Sphinx how to distinguish a cat from a cat. Location of the anal and genital openings. Looking for sex organs

The need to find out the sex of a kitten arises when a fluffy baby meets a new owner, temporary or permanent. It is especially important to establish the sex of kittens found on the street or born to a domestic cat. In the article we will tell you in detail how to distinguish a boy kitten from a girl.

At what age is gender determined?

Differences in the anatomical structure of kittens of different sexes exist and can be determined from birth. The main assistants in determining the gender of a small pet are:

1. Kitten Age: The older the kitten, the easier it is to establish the gender.
2. The person conducting the examination has experience with kittens.
3. Ability to compare the anatomical features of several kittens.

Sexual characteristics of newborn kittens

A veterinarian or an experienced breeder who accepts several genera of cats every year accurately determines the sex of each kitten immediately after it is born. Of course, in newborn kittens there are only anatomical differences.

Knowledge of how professionals distinguish between them is easy to use if:

• you are observant;
• have good eyesight;
• your favorite kitty gave you a sufficient number of kittens, among which there are, with a high degree of probability, both cats and cats - for comparison.

The appearance of the reproductive organs of a newborn cat has characteristic features:

1. Holes of "causal places" have the form of a colon.
2. The distance between the anus and the penis is 1-1.5 cm (possibly more if we are talking about kittens of large breeds).
3. If you look closely, you can see the scrotum.

Anatomical details of the relevant organs of newborn cats:

1. The appearance of the anus opening and loop (vulva) looks like a semicolon or the letter i.
2. The distance between the holes is 0.5-0.7 cm for medium-sized breeds.
3. The hairline in the area between the holes in cats is usually less dense than in their brothers.

Sex determination in the first weeks

The older the kittens become, the more obvious their primary sexual characteristics. You can accurately determine the sex at the age of 2 months - by a clearly visible scrotum in seals and its absence in cats. At the age of several weeks, additional ways to determine sex appear:

• cats become noticeably more active than cats;
• cats often show dominant behavioral traits, the desire to lead in games;
• more successful results in the fight for the mother's nipples in boys during feeding, and in the future - for the best pieces in the bowl.

It is important to consider: the listed signs can only indicate, but not prove that the kitten belongs to the intended sex.

How to Prepare for a Kitten Checkup

Before the examination it is necessary:

1. Wash hands thoroughly with unscented soap.
2. Be sure to keep your hands warm.
3. Prepare the place of examination: it should be comfortable and well lit.
4. Provide a calm environment in the room where the examination will be carried out.

What can be done:

1. If a kitten was born in your home, you need to make sure that the mother cat calmly admits to the kittens.
2. Before examination, ensure that the kitten is calm, treat it kindly, hold it in both palms, gently stroke it, calm the baby enough so that it is not afraid and does not tuck its tail to its stomach. Ideally, choose the moment when the kitten is full and sleepy.
3. Inspection: turn the kitten with its belly up, holding it in the palm of your hand and gently holding its hind legs and tail with your fingers.

What not to do:

1. You can not take the baby from the cat if she is nervous, angry or feeding kittens.
2. Conduct an inspection roughly, with the use of force, if the kitten resists: press, pull by the paws or tail, hold by the skin fold in the area of ​​​​the withers (by the “scruff”).
3. Inspect without washing off foreign artificial odors that irritate cats (soap, detergent, perfume) from the skin.
4. Check with cold hands. We remind you that the body temperature of cats is more than 2 degrees higher than human. The usual temperature of cool fingertips for humans is perceived by a small kitten as an ice-cold heating pad, because of which the entire examination can go down the drain. If necessary, use a clean, iron-heated towel or a warm rubber heating pad wrapped in a towel or diaper, and try to warm your hands during the examination.

Definition by gender

If the sex of the kitten is not established after birth, The nearest convenient age of examination is 1 week. Even if the baby belongs to the breed of long-haired cats, by this age he has already grown up enough, but has not dressed enough with a fur coat, his eyes remain closed (which provides more peace of mind during the examination). Visual differences at this age persist, but they are more pronounced than immediately after birth.

