How Do You Know if a Cat Is a Girl or a Boy

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Male and female cats and kittens look and deed similarly, and then it can be difficult to tell what sexual practice they are just by watching their behavior. If you know what to look for, nonetheless, there are several key differences that will let you to differentiate betwixt the sexes. Newborn kittens will accept young genitalia, so wait until the cats are a few weeks erstwhile to determine their sex.

1. 1

   Approach the cat or kitten with care. To ascertain the sex of a cat or kitten, it's necessary to pick the cat upwardly. Some cats don't similar to be handled, so take a picayune time to let him or her get comfortable around you.

   • Stand up or crouch almost the cat and let him or her approach y'all. When the cat comes close, let him or her sniff your hand.
   • If the cat seems nervous, you may have to come dorsum later or accept a partner help you with the next footstep.

2. 2

   Lift the true cat's tail. Gently option up the true cat and cradle him or her in ane arm. Use your free hand to lift the tail so you can examine the genital area.

   • If the cat doesn't mind being handled, this may exist easiest to perform while sitting on a chair or the couch, so you don't have to worry about dropping the cat.
   • If you're working with a partner, take the partner hold the true cat securely in both arms while y'all lift the tail.
   • If the true cat avoids having his or her tail lifted, try scratching him or her in the surface area where the tail meets the back. Cats ordinarily lift their tails when they are touched in this spot.^[1]

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3. 3

   Look for genitalia characteristic of a male person true cat. The surest way to tell the difference between a male and female true cat is by examining the true cat'southward physical features below its tail. Begin by looking for male person genital features, which can be somewhat easier to spot.

   • A male cat volition have an anus, scrotum, and penis, while a female cat volition have merely an anus and urinary tract opening.
   • In an entire (or tom) true cat, the scrotum is covered with fur and contains 2 testicles, each typically ranging in size from the size of cherry-red pits to actual cherries. The scrotum sticks out from the male cat'southward rear equally a fairly obvious pair of bumps. If the cat has long fur, this can make the scrotum more than difficult to meet, in which case try dampening the fur with water to flatten it down and make the scrotum more obvious.
   • A neutered male person cat will still have a scrotum, though it will typically be smaller.^[two]
   • The penis is sited below the scrotum, beneath the skin, and exits at a small furry mound between the cat'due south thighs. You might imagine a male cat's genitalia resembling a colon (:).
   • A male true cat's anus and urinary tract opening are at least one inch (2.5 cm) apart, or ⁱ⁄₂ inch (i.iii cm) for kittens.

4. iv

   Look for ballocks characteristic of a female person cat. If the cat's genitalia doesn't appear to match that of a male person cat, begin looking for female traits.

   • A female person cat will have an anus and a urinary tract opening/vulva, with the vulva in the shape of a vertical slit. You tin imagine a female cat's genitalia as resembling a semi-colon (;).^[3]
   • A female person cat will have a shorter distance betwixt anus and vulva, typically about ^one⁄_two inch (ane.3 cm) autonomously.

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1. 1

   Check the color. If you take a litter of kittens, look at the color of the cats; some true cat colorations are sexual activity-specific and tin can assistance y'all determine the sex of the cat.

   • Cats that are calico or tortoiseshell colored are typically female.
   • More orange or ginger colored cats are male person than female, but this is not an authentic way to determine a cat'due south sex.^[4]

2. 2

   Watch for sex-specific behaviors among intact (not neutered or spayed) cats. Information technology's easier to tell the sex of intact cats, since they naturally display the habits and characteristics of their sex activity.

   • Male person cats that have not been neutered tend to be more aggressive than females and to have larger heads and thick skin. They like to roam, sometimes leaving for a few days at a time. They mark their territory by spraying it with strong-smelling urine.^[five]
   • Female person cats are less likely to spray their environs.

3. three

   Watch for signs that the true cat is in heat or is or has been significant. Female cats that have not been spayed volition go into rut, a state of fertility that enables them to become significant, every 3-five weeks during warm weather (or in a firm that's climate controlled). Cats in oestrus display recognizable behaviors:

   • Making vocal sounds to concenter males. The cat may sound like it is in pain or whining.
   • Moving the tail to the side to show genitalia or crouching into a receptive posture. The vulva may be secreting a clear discharge.
   • Rubbing up confronting inanimate objects, owners, or other animals more than than usual.^[6]
   • Pregnant female cats have depression-hanging, distended bellies.
   • Female cats that have given birth may have nipples that protrude from their bellies. Be careful when using nipples to make up one's mind sexual activity, since both male and female person cats have nipples.

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Add New Question

• Question

  I have a ginger, polydactyl cat that is affectionate and loves cuddles. My other true cat is besides ginger and is submissive to the commencement cat. Is that i male too?

  

  Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the Academy of Glasgow in 1987 with a caste in veterinarian medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.

  

  Veterinarian

  Proficient Answer

  Ginger cats tin can be male or female, and both male and female person cats can be submissive to others; therefore, it's not possible to tell what gender your cat is based on this data alone. Your best bet is to compare the rear ends of both cats, and see if they are the same (both male) or different (one male, one female person.) If it's tricky to concord both at once, try taking a picture on your telephone.

• Question

  Is information technology possible for a male kitten's ballocks to exist closer than an inch to the anal opening?

  

  Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinary with over 30 years of feel in veterinary surgery and companion brute practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinarian medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same brute clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.

  

  Veterinary

  Expert Respond

  Yes, if the kitten is small. Information technology's frequently helpful with young kittens to compare the separation of the openings with others of the aforementioned age. Often this makes things a lot clearer.

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• The best way to determine the sexual activity of a true cat is to look at the genitalia. Noticing personality differences is not the virtually authentic way to determine a cat's sex, since most experts merits that it'due south a myth that male and female cats have personality differences.

• If y'all're working solo, consider wearing leather gloves and a long-sleeved shirt to protect yourself from scratches when doing a physical examination.

• If the cat doesn't know you or is a scared stray, don't endeavor to practise a physical examination. Wait until the cat becomes comfortable with you lot, or take it to meet a vet.

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Article Summary X

To determine the sexual practice of a cat, approach the animal advisedly and slowly to permit it get comfy with you earlier you pick it up. One time you take the cat in your arms, concord information technology with one hand and so that its paws are facing the basis, and then gently lift its tail so you lot tin can come across the genital area. Look at this expanse to see if the cat has a scrotum, which will wait similar 2 hairy bumps under the anus. If it does, the cat is male. If the cat doesn't have a scrotum and you can encounter an anus and a urinary tract opening, the cat is female. For communication on determining the cat's sex through colour patterns and behavioral differences, read on!

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