. To do this, you need to take the baby in your hands and look under his tail.

The reproductive organs, known as reproductive organs, are called genitals in medical terminology (genitale translates as “child-bearing”). When used in a narrower sense, genitalia refers to the external genitalia.

In newborns

It is best to carry out the procedure immediately after the birth of the newborn baby. In this case, the fur will still be wet and not completely dry. When kittens are fluffy, it is more difficult to determine their gender. Under the tail you can see two excretory canals: one of them serves as the outlet from the rectum (anus), the second is the outlet of the urinary system.

First of all, you should carefully look at how these holes are located in the baby. The distance separating both of these exits for a cat is approximately one centimeter. It is in that place that his scrotum is located. The size of this distance for a cat does not exceed three millimeters.

The holes also differ in shape: in females they are oblong, in cats they are oval or round. In other words, a conditional colon can be seen under the cat’s tail, and in a cat you can see something similar to an inverted exclamation mark (dash and dot).

It's easier to determine gender if you compare several kittens

Reaching ten days of age

This period for male cats is characterized by the growth of hairs between the anus and genital openings. The small distance separating the cat's genitals has virtually no hair. If the baby belongs to a furry breed, identifying his gender can cause difficulties, because every day the fur will cover his genitals more and more.

Age about one and a half months or more

At this time, the cat's genitals become clearly visible. In females, an anus with a narrow slit is visible, and in males it is already possible to detect the testicles, as well as the foreskin.

The genitals of a cat and a cat are already clearly distinguishable at two months

Before purchasing a small cat of a certain gender, you should look under its tail to understand who it is. The use of this method of gender recognition in newborn kittens, depending on the shape and location of the genital openings, is found to be most effective. The probability that the gender of a recently born baby will be reliably determined is 90%.

How to hold your baby correctly

To avoid injury and stress, a visual examination of the baby should be carried out as follows:

1. A newborn kitten is picked up and warmed up for a few minutes, allowing it to calm down.

   
   Even in warm human hands, kittens can become hypothermic without their mother’s fluffy coat, so babies should not be disturbed often

2. Then carefully transfer it to a towel, placing it on the tummy or on the back.
3. After which the tail is carefully lifted or moved aside and the genitals are examined.

If you lightly massage or scratch the kitten's rump, he will instinctively raise his tail.

Cat cubs should not be disturbed for such a procedure if their mother is against her offspring being touched, otherwise she will begin to constantly drag the cubs from one place to another in search of a secluded corner. If you were unable to determine the sex of the kitten the first time, then you should not repeat the procedure every five minutes.

Video: determining the sex of newborn kittens

Is it possible to determine gender by palpation?

You can determine what gender the kittens are by palpating the genitals. It is used almost immediately from the moment the cat babies are born. This method tactilely determines whether the baby has testicles.

To do this, you need to close your fingers - index and middle - and move them to the location of the genitals. If the kitten is male, then a pea-shaped formation with a diameter of 3 to 5 mm will be felt in the indicated place.

Muzzle shape

In order to recognize the gender of a feline, you need to carefully look at its face or body. This method should be used by avid cat lovers, otherwise, when determining the sex of a cat, a mistake can be made, especially if this is done for the first time.

Cats have a graceful, narrow and elongated muzzle. Cats have large heads. Their torso is more muscular.

Remember that the characteristics necessary to determine the sex of an animal using this method begin to appear in kittens much later than their birth.

DNA tests

Modern technologies used in medicine make it possible to determine the sex of cat cubs using a DNA test, which gives reliable results at absolutely any age. Conducting a study on identifying the sex of kittens using this method will require significant financial costs. The need for such a test will disappear after two or three months from the moment the kitten appears.

The study can be carried out in a veterinary clinic that has the necessary equipment. This method is used mainly by animal owners who raise and sell purebred kittens. To take the test, the kitten is scraped from the inside of its cheek. Such a study reveals belonging to a certain gender and a tendency to genetic diseases.

Coat color and thickness

The coat color of small kittens can tell with a high degree of probability what gender they are. This is especially true for the following colors:

• tortoiseshell, consisting of black, white, red flowers. Most often the owners of this color are female kittens. This is due to the transfer of these colors by the X chromosome, and for the appearance of three colors two such chromosomes are needed. Only cats have such quantities of them. Males have only one X chromosome. Therefore, cats cannot be tortoiseshell unless they are susceptible to rare cases of genetic diseases
• red in color, found predominantly in males. This happens with a 99% probability, but there are exceptions to the rule.

  
  There is an opinion that red kittens are boys, and tortoiseshell kittens are girls.

Males differ from female cats in the thickness of their fur only in the area where the genitourinary organs are located: male cats have a lot of it there, but female cats have virtually none.

Kitten sizes

Kitties are smaller in size than cats and more graceful. However, these signs are unlikely to help reliably identify the sex of a small kitten.

How to determine the sex of a kitten using traditional methods

Sometimes experts in this matter can recognize by their gaze which sex a small kitten belongs to. Wariness in the gaze is more common in cats, but seals are characterized by self-confidence. However, this method can hardly be called reliable.

The cats look warily, studying

Another ancient method is based on the habits of the animal. Place a saucer of milk in front of the kitten and observe its behavior after eating. If the baby modestly lowers its tail to the floor, it means it’s a female, but if it lifts it up triumphantly, it means it’s a male. The fact that the kitten is male can be judged by the stronger smell of urine.

Non-standard (folk) methods

Determining gender “by signs” is often as unreliable as some of the above. But it’s worth knowing about them, at least so that they don’t confuse you:

1. By the eyes. It is believed that “the look of a cat is impudent, but the look of a cat is modest.” As we understand, eyes are the mirror of the soul, and there are hardly fewer “arrogant” cats than cats.
2. The hair on the genitals is thicker in cats. The method is no longer a folk one, but rather a real observation of cat owners. However, when dealing with kittens, it is hardly possible to trust the density of infant fluff in “secluded places”.
3. A saucer of milk. One of the “grandmother’s” methods states that the cat will run to a bowl of milk, raising its tail vertically, and the cat, on the contrary, will lower it. It would be possible to look for real physiological justifications or refutations of this version, if not for one “but”. Contrary to popular belief, milk is harmful to cats and experimenting with it is not recommended. But with cream or sour cream - you can. True, popular beliefs are silent about them.

Traditional methods for determining the sex of kittens

Many cat breeders determine the sex of an animal using completely non-standard methods. For example, cat lovers are often able to understand who is in front of them, a cat or a cat, by the look of the animal. As a rule, cats have a more self-confident look, and female cats are more wary. However, it should be understood that this technique does not always work.

To finally confirm your opinion regarding the sex of the animal, you can pay attention to how the animal’s hair grows in the genital area. In males, the fur between the anus and genitals is quite thick, but in females it is practically absent.

There is another very old, but at the same time widespread method: you need to put a bowl of milk in front of the kitten and watch how the kitten drinks the milk and what position its tail is in. If the tail is raised up, then most likely there is a cat in front of you. If the tail, on the contrary, is lowered down and pressed to the body, then this is a female.

Sometimes a sign that the kitten in front of you is a boy can be the presence of a sharper and more pronounced smell of urine. Many cat lovers, thanks to their extensive experience, know other ways to determine the sex of a kitten, however, not every person will be able to use them. If you still cannot determine the sex of the baby on your own, you should contact a specialist.