How to distinguish a cat from a cat and determine the gender of a kitten.
The gender of the kitten plays an important role when choosing it. It is he who determines the habits of this animal. Usually a kitten is adopted while still young, as it must get used to the environment in its new home, to its new owners.
Due to anatomical features, young kittens have practically no external sexual characteristics and it is very difficult to check its gender. Many people look for bulges in the kitten's perineum - testicles. But this is completely useless, since the cat has them determined in a few weeks, as soon as they descend into the scrotum. And cats have small swellings in this place.
Differences between a cat and a female cat in behavior
Little kittens behave exactly the same - they are like little children. It is possible to distinguish kittens by their behavior only when they reach puberty, because at this time their hormonal levels change . Some observations showed:
- cats are the most active, cats are the lazy ones;
- a cat is much cleaner than a cat;
- cats mark their territory with secretions with a pungent and unpleasant odor;
- cats mark the same territory with their paws, releasing their claws, since they have special glands in their paw pads;
- cats refrain from affectionate to their owners, and cats, on the contrary, are more affectionate;
- cats always fight over cats, but cats never fight over cats.
How to distinguish a cat from a cat
There are at least three differentiating methods. And every person, even the farthest from all this, can choose one of them for themselves.
Visual observation. To determine the sex of a kitten, you need to look under its tail. Obvious differences cannot be seen there, but according to experts, there is a 100% way to determine the sex of this animal.
In cats, the genitals are located next to the anus and are very similar to a vertical stripe. The distance between these places is no more than one centimeter.
In cats, the genitals look like a round point, and the distance to the anus is two to three centimeters. Then they develop testicles in this space.
According to the color of the kitten. Cats are almost never multi-colored. If a kitten has several coat colors, then it is a cat. In many cases, you can determine the gender of a kitten by its face. The male has a rougher expression on her than the female.
Palpation of the genitals. This is a gentle palpation of the genitals, which can be done from two weeks of age. The kitten should be placed on a soft surface, its tail raised and very carefully begin to palpate the area immediately below the anus. A boy will immediately have two “peas” with a diameter of about five millimeters, but a girl will not have this.
These methods are few, but will help owners find out the gender of their future pet. And under no circumstances should you lift a small cat or a female cat by the tail. You should also not pick up small kittens until they are three weeks old. Otherwise, the smell of the owner will be transferred to the kitten and the mother cat may not accept him back, since he has acquired a foreign smell.
External differences between a cat and a cat
There are some differences in the body structure and color of these animals.
Body Shape. A cat has a body of smaller dimensions, it has soft body lines and it has the softest curves. Her muzzle is elongated in length, and not in width, like that of cats. They have a much wider nose and muzzle and a much larger and more powerful body, as well as thick paws.
Color. The characteristic difference between a cat and a cat is its specific color. The X chromosomes are responsible for the red and black colors. If both are present in the DNA of these animals, then it is a cat. And only because of this, females can have a tortoiseshell color or contain three shades of colors.
Characteristics of cats and cats
Distinctive character traits of one or another are possible only after seven to eight months from their birth. Much in the character of cats depends on their breed and therefore they can be aggressive or obstinate, regardless of their gender.
Cats (of most breeds) are docile and lazy, they like to consider themselves masters in their home and demand that their wishes be fulfilled immediately. They won't mind being held or petted.
Cats love independence. It is said about them: “loves to walk by itself.” Many have a quarrelsome and capricious character; cats can show their independence with their entire appearance. You don’t need to expect affection from them; they can only allow you to pet them out of politeness. Cats are affectionate only during heat. They also have the most important feature that separates them from cats - this is cleanliness (they can lick their fur for hours). And they choose a softer and warmer place to sleep.
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When the decision is made to get a kitten, a whole series of questions arise: what breed, color and, of course, gender should the potential pet have? If everything is quite transparent with the pedigree and color, then not everyone will be able to determine the gender of the baby. So that furry Vasily does not have to be urgently renamed Vasilisa, let's find out the main signs of cats.
