How to distinguish between small kittens a boy or a girl. How to determine the sex of a kitten and why it is needed. The most reliable method

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:

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.
You should know in advance which veterinary procedure will need to be performed (castration or sterilization) and at what age.
Adult cats and cats have behavioral characteristics, so some people prefer animals of a certain gender.
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:

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.
Cats grow up more playful, cats often try to avoid communication and are melancholy.
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:

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.
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.
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:

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.
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.
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.
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:

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.
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.

When a cat or a cat is an adult, it is not difficult to determine the sex, since the secondary sexual characteristics are clearly expressed. It is very difficult to determine the sex of newborn kittens, and in some breeds it is almost impossible (for example, in British or Scottish breeds due to their thick coat).

First of all, it is worth remembering that newborn kittens are much easier to identify than older, even week-old kittens. This is due to the fact that the coat of newly born kittens is practically absent.

In order to determine the sex of a newborn kitten, first of all, you need to take care of the cleanliness of your hands. It is forbidden to take a newly born kitten with cold hands or with extraneous odors. The main method for determining the sex of a kitten is to examine the shape of the urinary opening, as well as the distance from the genital opening to the pet's anus.

first of all, you need to calm the newly-made mother, not giving her unnecessary reasons to worry about her offspring;
the kitten is carefully picked up so that the baby's tummy is located in the owner's palm;
then the kitten's tail is gently lifted and the anus and urinary opening are examined.

In boys, the anus and urinary opening look like a colon, and the distance is about one centimeter. In girls, the difference between the anus and the vaginal opening is small - the two openings are located directly next to each other.

It is important to remember what not to do when examining a kitten for sex determination:

take the baby during the feeding period;
lift the newborn by the withers, paws and in no case by the tail;
disturb the new mother when she sleeps;
press on the location of the baby's genitals;
hold and carry the kitten in your arms for more than 2 minutes.

Read also: Why does a cat have nine lives?

Determination by coat color

Based on the experience of professional breeders, the sex of a kitten can be found out using other methods. For example, you can find out the sex of a kitten at two to three weeks of age by the color of the coat. The tortoiseshell color is inherent only in female kittens. This is due to genetic characteristics. Thus, the genes for black and red color are inherent exclusively in female chromosomes.

Note! Boys also come in tricolor. This is found very rarely and boys cannot continue to have offspring.

Sex determination by palpation

You can find out the sex of the baby by gently feeling the genital area. To do this, you need to put the baby with his stomach up, and draw two fingers of one hand along the inguinal zone from the abdomen to the rectal opening. If the baby is a boy, the testicles are palpated under the fingers. Carrying out this method of examination, do not press the kitten on the stomach too much, as this can cause injury.

If it was not possible to determine the sex immediately, you should not constantly repeat the procedure. It is recommended to repeat such manipulations as little as possible. In addition, frequent examination of babies can cause the following conditions:

nervous shock of the mother - cats and babies;

newborn kittens do not have normal heat exchange, therefore, without a warm mother's side, they freeze very quickly;

the influence of environmental factors negatively affects the condition of small kittens.

Note! Some breeders and veterinarians recommend looking at the sex of kittens immediately after birth, when the cat does not yet fully understand its condition. A few hours later, the maternal instinct wakes up in her and, smelling someone else's smell on her children, the cat can abandon her offspring.

Determine gender by age

One of the most accurate methods to determine the sex of a baby is a DNA test. Only in this case it is possible to accurately determine the sex of the baby. This method is used by professional breeders of purebred cats, since the cost of this technique is extremely high.

In newborn kittens

Visual inspection is not one hundred percent, but accurate enough, because newborn kittens have no hair in the genital area, and it will not be difficult to see the gender. It is best to examine the kitten when it is still wet. The distance in males between the anus and the urinary canal is about 9-11 mm. In females, the distance is from 3 to 6 mm.

Read also: The cat licks the hands of its owners: reflecting on the main reasons

At the age of 2 weeks, you can notice that girls have no hair between the anus and the vulva. In boys, this area is covered with thick fluff. Breeds of British cats are unusually fluffy and in this case, sex determination is difficult.

