4 proven ways to tell a male cat apart

The sex of a kitten at 2-3 months can be determined by the structural features of the reproductive organs. This is more difficult to do in newborn babies. Sometimes owners even turn to a veterinarian with this question. You can identify your gender independently at home by the shape of the genitals, habits, coloring, etc.

The main sign: in a boy, the anus and genitals are located far from each other, in girls they are close, almost merging.

Why is gender determination necessary?

You need to know the sex of a kitten for the following reasons:

1. The pet must be given a nickname. It is not advisable to change it in adulthood, since the cat already knows its name and responds to it.
2. You need to determine in advance whether your pet will need to be spayed or neutered in the future.
3. The animal has its own behavioral characteristics depending on its gender. Owners need to select a pet based on this fact. For example, cats mark their territory more often, which causes an unpleasant smell in the apartment. Unspayed females periodically go into heat. Their behavior changes, they begin to demand a cat. When babies are born, the cat becomes aggressive.
4. If the cubs are purebred, then they can be sold. Boys are more expensive than girls in Maine Coons and other types of cats.

Newborn kitten: male or female?

Among all the possible criteria when choosing a young furry pet, the main one for many is whether the animal belongs to the fair half of the feline family, or vice versa, to the strong half. The character of a cat differs in many ways from the character traits that are characteristic of cats. Depending on whether a cat or a cat has settled in the house, the relationship between the owner and the pet is built. For some, the behavior of the animal during such a tedious period of “demanding love” is also important. Cats can bring numerous offspring and associated troubles. Not everyone wants to foster cat children. Well, cats can become good breeding producers without introducing the chaos and confusion associated with the appearance of kittens in the house. That is why the gender of the future pet becomes important for many owners.

Recommendations before determining the sex of a cat

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//data-ad-slot=”2475549904″ $ads_google = empty($ads_google) ? false : true; ?> if ($ads_google == false) {?> $ads_google = true; ?> } ?> A few tips that you must read before you start determining the gender of your cat . Find out what not to do:

• try to perform the procedure at the time of feeding;
• use brute force: pull the tail up, grab the babies by the scruff of the neck or paws;
• make animals nervous in every possible way;
• apply forceful pressure to the genitals or abdomen.

Most important: the need to calm or distract the mother cat. You can successfully choose the time when she goes off to feed, or if you trust the owner, it is enough to offer the mother of the entire brood a favorite treat or the owner’s affection.

So, access to cat babies is open:

• Carefully take one baby and place it with its tummy on a warm diaper, which is located in your palm;
• Lift the tail and inspect the area of ​​the anus and genitourinary opening. If possible, have your assistant take a photo of the area. This will simplify the task and return the baby to his mother sooner.

Keep kittens for no longer than one minute, as newborns freeze very quickly without their mother's fur.

Rules for communicating with kittens when determining sex

Kittens must be treated with care so as not to cause harm. Before determining gender, you need to consider some nuances:

• The kitten should not be separated from its mother for a long time. Its fur can absorb the smell of a person, then the cat will not accept the cub back.
• Before picking up an animal, you must wash them thoroughly without soap or with a non-scented hygiene product.
• The kitten's body is not yet strong; it must be handled with care so as not to damage the bones or internal organs.
• Do not pull or tug on the tail.
• It is not recommended to pick up a kitten while it is suckling.
• If the mother does not like her baby being touched, it is advisable to postpone the examination until she is not around.

Temperament as a difference

But when your pet has gotten used to it, take a close look at how it behaves. So, the difference between a cat and a cat is that he is much calmer and lazier. The male sex seems to be slowly observing everything that is happening in the house, what the owners are doing. Although, of course, there are also quite active representatives of this family. Some breeds can be distinguished by their increased playfulness , even at quite a mature age.

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The female sex, on the contrary, is more active. The ladies are easy to distinguish: they never tire of taking care of their own beauty, they are ready to wash themselves for hours and carefully lick their own fur, which speaks of their cleanliness. Also, a capricious girl will never eat from a dirty bowl, much less drink bad water.

Suitable age for gender identification

1. It is easier to visually determine the sex of small kittens under the age of seven days. They have not yet had time to become pubescent and the organs are clearly visible. This is especially true for long-haired purebred animals with a thick undercoat. For example, the Scottish Fold.
2. At the age of a week, it is easy to make a mistake with the gender. However, it is even more difficult to decide on affiliation in two to three weeks. The kitten is completely covered with hair, which will block the view of the genitals. This does not apply to hairless breeds. For example, the sphinx.
3. At two or three months it is already easier to determine the sex. The genitals are fully formed and clearly visible. It is possible to accurately distinguish females from males at the age of six months, even in long-haired breeds (for example, the British). At this age, puberty begins: the reproductive organs are clearly visible, cats mark their territory, and cats begin to go into heat.

