How to determine the sex of a kitten?

The question of determining the sex of a kitten sometimes plays an important role when you need to decide on the method of castration, choose a name, or if you simply want to know who was born. There are different ways of determining. Of course, you can go to the vet, who will do it with precision, but you can figure it out yourself.

At what age can you try to determine the sex of a kitten?

As soon as the kittens are born, it will be difficult for an ordinary person to determine their gender - it becomes possible at the age of two months. At this time, you can easily find out whether you have a cat or a cat. Of course, you can try to do it earlier, but there is a possibility of an error. 

You can usually cope with the task when the baby is three weeks old - there are certain secrets, although it will be somewhat difficult. If you have experience, you can determine the sex of a kitten even immediately after birth - professionals can easily handle this. 

There are certain features of determining the sex of a kitten at different ages:

• almost immediately after birth. During this period, the groin area is open, as there is not too much fur here yet. A mistake can occur because the genitals are still very small. But there is one peculiarity here - if you are observant, immediately after birth, kittens are bigger than kittens and more active. But at the same time, boy kittens begin to gain weight and grow very actively;
• in the first month, it is very easy to determine the gender. Babies have already grown up and are active;
• in 2-3 months, the differences are more obvious. In two months, testicles in boys will already be felt, and in 3 - they can be seen;
• six months later, the kittens begin puberty. You can determine their gender not only by physical signs, but also by the behavior of babies.

Why do many want to determine the gender as early as possible? There are many reasons, and here are just a few:

1. The desire to give a nickname. It is undesirable to rename the animal already in adulthood, since the cat gets used to its name, and may not even react to a new one;
2. Necessary in order to determine the type of sterilization operation. Of course, the operation is carried out already at a more mature age, and therefore in this case it will not be difficult to determine the gender;
3. If you are selling kittens, you need to accurately determine their sex. Or you want to take a kitten of a certain sex - you can trust the breeder, but it is better to check again yourself, so as not to be surprised at the end.

How to determine the sex without harming the animal?

When trying to determine the sex of kittens, small animals are often carelessly treated, which can cause injuries. First of all, it is important to remember that the kitten is still very small, and you should handle it as carefully as possible.

When determining the sex, you don't need to pull the tail and even more so lift the kitten by it. You should also not press on the stomach or genitals - the animal can be injured very easily. 

Be sure to monitor the kitten's behavior. If it starts to show anxiety, lash out, or even screams, stop trying and try to be even gentler and gentler next time. In addition, if the cat sees or hears the concern of her children, she can start hiding them in a cozy place. 

It is best to determine the sex of a kitten when it is three weeks old. Choose the moment when the kitten has eaten, is awake and is in a calm state. Do not take kittens away from their mother for a long time, as they do not yet know how to maintain their body temperature on their own and can quickly freeze.

There are simple rules for behavior with an animal:

1. The kitten must be kept very carefully;
2. The baby should be placed on his tummy and carefully lift his tail;
3. First, you need to calm the cat so that she does not worry about her child;
4. A minimum of manipulations should be done so as not to stress the small animal. 
5. If you do everything slowly and carefully, you can easily determine the sex of the kitten. 

Ways to determine the sex of a kitten

There are different ways to determine the sex of a kitten:

1. To determine the sex of a kitten by the appearance of the genitals, you need to put it on its stomach and stroke it at the base of the tail so that it raises it by itself. Then carefully examine the perineal area. In cats, the genitals look like a small gap, the distance from the anus to the genitals is very short, and there is almost no hair in this area. In cats, there is a portal between the anus and the genital opening, so the distance is greater, and this area is more fluffy. It will be easiest to determine the sex if you have a whole litter of kittens - then they can be easily compared to each other;
2. Probing. You need to gently slide your finger from the anus to the genital opening. If you feel the seal, then in front of you is a cat that has testicles. If nothing is felt - a cat;
3. Color of wool. In some cases, the color can indicate the sex of the kitten. So, girls have the same sex chromosomes (XX set), and the genes for pigments are located exactly on the X chromosome. This gene is associated with a dark pigment, such as black, gray, brown, and red, and therefore, at the same time, these colors can only be found in cats . That is why if you see a tricolor kitten in front of you, it is most likely a cat. Of course, genetic mutations cannot be ruled out - sometimes kittens are born with such mutations, but this is rare - one kitten per 1000 kittens. Cats are mostly completely red, because for a cat to be red, both of its XX chromosomes must carry these pigments, but more often than not, cats have different genes;
4. Behavior of kittens. Breeders believe that this is a reliable method, but it is still difficult for ordinary owners to navigate by it. It is believed that cats do not come into contact with humans - they are more independent and independent, engaged in hunting and defending their territory. But cats, on the contrary, are more contact and sociable. In addition, boys are more passive and rest more often;
5. Physique and appearance. When kittens are born, they look the same - it's hard to tell the gender by the face. But as they mature, kittens are smaller than cats, and their faces are smaller, and their features are softer and more refined. Cats are bigger and look more manly. Already by the age of 6 months, the weight of cats will be much greater. 
6. The most reliable way to determine the sex of a kitten is genetic analysis. But it is quite expensive. In addition, with age, its relevance decreases significantly - you can determine gender even by sexual characteristics and not make a mistake. However, the analysis has a huge benefit - it is possible to determine the animal's genetic predisposition to this or that serious disease. It is done very simply - a scraping is taken from the inside of the kitten's cheek.

Folk methods of determining the sex of a kitten

No matter how strange it sounds, but if you listen to grandmothers, they have many folk ways to determine the sex of a kitten. There is room for imagination. However, there is a share of experience here - many methods are used even by breeders. 

So, for example, the perineum of cats grows faster and the fur here is thicker than that of cats. 

Grandma, trained by experience, can advise you to conduct such a simple experiment. It is necessary to put a bowl with a treat, for example, milk. If the kitten's tail is proudly raised up with pleasure, you have a cat in front of you. Girls, when they treat themselves to something, most often lower their tails. 

Another interesting observation is that the sharper smell of urine is in boys, especially during puberty. But in girls it smells less sharp. 

All the reliable methods listed above work, but folk methods of gender determination only confirm them. Therefore, keep an eye on your animal, notice various little things in its formation and behavior, and you will definitely not go wrong. 

We draw conclusions

Determining the sex of a kitten is not so difficult if you know different methods. You can stop at one of them, but it is better to approach the issue comprehensively. However, the most reliable is a visit to the veterinarian - the doctor will definitely not make a mistake. 

Gender determination is important in order to choose a castration method. This is important for those animals that live in an apartment and do not go outside. The mating period causes animals not only emotional discomfort, but also physical torment. Therefore, castration or sterilization should not be postponed - because this is exactly how our care for those whom we have tamed is manifested.