How to identify small kittens boy or girl. How to understand: will the kitten be fluffy? Distance between anus and genitals

In the house where a little kitten appears, the question often arises - what gender is the fluffy adorable. It is often difficult to determine at a glance whether it is a boy or a girl. The genitals of kittens are poorly visible, so a person who rarely deals with fluffy babies sometimes needs help to find out if a cat has settled in his house or a cat.

When is the sex of kittens determined?

Determining the sex of small kittens is quite difficult, because the genitals of small cats and cats look almost the same.

It is most convenient to do this immediately after the birth of kittens or in the first week of their life, when the kittens' coat is not yet thick and does not cover the genitals. At the age of 2-3 weeks, it is almost impossible to distinguish male kittens from female kittens. The genitals are not yet formed and are poorly visible, and the coat is thickening.

With complete certainty, you can determine the sex of a kitten when he is three months old. By this age, the genitals are fully formed, and it becomes possible to distinguish a cat from a cat at a glance.

At three months, the sex of a kitten can be determined at a glance.

In kittens of large breeds, such as the Maine Coon or the British cat, maturation occurs somewhat later.

In addition, by the age of three months, the body structure of kittens becomes close to the proportions of an adult animal, which allows you to determine the sex without looking under the tail.

Video: how to determine the sex of a newborn kitten

How to tell a cat from a cat

The easiest way to determine the sex of a kitten is to look under its tail:

You can also determine the sex by running your finger over the kitten's belly. If the kitten is male, then a bulge will be felt on the tummy. Males also have thicker hair in the scrotum area.

The easiest way to determine the sex of a kitten is by comparing it with other kittens in the litter.

How to behave with kittens at this moment

When determining the sex of kittens, it is important to know how to do it correctly:

Other distinguishing features

In addition to primary sexual characteristics, there are several other differences between cats and cats:

1. Male kittens grow and gain weight faster than cats.
2. Young cats love to play more than cats.
3. Also, cats and cats look at the world differently. The expression of the faces of cats is most often calm, and cats are more alert and suspicious.
4. The physique of cats is more massive, they have a wider chest, large paws. Cats are more gracefully built.

   Cats are larger and more massive than graceful cats

5. The older the kitten, the easier it is to determine its gender. The proportions of the body of an adult cat differ significantly from the proportions of a cat. The most noticeable difference is in the size and structure of the head: in cats, the head is more massive, the muzzle is larger, the neck is thicker and stronger. Cats are distinguished by more graceful "features".
6. Like a human, the voice of a cat is different from the voice of a cat. The meow of cats is lower, bass. In the voice of cats, on the contrary, sonorous notes predominate.
7. Cats and cats differ in color. Only cats are tricolored. The probability of the birth of a tricolor cat is about 1%, while such a cat will be sterile. Red color is more often boasted by cats. In order for a cat to have a red coat, it is necessary to receive "red" genes from both its mother and father.

   

Cats are very good at making it clear what they want by making various sounds or movements. It won't take you long to learn to understand your pet.

meow

An adult cat meows less frequently than a kitten, but in a very special way. If the tone is low, then she is unhappy or unhappy for some reason. A high tone means a good mood, and if the meow is repeated, it means she wants to get your attention. You will soon learn to understand what your pet "says": "let me go", "feed me", "cuddle me".

Interestingly, meowing is almost always addressed to humans, and almost never to other cats. So listen - she's talking to you!

Purring

Purring is most often a sign of contentment, although it does not always indicate happiness. If a cat is sick or nervous, she may purr to calm herself. However, in most cases, if your pet purrs loudly and rubs against your legs, this means either a good mood or a request, for example, to feed.

Hissing and grumbling

If you hear this, know that your kitten is scared. And in this way he tries to appear scarier in order to protect himself. Usually a cat hisses or grunts when confronted with other animals.