An indirect way that caring breeders determine differences is through measurements. They are conducted from the moment of birth and are made daily, with records of each kitten. For measurements you need:

• electronic balance;
• "Marking" of kittens, if there are several of them (often brilliant green is used, which marks on the paws, if the kittens cannot be distinguished in another way);
• notebook.

Kittens are weighed in turn at the same time of day and records are taken. Quite often, cats gain weight noticeably faster than cats.

Probing is also considered one of the indirect methods. While examining the kitten, gently run the pad of your finger along the kitten's stomach: in seals, unlike cats, a bulge is felt.

Sex determination in other ways

There are several other methods for determining whether a kitten is of one sex or another. Below we will consider which are reliable and to what extent.

By color

A very reliable way if we are talking about a tortoiseshell kitten: black, blue-cream or patchwork (tri-color) "turtle". Tortoiseshell kitten - in 99% of cases a cat. This is explained by the fact that all colors without exception are formed by two genes - "black" and "red" (red). Blue and cream colors are "lightened" blacks and reds.

The color gene is always transmitted by the female X chromosome, so there can be no discrepancies in cats: XY - one color, black or red, transmitted by the mother. Cats have two chromosomes that carry color genes: XX - therefore, it is possible to transfer either red or black genes, or both at the same time, which gives a tortoiseshell color.

Tortoiseshell boys are born very rarely, and their color is a genetic abnormality (an extra X chromosome: XXY - giving the wrong second color gene). Therefore, "tricolor" cats are born sterile.
All other colors are normal for both sexes.

By voice

With a certain stretch, the method can be considered effective: it is believed that cats have more low overtones in their voices, and cats have more high overtones. In fact, quite a few cats have a rather gentle contralto, and the voices of some cats, on the contrary, sound menacing and by no means feminine.

On the muzzle

It is believed that the outlines of the girl's muzzle are more subtle and soft, and the "portrait" of the cat is sculpted roughly, with wider cheekbones and the back of the nose. In reality, the method, of course, cannot be considered reliable. "Facial features", as in humans, are inherited from parents. Which makes more than likely both the subtle aristocratic features of the appearance of the cat, and the harsh features of some four-legged young ladies.

Moreover, there are breeds of cats (a vivid example is the Maine Coon), whose breed phenotype obliges them to look like wild angry predators, regardless of gender. There are also breeds of graceful, thin-boned cats whose traits are reflected in the features of the males enough to confuse the observer with an untrained eye.

By weight

Weight is a criterion by which it is theoretically possible to establish the sex of an animal, but the reliability of the method is very low. It can be considered more or less reliable in two cases:

1. In the event that daily control weighings of the litter show a consistently high weight gain of some kittens compared to others (indicators vary for different breeds and individual body types of animals).
2. If the size and weight are breed-forming features and significantly exceed the indicators possible for cats, with a high degree of probability, luxurious dimensions belong to a representative of the stronger half. The downside of this method is that by the time they reach indicative sizes and weights, the animals are already grown enough to easily determine gender by anatomical features.

veterinary method

You can accurately find out the sex of a kitten by contacting a veterinary clinic. If a visual examination by an experienced veterinarian does not allow accurate results (for example, when the length and thickness of the coat of a very small kitten “confused the readings”), there is always the possibility donate blood for analysis. It makes sense to resort to this method when this is the only way, and for some reason the result needs to be known urgently.

Non-standard (folk) methods

Determination of sex "by signs" is often as unreliable as some of the above. But you should know about them at least so that they do not confuse you:

1. By the eyes. It is believed that "the look of a cat is impudent, and the look of a cat is modest." As we understand, the eyes are the mirror of the soul, and there are hardly fewer "impudent" cats than cats.
2. By wool on the genitals- in cats it is thicker. The method is more related not to folk, but to the real observation of cat owners. However, when dealing with kittens, it is hardly possible to trust the density of baby fluff in "secluded places".
3. On a saucer of milk. One of the "grandmother's" methods claims that the cat will run to the bowl of milk, raising his tail vertically, and the cat - vice versa, lowering it. It would be possible to look for real physiological justifications or refutation of this version, if not for one "but". Contrary to popular belief, milk is harmful to cats and experimenting with it is not recommended. But with cream or sour cream - you can. True, popular beliefs are silent about them.