At what age is it easier to determine gender?

It is difficult to find out the sex of a kitten on your own until it is 3 weeks old. The external genitalia are not yet fully formed, so female and male babies are very similar.

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Veterinarians call the optimal age for determining gender – from 2 months. However, breeders and breeders know how to distinguish a boy’s kitten from a girl’s in the first days of life. But that's another story.

Basic methods for determining sex

Most often, gender is determined by the genitals. However, at an early age they are poorly formed and even an experienced veterinarian does not always succeed. Therefore, other methods of identifying gender have been invented.

By behavior

At the age of several weeks, gender is determined by behavior:

• Males are more active than cats.
• Males try to take a dominant position and lead in games.
• Boys win the fight for their mother's nipples during feeding. This then extends to the best pieces of food.

The listed signs only confirm gender, but do not prove it. You can accurately determine the sex by 3-4 months of your pet’s life. In males, the scrotum is clearly visible, which is absent in females.

According to the shape of the genitals

To determine the sex of a kitten, you need to look under its tail. The girl's genitals are located close to the anus (distance no more than one centimeter). Externally, they look like a thin vertical strip. In males they look like two round dots. They are located at a distance of two to three centimeters from the anus. Closer to three months, the cat will have testicles, allowing you to determine the sex instantly.

By color

If the gender cannot be determined by the genitals, this can be done by the fur. Tortoiseshell color (a combination of three shades) indicates that the kitten is a girl. This is due to the genetic code. Black and red colors are found only on the X chromosomes. Cats always have two of them. Males are rarely tricolored. If this happens, then they are infertile, since they have only one X chromosome. Males are more likely than females to be red in color.

By feeling

The easiest way to determine gender is by palpation. It is recommended to do this when the pet reaches at least two months of age. At an earlier age, their future location can be determined by the thickness and color of their fur. It is different from other areas. When palpating, you need to be as careful as possible so as not to damage the organs. Gently run your finger over the genitals. If the animal is male, then its testicles can be felt.

The palpation method is not accurate. The testicles do not always descend from the peritoneum by three months. Newborn females may experience changes in hormonal levels. Because of this, swelling occurs under the tail and a mistake can be made in determining the sex.

By body structure

By about six months, the pet's gender is determined by external signs. Cats have an elegant body and a thin, elongated muzzle. Males have large heads. The body is stocky and muscular. There are exceptions, but they are rare.

By habits

A male at about seven months of age may begin to mark his territory. Females begin to go into heat by six months. During this period, she constantly caresses, arches her back, raising her butt up.

Cats sleep most of the time. Females try to show independence and can even be aggressive towards people; they are cleaner, wash themselves constantly and usually go to the toilet only in the tray.

DNA test

You can accurately determine the gender of a kitten using a DNA test. It is produced in veterinary clinics. Sex is revealed in this way even in the first days of life. However, the procedure is expensive. Usually owners of purebred cats (Scottish, Angora, etc.) resort to it.

How to distinguish a cat from a cat in adolescence or adulthood: subtle signs

In adolescents or adults, distinctive features are easier to find because their external characteristics are fully formed. It is not possible to find out gender based on subtle characteristics with 100% certainty. But they will help confirm the guess.

Size and weight

From the age of six months, girls and boys begin to differ from each other in body shape and size. So, kitties become smaller than seals, their body remains more fragile and graceful. In teenage boys, the body becomes more massive and muscle mass develops better.

In addition, girls have rounded hips and a tummy with a more pronounced step crease. Boys have a narrow pelvis, a tucked stomach, and more muscular shoulder blades.

Girls weigh less than boys. But here we must not forget about the breed of the pet. You cannot compare a Maine Coon and a British representative. Comparisons are made only within the same cat family and breed.

Muzzle

How to determine the sex of a cat by the shape of its face? If you look closely at the pet, you will notice that the female’s muzzle is narrow and slightly elongated. In contrast to the large skull of the male, her head looks graceful.

The features of the face also indicate gender. The male's nose is wider, with a large lobe. The female has an elusive, but externally noticeable elegance in all her features.

Habits

Experienced owners know how to determine the sex of a cat simply by observing its behavior. The grown male begins to reclaim his territory, leaving marks everywhere. This occurs at the age of 6-7 months. Around this time, females begin their first estrus. She caresses, arching her back and lifting the back of her body up.

Cats love to relax, so they sleep most of the time. Cats, on the contrary, try to be in the center of events happening in the house. Girls are more clean, but boys are more relaxed about body cleanliness and will not constantly lick themselves.