The most accurate way to determine the sex of a kitten is to look under its tail. Pay attention to the distance between the genital organ and the anus. In cats it is a few millimeters, up to 1 cm, and in males it is 2 or 3 cm. In addition, the shape of the genital organs is also important: in girls it resembles a vertical stripe, in boys it resembles a dot. With high reliability, you can determine the sex of a kitten using palpation. If you place your index and middle fingers on the free space between the penis and anus, you can feel two small peas, a couple of millimeters in diameter. These are the beginnings of the testicles that will soon develop in the cat. This method should be used extremely carefully so as not to damage the fragile organism. It is recommended to palpate kittens at least one to two months old. In slightly older, three-month-old cats, the shape of the testicles is so pronounced that it can be seen visually. At the same time, the size of future testes also increases. The fur in this area is often distinguished by a different shade, thickness or direction of growth.
- In cats, the muzzle is extended forward, it looks sophisticated. The body is graceful, often slender. Cats are distinguished by a fairly wide muzzle and large size.
- Adult cats are cleaner than their male friends.
- Cats mark new territory using a specific pungent odor. Cats also mark, but people don’t notice anything unusual: the pet simply sharpens its claws, but in fact secretes a certain secretion from the glands on the pads of its paws.
- Cats are quite active and enjoy hunting. At the same time, they are independent and do not show too tender feelings towards their owner. Cats are mostly lazy, but at the same time affectionate. Fighting for a bride or territory is a common thing for them.
- Wash your hands thoroughly to get rid of any strong odor.
- Do not hold the baby in your hands for more than a few minutes, otherwise, due to unstable thermoregulation, the animal may quickly freeze.
- It is better not to pick up kittens whose age does not exceed 3 weeks. If your own scent transfers to the fluffy cat, the mother cat may refuse to feed him further.
- Take it carefully, place it on your tummy and lift the tail a little. In this case, the animal must not be lifted or pulled by the tail.
- Try to find out all the details you are interested in in the shortest possible time so as not to expose your baby to stress.
Of the described methods for distinguishing males and females, only a visual assessment of the genitals is absolutely reliable. Other methods can act as an addition to the main approach, since they can misfire.
If you dream of a four-legged furry pet, prepare for the appearance of a kitten in the house. Some of us are principled when it comes to the gender of a pet. Five methods are used to distinguish a cat from a cat. Let's look at them in detail.
1. Looking under the tail
If you are not sure how to distinguish a newborn cat from a female cat, look under the animal’s tail. This is a reliable method for determining gender. Small kittens lack primary sexual characteristics. Boys and girls are almost the same, but if you look closely, you will see the difference.
In girls, the distance between the vagina and anus is about a centimeter, and the vulva is oblong. Cats have a greater distance from the anus to the penis, and the shape of the genital organ is a round point. Later the testicles will appear here. They go down by 2-3 months. If you feel this place in a newborn kitten, you will notice two small balls under the skin. There is no doubt, this is a cat.
Beginners, people who have not determined the sex of small animals, are mistaken. Breeders and nursery owners have gained experience; they know how to distinguish a cat from a male at birth. If you are not sure of your own opinion, ask experienced colleagues to help you. Invite club representatives to give their opinion.
The task becomes more difficult for animals with long hair. It is problematic to notice the shape, size of the genital organ, and distance from the anus in High Land or long-haired kittens. But here too there is one unmistakable method. Boys' genitals are covered with hair from birth, while girls have a clean space between the vulva and anus.
2. Determine gender from photographs
If you buy a kitten from breeders, they provide you with photographs of the litter and use them to choose your pet. Some people immediately wonder how to distinguish a cat from a cat from a photo. Turn your gaze to the tail. There is a popular belief that for boys it sticks up, and for girls it is slightly lowered to the ground. This method is not precise, but has been used with others.
You will also learn how to distinguish a cat from a female cat by its face. Male kittens have a round, massive muzzle, while female kittens have graceful features and a small muzzle.
When buying a kitten from a breeder whose cattery is a member of the club, do not worry about being scammed. Such people value their reputation; they will not pass off a cat as a cat just to sell the entire litter, because you will file a claim with the club. In order not to be tormented by doubts about how to distinguish a cat or a cat from a kitten, trust experienced experts.
