When a cat has had kittens, curiosity is great as to whether they are small cats or small tomcats. The younger the kittens, the more difficult it is to tell the gender.
How To Tell The Gender Of A Kitten?
Telling the gender of a kitten can be tricky because the reproductive organs are not as developed as in adult cats’. But determining the gender of a kitten is easy if you know what to look for while determining it.
Pick your kitten up gently and pet him/her to comfort him/her. If the kitten panics, you should leave it alone immediately and try some other time. After lifting your cat, gently rub the back near the base of the tail. This will cause your cat to lift her tail automatically. Even if she doesn’t do it, you can simply lift the tail. The opening right under the tail is the anus. The opening below the anus is the genital opening. The shape of the genital opening differs in male and female kittens. In males, the genital opening is round while in females, it is a vertical slit. Another difference between male and female kittens is the distance between the anus and genital opening. This distance is greater in males as compared to females.
As the age of male kitten increases, its testes grow and identification of gender becomes easy.
Coat color and behavioral differences can also be used to tell the gender of a kitten but these aren’t as confirmatory as the physical test mentioned earlier.
Orange or ginger-colored kittens are mostly male. Kittens having calico (black, white, and orange) and tortoiseshell (black and orange) color are mostly females.
When it comes to behavioral differences, male kittens become territorial and start spraying around to mark their territory. Male cats are aggressive as compared to females. Female kittens, on the other hand, start vocalizing when they reach sexual maturity and enter their first heat. But these signs will be suppressed if your kitten is neutered at an early age.