How to tell if a cat is male or female

Female kittens genitals look more like an upside-down exclamation mark. It can be difficult to determine if cats are male or female.

In kittens of similar size the distance between the anus and the genital opening is greater in the male than the female.

How to tell if a cat is male or female. 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 12 inch apart on an adult its a female. The first step we must follow to tell if a cat is male or female is to pick up the cat and put it on its back with its bottom facing towards you so that you can check its genitals which are close to this area.

For female cats its easy to recognize because the vulva is located just behind the anus. Although they are separate there is. The surest way to tell the difference between a male and female cat is by examining the cats physical features below its tail.

Begin by looking for male genital features which can. Lift the kittens tail. The opening just under the tail is the anus.

Below the anus is the genital opening which is round in males and is a vertical slit in females. In kittens of similar size the distance between the anus and the genital opening is greater in the male than the female. Male kitten 8 weeks old.

Female kitten 8 weeks old. A female Maine coon cat will be bigger than a male Siamese. Even if the cats are in the same breed a female can be unusually large and a male can be unusually small.

Even a tomcat might find his sister from the same litter getting bigger than him. For the most part males will be bigger but breed health and heredity are all contributing factors. 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. While both male and female cats like to explore male cats tend to take longer trips than their female counterparts and can be gone for days at a time.

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Female kittens genitals look more like an upside-down exclamation mark. The round anus sits at the top and is closely followed by the vaginal slit. The gap between the genital opening and the anus is more pronounced in male kittens than females.

You may find that as you examine different kittens it becomes easier to tell the difference. Check the distance between the openings. Female kittens have a lesser anogenital distance than do males so you can use the distance to distinguish the sexes.

The scrotal sac is located underneath the anus in the male cat followed by the penis which is housed in a sheath. The following two images can help you to determine if a cat is male or female. Anatomically a spayed female will look the same as an entire female as the internal reproductive organs are removed in the female.

Answer 1 of 50. You cant determine a cats gender with 100 certainty without looking at their genitalia. However you can make educated guesses on some cats.

Over 99 of all calicos and tortoiseshell cats are females. Males do exist but they are very rare. It can be difficult to determine if cats are male or female.

The easiest and quickest way to tell is by looking at the space between the anus and the genital opening. Female Females have less than ½ inch between the anus and the genital opening. If she is spayed you may see a surgery scar on her stomach but you cant.

There are some basic differences between male and female cats that are largely centered around their hormones. For example an intact male cat has a very strong urge to reproduce. Male cats have.

It can be difficult to distinguish between male and female kittens especially when they are just a few days old. The most reliable way is to look at the shape of the genital opening and the distance to the anus. When you have a litter of kittens it can be particularly helpful to compare littermates.

Sexing kittens who are under 8 weeks of age is even more difficult because the structures you are looking at are tiny and relatively underdeveloped. Thankfully kittens this young should still be with their littermates and comparing same-aged individuals can really help you determine what male and female kitten anatomy looks like. Jan 28 2008.

A male is probably the easiest to care for and the least expensive to neuter which you should definitely do before he reaches 6 months of age. An unneutered male cat or a female cat in heat are both miserable things to live with. You know the biological differences between male and female cats but you may wonder if one sex is better than the other when it comes to picking a new feline friend to join your family.

Exploring the contrasts between strutting toms and purring moms may help you choose a cat that better fits your lifestyle and personality. Outrageous male cat behavior is suppressed when he is neutered. At a distance The sniff test.

If the male cat is seeking females he will spray in the vicinity. Cat urine serves. English uses gender specific nouns for male or female.

For exampleA tomcat is a male cat. A female cat is called a molly if they have kittens they are called a. A comprehensive poll of feline veterinary practitioners several years ago actually rated male cats as more affectionate than female cats.

Male cats are often more friendly than female cats says Susan Saffron author of several books on pets and founder of the National Association of Pet Rescue Professionals.