Note! It is impossible to detect the presence of testicles at this age, since in newborn kittens they are located in the abdominal cavity and are practically invisible.

At the age of one month

After 3 weeks of age, when there is already wool, it is a little more difficult to determine the sex, but the genitals are quite clearly visible. So, the distance from the rectal opening to the urinary canal in boys is visually larger and resembles two dots, while in girls it looks like an inverted exclamation mark.

For two month old kittens

This age is considered difficult to accurately determine the sex, since the kids are quite nimble and mobile, and the thick coat makes it difficult to accurately determine the gender. At the age of two months, it is advisable to use the method of palpation to determine the sex of the kitten. With two fingers, you need to grab the skin between the area of \u200b\u200bthe anus and urinary canal. In boys, a pair of balls can be easily identified under the skin.

It is worth remembering that this method does not give an absolute guarantee, since at the age of two months, not all babies have testicles descending into the scrotum, and cats, on the contrary, may have slight swelling, often mistaken for testicles.

Note! This pattern is especially pronounced when determining the sex of British kittens. In addition, babies of British and Scottish breeds have thick hair, which makes diagnosis difficult.

At the age of three and four months

At this age, the sex of kittens is easier to determine, because the testes in boys have already descended into the scrotum, they can even be seen visually. It also happens that before this age the testicles have not yet descended into the scrotum and then a qualified veterinarian comes to the rescue.

When getting a pet, it is important to know what gender it is. When establishing the sex of puppies, there are no problems, but with kittens there are often difficulties. Determining the sex of a kitten is a very common problem not only among potential pet owners, but also among pet sellers. And yet there are several ways to distinguish between small cats and cats.

Determining the gender of a pet

The gender of a pet must be known at an early age. After all, it is gender that affects the choice of a name for a pet and the features of its maintenance and upbringing. The younger the kitten, the more difficult it is to determine its gender visually - these are the anatomical features of the animal: at an early age, the differences between the male and female genital organs are poorly expressed.

Set the gender of the kitten possibly as early as the second week of his life. The coat of the animal is still short enough to have a good look at the genitals. In representatives of long-haired breeds, this is the last moment when the hair is so short - it will soon grow back and the genitals will be visible only after shearing.

In a two-three-week-old pet, determining the sex by visual inspection is much more problematic.

The most suitable age for sex determination is considered to be 3 months - the formation of the genital organs is almost complete, the differences in boys and girls are obvious and it is difficult to make a mistake.

A six-month-old pet has already fully formed organs.

Genital examination

When a newborn pet reaches a week of age, it is already possible to determine the gender by examining the genitals with visual and tactile methods. Such an examination to this day remains the most common and popular way to identify the gender of a pet.

Before proceeding with the study, you need to thoroughly wash your hands:

in warm water so that the hands are not cold;
with unscented soap so as not to irritate the pet's sensitive sense of smell.

If a cat mother is present in the house, the baby can be picked up only with her consent, if the parent does not try to prevent this and does not show aggression.

If you don’t want to check whether mommy will protest or not, it’s worth isolating her somewhere while examining the kitten.

If the mother is still feeding the kitten, it is better not to touch the baby with open hands so that the human smell does not remain on his body and fur coat. Feeling a non-natural smell on her cub, a cat mother may refuse to feed him. In order not to inadvertently deprive the baby of food, before taking the kitten in your hands, you should put on gloves.

Inspection features

When the preparation for the procedure is carried out, you can take a small pet in your arms and get down to business. The examination process should take as little time as possible so that the kitten does not become very anxious and the stress that he experiences is minimal. To reduce the duration of the examination, you can take a picture of the infracavitary region with the genitals on a smartphone and only after that study them from the picture.

Taking the baby, you need to put him with his stomach down on your palm or other flat surface (you first need to cover it with a warm towel). How to take and hold the kitten should be as careful and careful as possible, gently clasping the whole five. If necessary, for a better view, you can raise the tail of the pet, but in no case pull.

Appearance of organs

In cats, the distance between the anus and the vulva is practically absent - only 5 mm. The genital organ of a cat is of an internal type (i.e., not convex) and has a vertical, slightly oblong shape. Visually, the location of the anus and the penis resembles the Latin letter i or an inverted exclamation mark.