If your kitten rubs against you

When your kitten rubs against you, pheromones are released from glands in their cheeks. This is a good sign - your kitten is happy with you, he likes you.

talking tail

The cat's tail perfectly reflects the mood of its mistress. If the kitten is happy, the tail will be held up vertically. If it is frightened, the tail will be tucked between its hind legs. If an adult cat swings its tail widely, this is a sign of irritation or impatience. If your cat is agitated, her tail will move quickly from side to side - this is a real threat. If your kitten's tail is twitching, it means he is feeling admiration or curiosity.

Pricked ears are a sign of interest in what is happening around. If the ears are straight and pointed forward, your cat is relaxed and friendly. But if she flattens her ears, this is a sign of aggression: you better retreat, otherwise you will be attacked.

What is she doing?

Very often you can see that the cat is wrinkling with its paws the place where it is going to lie down. This movement speaks of her contentment and comes from early childhood, when she did the same when feeding in order to get more milk from her mother.

Your cat's habits: getting curiouser and curiouser

Without a doubt, cats have the most bizarre habits. Have you ever tried to unfold a newspaper and read it when your cat is around? She will immediately jump on the table and settle down in the very center of your reading matter, and let only someone dare to move her! You will not be able to cheat and replace the newspaper with something else. Also, you can’t persuade her to move to a much more comfortable pillow or chair. Why? Because while she is sitting on the paper, all your attention is on her.

If your cat rolls over on its back and stretches out its paws, this is a sign of complete submission and trust in you. And also the demand for attention. And if she climbs into your lap and curls up comfortably in a ball, this can hardly be interpreted otherwise than contentment and calmness.

Understanding whether a kitten is a boy or a girl is important for upbringing and care. The sex of the kitten will be prompted by several parameters.

Why you need to know the gender of kittens

Decide on gender before getting a pet. The character, habits, temperament, behavior during the period of readiness for mating, as well as attachment to the house and the owner, depend on gender.

With the receipt of a new litter, breeders determine the sex of the kittens themselves or invite a veterinarian. A specialist from the first days can determine the sex of a kitten. This is a simple procedure and you can handle it yourself.

When can I find out the sex of a kitten

In the first days and weeks after the birth of kittens, it is better not to pick them up. A newborn kitten is a fragile creature that needs smell, mother's warmth and frequent feeding. While they have almost no fur, it is easy to distinguish a boy from a girl by their primary sexual characteristics. Since anxiety at first can cause psychological trauma to the wet nurse and cubs, it is better to postpone sex determination.

Starting from the third week of life, you can begin to determine the sex. About a month in cats, the testicles descend into the scrotum, and the genitals become more visible. The bellies are overgrown with a thick undercoat, in cats it is stronger than in cats. In cats of large breeds, such as ragdoll, savannah, maine coon, maturation occurs later. It is better to find out the sex of kittens of these breeds only at 2 months.

Over time, secondary characteristics join the primary sexual characteristics. At 3 months, sex determination is possible not only by genitals, but also by behavior, exterior, and voice. The final formation of reproductive organs in cats occurs by six months.

Before picking up a baby, you need to make sure that he is in a calm mood, not scared, not busy eating. It is better to distract the mother of the baby so that she does not worry about her child. Then, with soft, slow movements, you need to wrap your hands around the tummy and back and transfer the kitten to a clean bedding or towel.

The most common way to determine the sex of kittens is to gently lift the tail and examine the shape of the genitals. The difference is clearly visible in kittens of the same litter.

Do's and Don'ts when determining gender

Permitted Actions:

• gently take the baby with warm and clean hands for 1-2 minutes,
• turn back,
• keep vertical,
• lift the tail carefully and not high.

Prohibited actions:

• pull the tail, paws, head,
• hold by the withers
• press on the genitals
• keep on hand for more than two minutes,
• take in hands during feeding periods.

