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Kittens Gender, How to tell if its a boy kitten or
girl kitten
By Dr. Becker
Determining the sex of a cat, even if it's a tiny kitten,
is actually easier than many people think. In fact,
probably the trickiest thing about this undertaking
is convincing kitty that you mean no harm as you move
his/her tail out of the way to get a closer look at
those tiny private parts. For purposes of accuracy,
it's best to wait until a kitten is at least a month
old to try to determine its gender.
First Things First: Keeping Kitty Calm
It's very important to minimize stress on your cat
during this process. I recommend you engage in some
calm petting and maybe a little playtime before you
begin your gender identification project. If you're
a stranger to the cat, or it's very stressed or standoffish,
you may want to wait for a better time. You may also
want to ask someone to assist you by either gently holding
and cradling the kitty, or helping to move the tail
out of the way.
Another approach that might work is to scratch the
cat's back right at the base of the tail. Many cats
absolutely love to have that spot scratched, and automatically
lift their tail in response. If you're dealing with
a palm-sized kitten, you can try gently holding it on
its back in your hand. The tail may drop out of the
way, or you may have to move it.
It's a Boy! It's a Girl!
The goal so far, if you haven't guessed, is to get
a clear look at your cat's backend, which means the
tail must be out of the way. Once you have an unobstructed
view of kitty's backside, the first opening you'll see
right below the tail is the anus. This is true for both
males and females, and tells you zip about which yours
is, but it's a good point of reference!
It's the genital opening below the anus that tells
the tale. These openings are in slightly different spots,
and are slightly differently shapes in male and female
cats. If your cat is female, you'll find her genital
opening (vulva) immediately below her anus, and it will
be in the shape of a vertical slit.
If your cat is male, his genital opening (penis) will
be a noticeable distance from his anus — about
½ inch in kittens and 1 inch in adults —
and will be a rounded shape. The testicles of unneutered
mature males will be visible in the area between the
anal and genital openings. Voila!
Cheat Sheet for Sexing a Cat
Did you know the color of your kitten may give you
a clue to its gender? Almost all (but not ALL) calico
(black, white, and orange) and tortoise shell (black
and orange) kittens are females. Also, more orange kittens
are male than female.
NOTE: This article is for information only. See your
veterinarian for medical advice.
About the author: This pet-friendly article was brought
to you by Dr. Karen Becker, Mercola Healthy Pets resident
proactive and integrative wellness veterinarian. For
more pet care tips and to stay up to date with her latest
recommendations, visit HealthyPets.Mercola.com where
you can also get your FREE Homemade Treats for Healthy
Pets E-book today!
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