In cats, the location of the anus and genitals is similar to the colon. The distance between the "points" is 1.5 cm. The genitals of the cat are of the external type (i.e. convex) and have a round shape. In addition, unlike cats, cats have much more hair in the undertail area around the genitals.

Feeling or palpation

In addition to visual inspection, tactile inspection can be performed. However, it is better not to rush into this and wait until the kitten overcomes the monthly border - veterinarians do not recommend palpation in the first month of a pet's life, since this procedure can harm the baby.

To determine the sex through a tactile examination, you need to gently feel a small area between the anus and urethra with a fingertip. If some compaction is felt at this place, this is a cat. When the pet reaches the age of two months, the emerging male genital organs will become visible in this place.

If no solid inclusions are found between the anus and the urethra, most likely the kitten is a girl. At an early age, in male kittens, sexual characteristics are hidden in the abdominal cavity and are not palpable in the indicated place. To confirm the results of the first tactile examination, it is worth conducting additional palpation.

To do this, you need to gently run the pad of your finger along the kitten's tummy:

if the belly is even, the kitten is female;
if small convex seals are felt in the lower abdomen - a male kitten.

However, this does not give an absolute guarantee that the results are correct.

Individual anatomical features of small cats can be expressed in various seals and bulges, therefore, if any seal is found in the abdomen or in the undertail region, this does not yet prove that the kitten is a boy.

Non-traditional ways

There are many non-traditional methods for determining the gender of a pet. These methods do not guarantee an absolutely accurate result, but they are still quite effective.

These include sex determination according to the following characteristic features:

look;
coat color;
smell;
voice
muzzle.

You can distinguish a cat from a cat by looking - you just need to look into the eyes of your pet. The cat looks arrogantly and self-confidently, and the pussy looks wary and as if looking for something. This method only works on adult animals - the look of newborn kittens is far from gender specific.

Another characteristic gender feature is coat color. Both boys and girls have a certain coat color that is unique to their gender. And this is reflected even in newborn kittens.

If the kitten has a tortoiseshell color or, in other words, tricolor (black-white-red), then you can be 99.9% sure that it is a cat. The tricolor color is formed at the gene level and is determined by the presence of two X chromosomes.

Tricolor cats exist, but finding them is extremely problematic - tortoiseshell boys are born one in a million. This color in cats is due to a disease - a genetic mutation. The characteristic male color is red. Cats of this color are very rare and their fur coat is much paler in shade.

The smell of a pet can help distinguish a cat from a cat - in boys more pronounced and rather unpleasant odor. Another distinguishing feature is the voice. In cats, it is usually low, while in cats, on the contrary, it is high.

Pet owners claim that boys and girls differ in the characteristic outlines of the muzzle. Cats have coarser and tougher features, while cats have soft, feminine features.

There is an opinion among experienced breeders that cats are more playful than cats, and males always walk with their tail up. But it’s not worth focusing too much on such signs.

Conducting a DNA test

The gender of the animal can be determined through DNA analysis. The result differs from the results of a simple inspection in absolute accuracy and the elimination of the possibility of error. But this is rarely practiced, since not every owner of the animal can afford to distinguish a girl from a boy with the help of DNA research - the cost of the procedure is very high. The result of the analysis is recorded in the pet's passport.

It is surprising how often inexperienced owners cannot understand who lives with them: a cat or a cat. There are hundreds of cases when, by the age of one, Murok was renamed Murchikov. Let's figure out how to accurately determine the sex of a pet.

There are cases when owners make mistakes in determining sex even in adult cats, what can we say about kittens. Visible differences between male and female genitalia in kittens are less pronounced, especially if the baby is barely a month old.

Note that there is nothing difficult in determining gender if you know exactly what differences to look for. If you still have doubts, it is better to contact a veterinarian who has extensive experience and will be able to distinguish unmistakably the gender of the kittens.