The main differences between a cat and a cat

Kittens girls have the following sex characteristics:

• The anus and vulva are close to each other.
• A schematic drawing of the organs under the tail can be depicted as a semicolon or the letter i.
• When moving the fingers from the navel to the anus, no tubercles are felt along the tummy.
• There is little hair between the anus and the vulva, it is short and soft.

Sex characteristics kittens-boys:

• Below the anus are the testicles, then the penis.
• A schematic drawing of the organs under the tail can be depicted as a colon, where the upper point is the anus, and the lower one is the opening of the foreskin.
• When moving the fingers from the navel to the anus, bulges in the form of peas, 3-5 mm in size, are felt along the tummy.
• There is an undercoat between the anus and the penis.

Other ways to determine gender

With age, the size of the genitals increases, and sex determination becomes easier. As a small kitten grows up, it begins to show qualities that are characteristic of one of the sexes. For example, cats eat more, gain weight faster and therefore are larger than their sisters. Females are more playful and more mobile than males in the litter.

There are some external signs that distinguish gender:

1. The nipples of cats are larger than those of cats. This is noticeable from three months.
2. Cats have a larger skull, a stronger and shorter neck.
3. Cats have more paw pads.
4. The chest in cats is wider than in cats.
5. The voices of cats are higher in tone than those of cats.
6. The tricolor color is a genetic feature of cats.

In the first two months, the sex of a kitten can be determined by the genitals and the tricolor color. And grown kittens are distinguished by their exterior, behavior and voice, which also helps to find out the sex of the animal.

In order to understand what gender your cat gave birth to a small miracle for you, you need to do a simple and banal action. You just need to look down the tail of the cat.

Has your beloved cat brought some kittens? This is good, because then you should not have problems with the definition. You can visually compare the genitals of small cats. This helps to compare the organs of animals and understand what gender they belong to.

To determine the gender, take the cat in your arms and lift the cat's tail. Under it, you can see 2 output channels: one of them is the anus (rectal outlet), and the other is the outlet of the urinary system.

In females, it looks like a narrow slit located next to the anus. The male can see the testicles and foreskin. Usually, up to 2-3 months in male kittens, they are not yet lowered, and this adds to the difficulty in understanding the sex of animals.

Ways of understanding gender - three types

With a recent birth

If the cat has just been born and his body is still wet, then it will not be difficult to understand the sex. Kittens have two openings: the exit of the rectum and the genitals. In females, the location between them is very small, while in males the distance can be up to ten millimeters.

Wet wool will not interfere with your examination of the cat. It is also worth paying attention to the fact that in newborn female animals, the distance will be no more than 2-3 millimeters.

Upon reaching 10 days from birth

At this age, small cats already have well-defined hair, however, cats will have bald patches that are located between the genitals.

In females, there is little space between the holes and there is no hair between them, but in male cats, the distance between the genitals is greater, and there may be hair between them.

When reaching 40 days after birth

At this age, in kittens, the genitals are already expressed, and male cats have testicles and foreskin, while in females, an anus and a narrow gap can be distinguished.

Sometimes there are situations when you bought a girl from a cat breeder, and then you find out that it is a boy. There are situations like this, so future pet owners should pay attention to this and see who they get.

The main conclusions from this article: to determine the sex of a born kitten, you need to lift its tail and look there. The distance between the reproductive system and the anus determines who you have. Girls have less distance than boys. On average, 2-3 mm in girls and up to 10 mm in boys.

Pay attention also to the structure and shape of the urinary system. In males, the scrotum and foreskin can be seen.

By the appearance of an adult animal, it is not difficult to understand whether it is a cat or a cat. But with how to determine the sex of a kitten, some difficulties may arise. Methods for determining gender are different for cubs of different ages.

When a person decides to take a kitten into the house, he usually immediately knows whether it will be a cat or a kitty. Therefore, the sooner the sex of the kittens is known, the sooner you can take the baby home, accustom him to the tray and new owners.

