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How to recognize a male or female kitten

It's very complicated to differentiate the kittens from each other, they all look more or less alike, and suddenly, you wonder how to recognize a male or female kitten? However, whether it is at the breeder, in the litter of your cat or if you have found abandoned kittens, it is important to differentiate male from female kittens.

And it is true that it is easier to determine the sex of an adult cat than of a small kitten of a few weeks ... Indeed, the genitals of kittens are not as developed as those of adult cats, which makes the diagnosis of sex quite delicate even for experienced veterinarians.

So how do you know if a baby cat is male or female? Well, there are a few characteristic sex differences that can be seen in kittens as young as five weeks old. Behavior, coat color, genitals… Learn with this article how to recognize a male or female kitten.

Male or female kitten - At what age to examine a kitten?

Especially before taking a kitten in your hands, be sure not to disturb the mother-kitten bond which is quite exclusive during the first weeks of the kittens' life. If a kitten is handled too much during this time, the mother can then abandon her and stop breastfeeding her completely.

So don't be too impatient to determine the sex of the kitten (s). It will be best to wait at least 3 to 4 weeks before you start handling a kitten.

Male or female kitten - where to examine a kitten?

Because young kittens are very sensitive to the cold, to examine a kitten in the best conditions for it, you will need to choose a warm and quiet place because the noise could generate unnecessary stress.

Male or female kitten - How to examine a kitten?

2 things to know before examining a kitten:

  • A kitten is fragile: it must therefore be handled calmly and very gently;
  • A kitten is stressed when it is separated from its mother: It is therefore necessary to minimize its stress by gently stroking it and rubbing its back at the base of the tail.

If the kitten you want to examine seems panicked, postpone the examination until a later date and rest it warm against its mother. If it seems serene to you, you can handle it but not more than 5 minutes because it should not be separated from its mother for too long.

Male or female kitten - Identify the genitals

By slightly lifting the tail of the kitten, we can see its genitalia which is made up of 2 small holes. The upper one is the kitten's anus and the lower one is used to urinate.

The space between the two openings is different in the male kitten (more spaced out) than in the female kitten (closer together).

From the age of 3 to 4 weeks, some breeders and vets compare the appearance of kittens' genitals to punctuation marks.

The genitals of a baby cat female look like an “i” or an inverted exclamation point, with a vertical vaginal slit located just below the anus and very little space in between.

The genitals of a male baby cat look more like a colon ":".

Male or female kitten - Image genitals

Here is schematically what the genitals of a female kitten (left) and male kitten (right) look like at 8 weeks old.

diagram to recognize if a kitten is male or female

Often, when they are too young, this difference does not appear so distinctly and is not obvious. In males, for example, the testicles are not always visible. It is therefore necessary to carefully observe the space between the anus and the genital opening.

And to be sure, this first diagnosis will have to be completed with other clues that reveal the sex of a kitten (see below).

Know if your kitten is male or female - Pelage

Another way (simpler but not necessarily more reliable) to know the sex of your kitten is the color of its coat. The so-called "tortoiseshell" three-colored cats are almost always female baby cats.

Indeed, the chromosomal composition of female kittens is the only one responsible for this coloring, which allows you to guarantee if your cat has a coat with 3 colors and well it is surely a girl!

On the other hand, it was also found that kittens with a red colored coat are males.

Let's summarize: If your kitten is red: it's a boy, if your kitten has a 3-color coat: it's a girl!

how to know if male or female kitten
Female kitten
how do i know if my kitten is male or female
Male kitten

Know if your kitten is male or female - Behavior

To recognize if your kitten is a male or a female by its behavior, you will have to wait until it grows a little.

Indeed, the more it grows, the more a kitten will develop its own personality. A male kitten will be more likely to wander than a female and suddenly you risk lose your cat more than your pussy.

A male kitten will become more "territorial" and will begin to mark territory by urinating. Finally, males are often more restless and aggressive than females who are generally gentler and calm.

Male or female kitten - What to choose?

Should you choose a female kitten or a male? Difficult to say because it depends on you, the education you are going to give to your kitten and the future personality of your kitty!

And every sex in kittens has positive and negative aspects. Let's take a look at their main differences in adulthood.

Generally, male cats tend to be much larger and fat than females. A male will be more likely to be a too big cat than a female. He will also be more nervous, sometimes more aggressive and more of a runaway than a cat.

As we mentioned above, male kittens, when they become adults, mark their territory by urinating all over the place and females "howl" when they are in heat.

Concerning the females, they will tend to be calmer than the males but will know the hot periods and will be able to grow very loud meows especially at night. See : At what age does a cat become calm?

To sum up, I would say that a kitten's gender doesn't really matter when it comes to choosing the cat that you like and suits you best. While there are some behavioral differences between male and female kittens, as they progress from kitten to adult, a cat's genetics, upbringing, and environment play a major role in how the two of you will be accomplices.


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