Determining the sex of a newborn kitten

Before examining, make sure the kitten is in a warm and safe environment. It may not be obvious, but babies are very vulnerable to cold and stress. When a kitten is cold, all of its muscles and blood vessels become toned, which can make it difficult to determine the sex. If you are trying to determine the sex of a newborn kitten, you must proceed carefully and gradually.

Babies should not be rudely taken from their mother or weaned from the nest for more than 10 minutes.

Checking the kitten's genitals is the most reliable and surest way to determine the sex. For obvious reasons, the mother of the kittens, and the babies themselves, may resist manipulation by the owner. When lifting the baby's tail, be careful, as fragile joints can be damaged even by a weak but inaccurate jerk.

Note! Under the kitten's tail, in relatively close proximity, there are two openings - the anus and the genitals directly: the scrotum or vagina.

Your actions step by step:

To avoid excess, take the kitten in your arms and warm it for a few minutes.
Gently hold the kitten until he calms down.
After that, put the kitten on a clean towel in a well-lit room and try to lift its tail.
If the baby begins to actively squeak, it is better to return it to the mother, as she will be very worried. Some kittens will instinctively lift their tail if you actively scratch or rub their rump.

Quite often, it is impossible to accurately determine the sex of newborn kittens, since the size and severity of the genital organs are strictly individual. Precise sex determination is possible only in full-term kittens, since in babies (regardless of gender) who were born prematurely, the genitals are more similar to male ones.

Sex determination by months

From the first birthday to 1-2 months of age, the sex of kittens is easier to distinguish if you examine several babies at once. In cats, the genitals look like a small hole or an elongated vertical slit.

Looking at the picture as a whole, the female's vagina and anus form the letter "i". The genital organs of males of the same age look less pronounced. The scrotum is round in shape. When assessing the full picture, the anus and scrotum form the symbol ":".

From 3-4 months of age, even with a relatively weak expression of external sexual characteristics, the sex of a kitten can be distinguished by the distance between the anus and the external genitalia. The distance between the anus and the vagina of a cat is less than the same distance between the anus and the scrotum in cats.

At the age of 4-6 months in males, the testicles descend completely into the scrotum. Prior to this change, the scrotum may look unexpressed and small. Naturally, when examining the external genital organs, care and delicacy must be exercised.

Gently feel the cat's scrotum, if you feel the descended testicles - this is a male, there can be no doubt.
When palpating, in no case does not stretch the skin, as this can lead to exposure of the penis.
Forced deformation of the skin is fraught with pinching of the glans penis, impaired blood circulation, severe pain and necrotic process.

Note! Normally, in four-month-old males, the scrotum looks like a small sac.

Maybe a cryptorchid kitten?

As you know, undescended or incomplete descent of the testicles into the scrotum is called cryptorchidism. With this deviation, the genitals of the male are more similar to the female.

To make sure that you have a cryptorchid kitten in front of you, you need to gently pinch the skin between the anus and the penis. If the testicles have not descended, you will feel them in the crease.

Important! In adult cryptorchid cats, the testicles may be displaced closer to the abdominal cavity and not palpable.

How to determine the sex of an adult cat

How to determine the sex of an adult cat, without the possibility of examining the genitals?

By coat color

The first sign that it is customary to focus on is the color of the coat. Tricolor animals are most often cats. It is believed that the tortoiseshell color is not characteristic of a cat, since it is transmitted only if two X chromosomes are present.

There is a legend that tricolor cats are sterile., However, this is not the case. It is really undesirable to let tortoiseshell cats into breeding, since their genetic formula is broken, but they can mate and have offspring.

It is interesting! Tortoiseshell males are extremely rare. It is generally accepted that such a color in a cat indicates a genetic disorder.

It is believed that pure red, red-striped and red-white animals are always cats. As you may have guessed, red cats are also found, but very rarely.

Immediately, we note that there are no problems with reproductive functions in red cats. As you can see, determining the sex of a cat by color is not a very accurate method, despite its popularity.

According to the signs of puberty

At the age of 4-18 months, cats enter the period of sexual hunting. It is known that males and females express sexual desire differently.

Cats go into heat, scream loudly, ride on their backs, raise their pelvis and throw their tail to their side. This behavior lasts an average of 2 to 21 days and repeats cyclically.