Reasons why it is important to know the gender of the future pet:

1. The kitten needs to be given a name. It is not uncommon for Fluff to grow out of Fluff, and Murzik suddenly gives birth to kittens. Changing the nickname for an adult animal is not desirable, since the pet already responds to it.
2. You should know in advance which veterinary procedure will need to be performed (castration or sterilization) and at what age.
3. Adult cats and cats have behavioral characteristics, so some people prefer animals of a certain gender.
4. Male thoroughbred animals are more expensive than females. Catteries often have a pre-order for kittens of a certain sex even before they are born.

Differences between cats and cats

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

1. Cats are usually larger, their weight increases faster than 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 melancholy.
3. The nipples are pronounced in the male and in the female, but in the cat they are larger in size.

cat tenderness

At what age is the sex of a kitten determined?

A veterinarian or an experienced owner can easily understand what gender a kitten is, at any age. Some difficulties may arise with week-old babies. During this period, sexual characteristics are not yet intensively developed, and the coat is already very thick. Features of determining gender depend on the age of the kitten.

Determination of the sex of a newborn kitten and at the age of one month

The sex of newborn babies is known by the location of the anus and genitals and the appearance of the external genitalia.

Table 1. Distinctive features of female and male kittens.

At a week old, the sex of a kitten is more difficult to determine, especially in fluffy cat breeds. The cub grows and develops, and already at the age of three weeks it is possible to reliably distinguish a cat from a cat. The urethra of the male is round, the female is in the form of a vertical fold. The coat between the organs of the female is not as thick as that of males.

Testicles in kittens at the age of three months

The testicles of male kittens begin to enlarge at 10 weeks of age. Organs appear in the space between the anus and the urethra. At the age of 10 weeks, the testicles are already palpable. By three months, they become visually noticeable.

Testicles of a 3 month old kitten

Basic methods for determining the sex of a kitten

There are several methods for determining the sex of kittens. Most cat lovers determine their gender visually:

• according to the shape of the genitals;
• by coat color;
• by habits;
• by physique.

In addition, in the presence of experience, the method of probing the rudiments of the testicles in the space between the anus and the urethra is used.

cryptorchidism in cats

The first method is to determine the sex of a kitten by the outlines of the genitals.

The appearance of the anus and genitals is described above for newborn kittens and animals at the age of one month. In order to examine their structure, the kitten is carefully turned upside down. Another way is to put the baby on the diaper upside down and lift the tail.

The second method is the difference between kittens by coat color

As for the coat color, only girls can be tricolored. The combination of white, black and red colors is genetically determined. This coloration is due to two X chromosomes from the female set of chromosomes. The so-called "tortoiseshell" color is also inherent only in females. It is believed that red hair is a sign of male sex. And, indeed, redheads are most often male cats, but females are also found. Therefore, the red color should not be used to judge gender.

The third method is palpation

By palpation, the sex of the kitten is determined from birth. Feeling is carried out carefully so as not to hurt the baby. Do this with two fingers (middle and index) in the part of the body between the urethra and anus (as shown in the photo). In boys, "peas" with a diameter of about five millimeters are probed. These small balls are arranged symmetrically, the hair in their place grows in a different direction than on the entire body of the animal. The coat color is also different. In girls, this place is perfectly smooth, without knots and differences in the characteristics of the coat.

IMPORTANT! For this method, the experience of the examiner is important. The female may have swelling due to various reasons. And the testes of males are located in the abdominal cavity of the kitten up to a certain point and are not detected during palpation.

The fourth method is the determination of the sex of cats by physique

In appearance and physique, differences appear in kittens at the age of six months. The cat's body is large and powerful. The body of a cat is sleeker and smaller than that of a cat. The head of the female is visually smaller than the head of the male.

The fifth method is observing the habits of animals.

Differences in the habits of cats and cats appear during puberty. At seven months, the male begins to mark the territory. The female at this age begins the first hunt. The cat arches its back, raises its tail, requires affection.