Useful video

A video that will clearly show how to determine the sex of a kitten:

Obviously, there are quite a few ways to determine the sex of a kitten at any age. If you are unable to find it out with absolute certainty, and you do not want to wait until the pet is older, the most reliable way is to contact a familiar breeder or veterinarian. Do you know any other ways to determine the sex of a kitten? If so, be sure to share it in the comments, we will be very interested.

Determining the sex of a cat up to 3 months is not always possible even for experienced breeders and veterinarians. The genitals are not yet fully formed, and outwardly, cats and cats are similar at an early age. But there are several signs by which kittens can be distinguished.

How to determine the sex of a newborn kitten

A good way to find out the sex of newborn animals is to examine their genitals.

A cat or a cat will have a difference:

1. In girls, the vulva is located close to the anus, at a distance of about 5 mm. Outwardly, both organs resemble a beech i or a semicolon.
2. In newly born boys, the genitals look like a colon. At 1 - 1.5 cm from the anus is the scrotum with testicles, under it is the opening of the foreskin. Also, males have more hair between the anus and penis than cats.
3. Another sign is to run your index finger over your stomach. If the baby is a male, a slight bulge will be felt.

It is easier to identify kittens at a young age from the same litter, as the difference is determined by comparison.

If you need to find out the gender of one cat or kitty, it is better to first look at thematic photos or videos.

What can be done

Examine the animal carefully so as not to harm it:

• the baby is taken with the whole brush, grabbing from above, fingers are closed on the chest and stomach;
• a person should place the crumbs in the palm of your hand or flat space;
• carefully raise the tail and examine the cat's organ.

What Not to Do

When visually determining the sex of an animal, it is prohibited:

• take or pull by the tail, paws, scruff;
• take a newborn from a cat in an evil state;
• tear off the crumbs during feeding;
• take the baby with hands with a smell - the mother may consider him "alien";
• put pressure on the genitals;
• damage or break off the remnants of the umbilical cord;
• keep the animal longer than 1 - 2 minutes - it may freeze, since thermoregulation is not yet developed.

At what age can you determine the sex of a kitten

Outwardly, it is easier to find out the sex of animals when they are 1 week old. They have not yet completely pubescent, and visibility is better. This is especially true for breeds with long hair or thick undercoat: Persian, British and Scottish kittens.

But at this age it is easy to make a mistake. It is even more difficult to understand the sex of 2 - 3-week-old animals: their hair grows and "closes" the view.

Kittens are easiest to identify when they are 3 months old, as the genitals are already well formed. With confidence, boys can be distinguished from girls at six months, when full puberty occurs.

Sexual characteristics in kittens

The main sexual characteristics of cats include:

• the shape of the genitals;
• external signs;
• behavioral factors.

When they appear (1 - 2 months)

The first sexual characteristics between females and males appear at 1 month. At 4 to 12 weeks, testicles appear in cats: they descend into the scrotum from the abdominal cavity.

In some animals, maturation occurs later. This distinguishes large, massive breeds: the British, Maine Coons, Ragdolls.

At 3 - 4 months, kittens can already be distinguished by external signs - weight, shape of the muzzle, expression of the eyes. And at 6 - 8 months, in adulthood, behavioral factors appear - cats start estrus, cats mark their territory.

How and how are they different

Newborn cats and cats are similar to each other.

The first external differences appear at 2 months:

1. Cats grow faster and gain weight, cats are smaller and more elegant.
2. Females are more playful than males.
3. The look and expression of the muzzle of the boys is calm, haughty. Girls are alert and searching.
4. In cats, the chest is powerful and deep, the paws are larger, with large pads.
5. Both sexes have nipples, but cats have larger nipples.

These differences can be seen both in the photo (above) and in the video.

Is it possible to determine the sex of a kitten by other signs

You can also understand what gender the baby is by external differences: muzzle, voice and color.

On the muzzle

You can tell a cat from a cat by its face. In males, it is massive, with a wide nose, forehead and large cheekbones. They also have thicker necks. The female sign is refined, miniature features.

By voice

I will color

Only a cat can be tortoiseshell or tricolor. This is due to genetic characteristics. The X chromosomes are responsible for the transmission of orange and black. If the animal has both shades - with 99% it is a female. In 1%, such a fur coat occurs in males due to genome disorders. They have 3 chromosomes - XXY - and are sterile.