3. Character of cats depending on gender
If you have already acquired the skills to distinguish a cat from a cat by its face, let’s discuss the character of these animals. Traditionally, male pets are attached to their owners; they show affection, love and attention. The likelihood that a boy will attack or scratch a family member is minimized. The same cannot be said about the attitude towards strangers. An animal may bite or scratch strangers or your guests if they show increased attention to it.
Female animals are independent, independent. They do not pay attention to guests at home, but they are also indifferent to the owners. Small cats are playful, while cats prefer a calm, measured rest.
The character of an animal depends not only on gender, but also on breed and upbringing. Kittens in the nursery are raised from birth, they are not afraid of people, they make contact, regardless of gender.
4. Determine the sex of a castrated animal
When choosing a pet, it is important to learn how to distinguish a neutered cat from a female cat, because sterilization or castration is a prerequisite for breeders. Contrary to popular belief, when cats are operated on, their genitals are not removed. During the operation, the testes are excised. Outwardly nothing changes, the cat is simply not able to procreate. For cats, the operation is performed laparoscopically through two punctures on the side. In some clinics, the intervention is performed in a cavity manner, with an incision made along the white line. When the stitches heal, there are almost no traces left. Determining the sex of a castrated animal will not be problematic.
5. Look at the color of the animal
You can really find out how to distinguish a cat from a British cat by delving into genetics. This breed is one of the most popular in the world. The British and Scots are distinguished by a variety of colors. Few people know that the X chromosome is responsible for the tricolor color, and the red coat color in 90% of cases is caused by the Y chromosome. If you choose a tortoiseshell kitten, you will get a girl, while those with red fur will produce boys. There are no such rules for other colors, but you can already narrow down your search for a pet by choosing a color in advance.
Now you have learned how to distinguish an adult cat from a female cat, these skills will help in choosing a four-legged friend.
Surely, you have often wondered how to find out what sex kittens are. If your cat has given birth and you decide to keep the babies so that you can sell them and give them away, you need to figure out how many boys and how many girls you have. But while the kittens are small, it is very difficult to understand. Unfortunately, the cats do not come with instructions that tell you how to determine the gender of the kitten.
When buying an animal at the market, you will also want to find out who you are taking. After all, when you bring a cat home, you will need not only to feed it and shower it with love, but also to give it a name. How many cases have there been in the history of human-cat friendship when Murok had to be urgently renamed to Murzikov, and Lucy to Lyusikov.
If with dogs, even at a young age, everything is simpler, then not every cat breeder knows how to determine the sex of a kitten 1 month old.
How to determine the sex of a kitten - basic techniques
Of course, from a scientific point of view, there is nothing complicated. Nowadays, even the sex of an embryo in the mother’s womb can be easily determined. Of course, there are similar remedies for animals. After all, cats, like people, have innate sex differences determined at the chromosomal level. That is, if a scientist does not know how to distinguish a cat from a cat, he will simply conduct a DNA test and get the desired result.
But we all understand that a family that bought/picked up an animal on the street hardly has the means to conduct complex tests.
You can also try to determine gender by looking. In cats it is more wary. They are constantly looking for something, studying. The cat almost always looks with a confident look. But in the case of children, this technique does not work. Their look, other than bewilderment and confusion, expresses nothing. So we reject this option.
How can you find out the sex of a kitten based on the simplest criterion - anatomical differences? It is known that until the age of three months, kittens are almost the same. The fact is that before this age their genitals develop and are very similar in appearance.
But it is still possible to determine the sex of a kitten if you know what its excretory and reproductive organs should look like and where they should be located.
Prepare - wash your hands with soap and carefully pick up the animal. You need to do this carefully so as not to scare him or force him to break free. We take the kitten in one hand, a gadget with a good camera in the other, and take a photo. It will be easier and more convenient to see everything on it than on a ball of fur that wants to get free as quickly as possible.