Often cats are ardent eaters, that is, adherents of dense and frequent meals. Cats are not as fond of eating and begging, although there are exceptions.

Voice

There is a way to tell if it is a cat or a female cat by the way they meow. Experienced owners say that the vocal characteristics of different representatives differ in tone.

So, males have a lower voice. Females, on the contrary, are the owners of a high tone - but only if they do not call the cat during heat. Then any cat will envy their bass rumbles.

Visual differences between a male kitten

Visually, a cat is recognized by the following characteristics:

• a large distance between the anus and reproductive organs (1-2 centimeters);
• genitals in the form of two points;
• the lumen of the rectum and genitals resemble the colon sign;
• fur grows between the holes;
• testicles stand out;
• cats grow and gain body weight faster;
• massive build, wide chest, large paws.

Inspection of external signs is carried out on a hard and flat surface, covered with a soft towel. The kitten is placed on its stomach and its tail is gently lifted to determine its sex.

Adult animals

There are situations when it is necessary to determine the sex of an animal in adulthood. However, it is not always possible to catch the cat for a thorough examination. Difficulties in determining may also arise if the cat has been neutered.

In this case, signs that will help determine the sex of the animal will come to the rescue:

• The method of determining the distance between natural holes is also suitable for adults. Even in castrated cats, you can determine the place allocated for the testicles.
• The muzzle will tell you who is in front of you. In cats it is rounder and wider, while in females there is an elongated face. The male's nose has a wider wall. This method of determination is suitable in the case of comparison. In another situation, an inexperienced person is unlikely to notice the difference if there is only one “sample”.
• Watch your gait. Cats are elegant and graceful, they walk quietly and smoothly, as if they are “swimming.” Cats have a more “predatory” gait. A cat walking on a walk resembles a small copy of a tiger - its “shoulders” lower its paw to the ground with importance and taste.
• Cleanliness. This is not to say that cats are sloppy, but in comparison with females they still lose. The cat spends a lot of time grooming itself; it licks itself with or without reason. You can also find a cat in a disheveled state: with a rumpled ear after sleep and traces of cobwebs on its face after a walk.
• Schedule. Cats are businesslike, they constantly look around and “make inquiries” about the affairs of their household. Cats, on the contrary, explore the territory and prefer to sleep at home.

The methods presented are not extremely useful in determining the sex of an animal, but will be interesting for cat lovers and novice cat lovers.

Cat and cat

Non-standard folk methods of determining the sex of a kitten

You can place a saucer of milk in front of the kitten and observe its behavior. It is believed that if a pet raises its tail up, then it is a male, and if it is lowered, it is a cat.

You can distinguish between girls and boys in a litter in the following unconventional ways:

1. in cats, the aroma of urine is more pronounced;
2. boys are less playful and more affectionate;
3. cats have a smaller skull and a more delicate muzzle (this is not an accurate way to determine gender, the structure of the head depends on the individual characteristics of the animal);
4. cats have a calm and self-confident look, while cats have a wary look in their eyes.

How to distinguish a pet by its habits and character

There is no way to immediately distinguish, based on habits and character, whether a kitten is a boy or a girl who has come into your home. To do this, you will need to wait until their puberty, which occurs at seven to a maximum of nine months. Before this, all the actions and actions of the animal, regardless of its gender, will be based on instincts, and, in addition, it is important to understand that the baby needs some time to get used to it, feel cozy and comfortable.

Please note that distinguishing a cat from a cat at a young age by behavior is very difficult. All babies love to play, sleep, they like to be affectionately scratched behind the ears, stroked, and when they misbehave, they immediately try to hide somewhere far away.

Therefore, you should not rush to make hasty conclusions and call the animal on the second day, without figuring out what its gender is, “Vaska” or “Murka”.

Other methods and signs

Other methods for determining the sex of kittens exist and are used:

1. DNA test. This procedure is carried out by veterinarians based on a blood test of the kitten. The study is expensive and is done only in a critical situation, if it is not possible to determine the sex of a purebred kitten.
2. Evaluation by sight. Cat lovers say that males look impudent and self-confident, while females are attentive and wary. The method is not precise, animals have different personalities, sometimes there are bold females with a confident look.
3. Identification by the smell of urine. It is believed that even male cubs have a stronger urine smell than female kittens. A strong ammonia smell indicates that the pet is a boy.

Video - How to determine the gender of a kitten

Differences between cats and female cats

Male and female cats differ from each other in the process of growth and development:

1. Males are usually larger and their weight increases faster than that of cats. Adult cats are visually smaller than cats. Males have a wider chest and larger paws.
2. Cats grow up more playful, cats often try to avoid communication and are melancholic.
3. The nipples are pronounced in both males and females, but in cats they are larger in size.

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