Look carefully at the space between the genital opening and the anus. A mature adult male can still be neutered, but he's more likely to have established bad habits, such as spraying or fighting. It is the same as Calicoes for they are the same as X-linked phenology. The term originated c. 1958, and was originally used to describe French actress Brigitte Bardot. Let’s take a look at the best way for pet parents to determine, or confirm, the sex of their kittens. ", "We wanted to know what my kitten's gender was and chose this website. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. To feel for testicles, gently pinch the area between the anus and genital opening. This information is not meant to be a substitute for veterinary care. Unsure if you have a boy or girl kitten on your hands? Traditionally kittens were neutered at around six months of age, since this is when they are able to father kittens or fall pregnant; however, there is a growing movement to start neutering at an earlier age, even as young as 10 weeks. ", "Pretty much the whole article was helpful! Just as the kittens may be reluctant to allow you to handle them, a kitten's mother may become agitated and defensive if she senses that her kitten is in danger. Individuals with two X chromosomes are female while those with one X and one Y chromosome are male). All the same rules mentioned above apply, but make sure you don’t overstress young kittens by removing them from their mom and littermates for more than five minutes at a time. Almost all (but not ALL) kittens of calico (black, white and orange) or tortishell (black and orange) color are females. Saunders, 2001, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/3\/3c\/Determine-the-Sex-of-a-Kitten-Step-8-Version-6.jpg\/v4-460px-Determine-the-Sex-of-a-Kitten-Step-8-Version-6.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/3c\/Determine-the-Sex-of-a-Kitten-Step-8-Version-6.jpg\/aid31027-v4-728px-Determine-the-Sex-of-a-Kitten-Step-8-Version-6.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"

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\n<\/p><\/div>"}. The color of the kitten may suggest its gender. Two or 3 months old is best. Female most likely, as males cannot have calico or tortoiseshell markings except in the case of a rare genetic disorder. ", "Photos were very helpful. You’ve got a new kitten? More orange kittens are male than female although the association between color and sex is not as strong as in the calico/tortishell colored kitten. Let’s take a look at the best way for pet parents to determine, or confirm, the sex of their kittens. Sexing kittens who are under 8 weeks of age is even more difficult because the structures you are looking at are tiny and relatively underdeveloped. If your cat is 8 weeks of age or older, the procedure is fairly straightforward. Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. Together, the anus and genital openings on a male kitten will look like a colon ( : ). Here are two features NOT to use when sexing a kitten. ", of kittens (4 healthy babies), and I had no idea how to determine the gender in such small kittens. ", "Fostering an abandoned day-old kitten, article helped me determine this kitten is a boy. However, these differences can be tricky to spot, and it really helps to compare one kitten with another, if there are several in a litter. ", "Thanks to this article, I am sure my kitten is a boy, yay! ", "I must be an idiot because I never thought of these things. The kitten should have two openings. To ascertain the sex of a cat or kitten, it's necessary to pick the cat up. The pictures were awesome! Gently lift the tail and take a look at your cat’s rear end. I was calling him "he" and I'm glad I was, "The descriptive differences between the shapes & lengths between genital openings helped. It can be difficult to tell what sex a kitten is when it is small. At six months of age, your kitten may look like a little adult, but that doesn't mean it has reached its adult size. Determining the sex of a cat can be difficult at times, especially if there is no other cat (or kitten) with which to compare the anatomy. ", http://www.petmd.com/cat/centers/kitten/health/evr_ct_determining_sex_of_cat, http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/cliented/kittengender.aspx, http://cats.lovetoknow.com/caring-kittens/how-determine-sex-kitten, http://www.pet-informed-veterinary-advice-online.com/sexing-kittens.html, Das Geschlecht eines Kätzchens feststellen, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow, Handle the kittens in a warm, indoor area, Don't separate young kittens from their mother for more than 5-10 minutes, Don't lay kittens on "heat-sucking" surfaces like marble countertops and hardwood floors that will draw warmth out of their bodies. If you can't visually detect a scrotum, you can feel for them in kittens that are at least a month or two old. Lift the kitten's tail. Sit on a chair and lightly hold your cat on your lap however he or she feels most comfortable. How do I tell the sex of a newborn kitten? To learn how to determine the sex of a kitten by looking at its other physical features, scroll down! {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/da\/Determine-the-Sex-of-a-Kitten-Step-1-Version-7.jpg\/v4-460px-Determine-the-Sex-of-a-Kitten-Step-1-Version-7.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/da\/Determine-the-Sex-of-a-Kitten-Step-1-Version-7.jpg\/aid31027-v4-728px-Determine-the-Sex-of-a-Kitten-Step-1-Version-7.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"

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\n<\/p><\/div>"}, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Leading veterinary medicine training institution and biomedical research center, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/3\/3f\/Determine-the-Sex-of-a-Kitten-Step-3-Version-7.jpg\/v4-460px-Determine-the-Sex-of-a-Kitten-Step-3-Version-7.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/3f\/Determine-the-Sex-of-a-Kitten-Step-3-Version-7.jpg\/aid31027-v4-728px-Determine-the-Sex-of-a-Kitten-Step-3-Version-7.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"

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