With a red coat most often there are cats. It also depends on genetics. They get the red gene from their mother. But cats must immediately adopt two of these genes from both parents.

The sex of small kittens can be recognized by several features. In the first days after birth, he is recognized by the shape of the genitals, sometimes by color. And when the animal reaches 3 - 4 months - according to external signs: muzzle, voice and weight.

During the first pregnancy of a domestic cat, its owners eagerly await offspring, and often wonder what gender the kittens will be? Experienced breeders can easily solve this issue. But ordinary owners, even after the birth of kittens, do not know by what signs it is possible to distinguish a boy from a girl.

Determining the sex of a newborn kitten

Of course, in adults, sex can be determined by clearly expressed sexual characteristics, but what about babies? How to determine the sex of a kitten when he was just born? Owners with experience and just amateurs identify several main features that will help to accurately determine the sex of a newborn.

The kitten should be carefully picked up, stroked and lifted up. After that, carefully look under his tail, where there are two pinholes: anal and genital. If the kitten is a future cat, then the distance between the holes will be long (about 1 cm). If the kitten is a future female, then this distance will be much shorter.

This method is the most reliable, since the kittens have not yet raised their fur during this period, and the holes are clearly visible. There is another way to determine the sex of a newborn kitten: tactile. To carry it out, the kitten needs to be laid on a soft diaper and slowly feel the tummy. In a cat in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bformation of the testicles, you can grope for two small peas, which the future female will not have.

Determination of the sex of a kitten at the age of one month

When the baby is one month old, the shape of the genitals will tell you how to determine the sex of the kitten. In a cat, the genital opening has the shape of an elongated vertical slit, and in a cat, a small swelling can be found in this place - the future scrotum with testicles.

Many breeders advise determining the sex of kittens by the structure of the skull, sternum, ribs, and also by color. It is believed that red babies are necessarily cats, and babies with a tortoiseshell shade of wool are future females. However, there are no rules without exceptions, and this method is not one hundred percent. However, tricolor cats are almost always female, exceptions are extremely rare. Therefore, a black-white-red kitten is a girl. But this does not work with other colors, and a solid or two-color baby can be either a female or a male.

Some breeders advise paying attention to the shape of the kitten's muzzle. In males, it is more masculine and pointed, while in the female it is more rounded and feminine. It is also advised to pay attention to the look of growing individuals. The look of the male is more self-confident and arrogant, while that of the female is frightened and wary. But these signs can hardly be called defining.

If you still have problems with how to determine the sex of a kitten, then it is better to take the baby to a veterinarian or an experienced breeder. This is the easiest and most reliable way.

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 the sex of the kittens unmistakably.

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 it 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.

This 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, unneutered 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.

When a decision is made about the need to get a kitten, a number of questions arise: what breed, color and, of course, gender should a potential pet have. If everything is quite transparent with the pedigree and suit, then not everyone can determine the gender of the baby. So that fluffy Vasily does not have to be urgently renamed Vasilisa, let's find out the main signs of cats and cats.

• 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 a new territory, using a specific pungent smell for this. Cats also mark, but the person does not notice anything unusual: the pet simply sharpens its claws, but in fact it secretes a certain secret from the glands on the paw pads.
• Cats are quite active, they hunt with pleasure. At the same time, they are independent and do not show too tender feelings for their master. Cats are mostly lazy, but at the same time affectionate. Fighting for a bride or territory is a common thing for them.

1. Wash your hands thoroughly to get rid of any more or less strong odor.
2. Do not hold the baby in your arms for more than a few minutes, otherwise, due to unsteady thermoregulation, the animal may quickly freeze.
3. Kittens, whose age does not exceed 3 weeks, it is better not to pick up at all. If your own scent transfers to the fluffy, the mother cat may refuse to feed him further.
4. Take it carefully, put it on your tummy and lift the tail a little. In this case, the animal must not be lifted or pulled by the tail.
5. Try to find out all the details you are interested in as soon as possible so as not to stress the baby.

Of the described ways of distinguishing between cats and cats, only a visual assessment of the genitals is absolutely reliable. The rest of the techniques can act as an addition to the main approach, since they can misfire.