In adulthood, cats behave calmer than cats. Males often sleep, and females are "cats walking by themselves." Cats are cleaner than cats. They constantly wash, always go to their own toilet. Cats, on the other hand, often ignore the toilet they are accustomed to.

How to take a kitten in your hands?

To determine the sex of a kitten, it must be carefully taken from the mother. It is better not to do this at the time of feeding. Be sure to wash your hands first so that there is no smell that can disturb the mother cat. Use soap with a neutral smell. You need to examine the kitten quickly and immediately return it to its mother. Do this for no longer than two minutes. The baby is placed with his tummy on the palm of his hand and looking for sexual characteristics under the tail. In order not to disturb the baby, you can take a photo on your smartphone and then look at it for as long as you need. You can not take a kitten, pulling the skin, pull it by the paws or tail.

IMPORTANT! Do not press on the inguinal region of the baby, this can cause him pain and harm.

If the first time it was not possible to determine the sex of a newborn kitten, then you should not repeat the procedure several times a day. This will disturb the cat and she may hide the kittens.

Video - Inspection of week-old kittens

Other methods and signs

There are other methods for determining the sex of kittens:

1. DNA test. This procedure is performed by veterinarians based on a kitten's blood test. Research is expensive and is done only in a critical situation, if it is not possible to determine the sex of a purebred kitten.
2. Appraisal by sight. Cat lovers say that cats look bold and self-confident, and females are attentive and wary. The method is not accurate, the nature of the animals is different, sometimes there are bold females with a confident look.
3. Urine odor detection. It is believed that even male cubs have a stronger smell of urine than female kittens. A strong ammonia smell indicates that the pet is a boy.

Video - How to determine the sex of a kitten

Differences between adult cats and cats

The sex of adult animals is easier to determine than babies. Cats and cats have distinctive features:

1. Sex organs. In a cat, the genitals are external, the testicles are easily distinguishable. In cats, the genitals are internal, so there are no bulges on the outside.
2. A one-year-old cat has a dry constitution, coarse bones, well-developed muscles and massive limbs. Cats remain graceful, as in six months of age.
3. On the muzzle of an adult cat, a massive forehead and clearly defined angles can be distinguished. The cat has a small head and huge eyes. For some breeds, differences in the appearance of the head and muzzle are not characteristic.
4. In males, the coat is visually thicker and more beautiful than in females. A healthy animal has oily hair under the tail. The female in these places has a scanty coat. It is also a secondary sexual characteristic in cats.

Characteristic features of male and female genitalia in cats

In adult males, the anus, scrotum, and urethra are clearly distinguished. The penis is located between the scrotum and anus. In a calm state, it is a fluffy tubercle. Inside the scrotum are the testicles, in which spermatozoa are formed. The scrotum is visually visible when the cat's tail is raised. In fluffy breeds, the organ is not so clearly visible due to their long hair. To unambiguously identify the sex of a cat, he needs to wet the hair under the tail, then the testicles will be clearly visible. Females from the external genitalia have only the urethra, besides it, under the cat's tail, the anus is clearly distinguishable, but there are no bulges.

About spayed animals

If more than six months have passed since the moment, then his behavior and coat almost do not differ from the same signs in sterilized females. In cats, after the operation, an empty scrotum remains, only by feeling it, you can determine the sex of the animal.

Folk signs in determining gender

Folk signs are often no less accurate than anatomical and biological ones. There are several grandmother's methods:

1. Place a bowl of milk in front of the kittens. It is believed that boys drink milk with their tails up, while girls, on the contrary, tuck their tails.
2. Folk wisdom says that females are born larger than males and behave more actively than their brothers.

Cats drink milk. Does the folk tale work?

Partially, folk methods include all methods related to determining sex by the structure of the head, behavior, condition of the coat and other indirect signs.