How to find out the gender of a kitten: follow the cat with a ruler
Experts know well how to distinguish a cat from a tomcat based on simple parameters. Take a look at the photo we received. On it you see two areas, this is the anus and the area where the genitals are formed. In the female there is no distance between them for an obvious reason, while in the male it is “reserved” for the testicles. Usually this area takes up one and a half or two centimeters.
So, if you want to figure out how to determine the gender of a kitten, a photo will help you do this the easiest way.
Shape of genital organs
While there is no penis or testicles, the shape of the hole through which the kittens relieve themselves will be different. In a cat it is round (the anus and urethra form a colon), and in a cat it is rectangular (similar to the letter i, or an exclamation mark).
Check by touch
If you are not sure of the accuracy of the previous option, then check the floor with your hands. Between the anus and the area where the genital organ is formed, the cat will have two swellings that can be felt. Testicles are formed from these over time. But how can you determine whether it’s a cat in front of you if it’s just a baby and nothing has begun to form yet? Often this option is not suitable, because... The characteristics of growth and formation of secondary sexual characteristics are different for each individual kitten.
Do you want to give a name to a new four-legged family member, but don’t know how to distinguish a cat from a female cat? If a kitten has appeared in your home, then you can be congratulated: now you will be accompanied by a wayward, but affectionate and understanding companion. If the four-legged friend was not acquired by hand, then the owner will be faced with the question of how to find out the gender of the animal. This is difficult for most people, so if in doubt it is best to consult a veterinarian. Another way is to wait until the animal reaches 2-3 months of age. It is from this moment that the sex of the animal becomes obvious, so identifying it will not be difficult.
Visual and tactile inspection is the main assistant in this seemingly trivial matter.
However, there are several signs that will help you find out the sex of a kitten from the age of one month. Visual and tactile inspection is the main assistant in this seemingly trivial matter.
But even a simple examination must be approached in detail: your manipulations should not injure the kitten either physically or psychologically.
To do this, follow a few simple rules:
- Wash your hands thoroughly before examination. They should be warm and not smell like chemical cleaning products.
- Do not pick up kittens from a mother cat before three weeks of age, as she may abandon the cub. In this case, you will have to feed the baby yourself.
- If you do take a kitten from a cat, then make sure that she is not against your actions.
- Do not pick up the kitten by the tail right away. It is advisable to place his stomach on a towel, and after that carefully manipulate the tail.
- If the kitten is already moving independently, then extend your palm to it and caress it. If the baby behaves warily, is nervous and scared, then it is better to postpone the examination. If the kitten easily makes contact, then you can begin to determine the sex.
Visual assessment of the genitals
The easiest way to find out the gender of your pet is visual. It is suitable for those who are faced with the question of how to distinguish a small cat from a cat for the first time. Look under the kitten's tail. Sexual characteristics in small kittens are not clearly formed, but differences can still be found in older animals. In a cat, the anus and genitals look like two points located parallel and horizontally.
Thus, in appearance it looks like the spelling sign colon. In a small cat, the appearance of the urinary canal is different: it looks like a slit and visually resembles an exclamation mark.
The easiest way to find out the gender of your pet is visually
You can also visually rely on the distance between the anus and the genitals. In a cat it is small, about 1 cm, but in a small cat it is noticeably larger. The fur between the anus and the genitals is also a clue. In cats it is quite thick in this place, but female kittens do not have it at all.
If doubts still remain, a tactile inspection can be performed. To do this, you need to carefully probe the place where the testicles should be with your index and middle fingers. How to determine gender? If you have a small cat in your hands, then under your fingertips there will be small peas, no more than 5 mm in diameter.
Determining the sex of a kitten (video)
Appearance of the animal
There are also several signs in appearance that will allow you to say with almost one hundred percent certainty whether you have a cat or a female cat.
If your pet is tri-colored (tortoiseshell), then it is probably a cat. Cats cannot be three-colored from a genetic point of view: such coloring is embedded in two X chromosomes, the set of which is possible only in cats.
Boys carry X and Y chromosomes in their genetic code, that is, they cannot have a tortoiseshell color.
The calico type color is also characteristic only of cats. It's simple: calico is a color where white areas on a cat's fur occupy more than 40% of the body. Only cats are red and cinnamon.