Cats interrupting in a state of estrus, do not ride on their backs and do not raise their tails, but they scream much louder than cats. Another distinctive feature of males that entered into a state of sexual hunting is the desire to constantly mark the territory.

It is at this age that most owners are horrified, as a distinct ammonia smell of cat urine is established in the home. You can stop the marks of a cat only by castration, and it is advisable to do the operation before the pet began to actively call the cat.

By the way, the intensity of the smell of urine is also an indicator for gender recognition. When a cat becomes sexually mature, he starts with a specific goal - everyone around him should know that a wealthy male lives here.

The older the cat, the stronger its sexual desire and the more intense the smell of urine. During the entire phase of active sexual hunting, the smell of urine acquires a very sharp shade that cannot be eliminated even with strong “chemistry”.

Note! The behavior of an adult, sexually mature animal directly depends on gender.

cats usually more emotional, they are fiercely defensive of themselves.
cats they also look indifferent or phlegmatic, but quickly fall into a state of aggression when trying to violate the boundaries of the marked territory.

Visual signs: muzzle, body structure, coat

Most likely, you will be able to distinguish the characteristic features of the structure of the muzzle and body in an adult cat. Visual sex differences are not very noticeable until puberty.

By about one year of age, cats look much drier than cats, but surpass them in the roughness of the bones and the severity of the muscles. Males can be clearly seen in the muzzle, they have a wider forehead and bridge of the nose, the features are bright, pronounced with good angles.

Note! Sex differences in the appearance of some breeds of cats are almost imperceptible. For example, an adult Briton has developed cheeks, a wide bridge of the nose and a round muzzle, regardless of gender.

In uncastrated males, the coat structure is significantly different from females. Due to constant hormonal changes in the body, uncastrated males produce much more sebum, so the coat looks very shiny, and feels hard to the touch.

With quality care, the coat on the body looks uniform, but if you look under the cat's tail, you will find a significant amount of oil in the coat in the genital area.

The physique of the female, regardless of her size, is always more refined. Sexual characteristics may not be expressed clearly until the cat has reached maturity. As practice shows, the structure of a cat has several distinctive features: larger eyes, moderately developed cheeks and cheeks, a high and not too wide forehead.

There are also differences in physique:

The skeleton of a cat is usually thinner and lighter than that of a cat.
According to general impressions, the cat's physique tends to be a truncated rectangle, that is, it looks more knocked down and powerful.
The cat's body usually looks more elongated because the kittens need to have easy access to the nipples.
Due to sexual dimorphism, adult cats have thicker limbs than cats.
Visually, the sex of a cat can be distinguished by a thicker tail, paws and brushes.

Sex determination in castrated animals

Determining the sex of fluffy, neutered cats is quite a challenge. The behavior and structure of the coat do not differ if more than six months have passed since the castration.

The most reliable way to determine the sex in this case is to feel the genital area. When a cat is neutered, you will find an empty scrotum.

If you are determining the sex of an unfamiliar animal, it is better to consult a veterinarian, since a neutered cat is very easy to confuse with.

Instruction

The second method is used if the kitten has reached the age of one month. During this period, it becomes possible to determine the sex of a kitten by its muzzle and eyes. Unlike cats, cats have a more elongated muzzle and almond-shaped eyes. In addition, cats are slightly larger than cats. Try also to determine the sex of the kitten by other indirect signs. For example, tortoiseshell cats are only females, there are no cats with this color. This is due to a set of genes that determines the color of a cat. Males are also usually red. But this method of determining sex is less reliable than the first.

Try to determine the sex of the kitten by its character. Cats are more playful, but they are more devoted to the house and affectionate towards the owner. Cats are more proud and independent, sometimes careless and careless, but more calm and lazy than cats.

Regardless of the method you are going to use, determine the sex of the kitten before you get it or take it as a gift, not after. The exception is found kittens, which have to be taken in any case in order to avoid their inevitable death. Be sure to indicate the gender of the kitten you have determined in the announcement of its discovery - this will significantly increase the likelihood that the owners will identify it.

note

If the belly is bulging and sharp - there will be a boy, wide and round - a girl.

Useful advice

If extra hairs appear on the belly of a pregnant woman, there will be a boy, and pigmentation - to a girl. By listening to the heartbeat of your fetus, you can determine who will be: a boy - if the heart beats faster and a girl, if it is slower. Chills in early pregnancy - to a girl, attacks of heat - to a boy.

When people think about getting a kitten, they first decide whether they want a cat or a cat. After all, there are significant differences between the behavior of cats of both sexes. Therefore, it is so important to be able to determine the sex of a kitten from the very first days of his life - to the owners, in order to attach kittens to the right house, and for those who are going to acquire a fluffy lump, so as not to get into a mess.

You will need

Kittens of unknown sex

Instruction

Check how close the urethra and anus are to each other - in cats - very close, in cats - further, and you can also notice their undeveloped scrotum and thus distinguish the sex of the kittens.

Sometimes kittens arrange surprises for their owners. You take into the house, for example, a charming Barsik or Murzik, but after a year or two it turns out that this is not a cat, but a cat: heels of squeaking newborn kittens is an argument that you can’t argue with. How to distinguish between a cat or a cat in front of you?

Instruction

In uncastrated adults, determining gender is quite simple: the signs of “male dignity” are expressed, frankly, clearly. Cats are determined by the method of elimination: since the signs of a male are not visible, then we have a female in front of us. But for small ones ( up to two), everything is much more complicated: their genitals are still in the process of formation, so it is much more difficult to distinguish cats from "by eye". How to do it?

A sign of gender in kittens is the relative position and shape of the urogenital openings. The anus, located just under the tail, is the same for everyone and has the shape of a point. And here is where the differences begin.

If the second (urethral) opening is also round and located at a distance from the anus, then we are dealing with a cat. The distance between the holes in small males is usually about one centimeter. It looks like a vertical slit and is located almost close to the anus? There is a cat in front of you. In general, here is the picture that can be observed: the cat resembles an inverted exclamation mark, and the cat has a colon. And this allows you to accurately distinguish them from each other.

How to distinguish a cat from a cat in appearance

You can distinguish a cat from a cat by its muzzle and body shape if you look closely at the animals of both sexes. You can see that the nose and muzzle are quite wide. The outline of the muzzle is thinner, it is more elongated in length than in width. In order not to be mistaken, you must also pay attention to the body of the animal. Cats have a powerful body, thick paws and a tail. Cats are more fragile, graceful and graceful, their body is much smaller, their tail and paws are thinner than. Females are smaller than males, they have more graceful curves. You should also pay attention to the color of the coat - for example, only females can have a tortoiseshell color. The fact is that the X chromosome is responsible for the manifestation of red and black. For an animal's coat to have both colors, two chromosomes are needed, and this can only be in females.

In rare cases, errors occur in the genetic code, and then tortoiseshell cats are born.

How to determine the gender of a kitten

It is more difficult to determine the sex of small ones; this cannot be done by the face. They are distinguished only by primary sexual characteristics. You need to raise the tail of the animal: in the genital organ and the anus will look like two points, in the cat the urinary canal looks like a gap. In females, the distance from the anus to the penis is about one centimeter, in males it is somewhat larger. At the age of about three months, testicles appear in this place.

Young cats are often larger and stronger than seals.

Distinctive features in the behavior of a cat and a cat

It is also possible to distinguish a cat from a cat by character, but this will be possible no earlier than at seven to nine months, when the animal becomes sexually mature. Cats are very calm and lazy, they do not resist the desire to pet or pick them up. The disadvantages of males include their need to mark their territory, because of this, a specific smell appears in the apartment.

Cats, unlike cats, are more quarrelsome, you should not expect excessive affection from them. They are reluctant to let themselves be stroked or held in their arms. Affectionate cats become only in estrus. They flirt with their owners, rub against furniture and roll on the floor. Unlike cats, cats are more clean, they can lick themselves for hours. They are active hunters, males are lazier. Cats can also mark their territory, they do it with claws (animals have special glands in their paw pads). Cats fight among themselves for possession of a cat, but cats never fight for cats.