Determining Gender (Sex) of a Kitten
This
information is not meant to be a substitute for veterinary care. Always follow
the instructions provided by your veterinarian.
You just brought home a kitten that you intend to name Sam but your
roommate tells you that you had better consider the name Samantha instead.
Determining the sex (gender) of a kitten is easy when you know what to
look for.
Lift the kitten's tail. The opening just under the tail is the anus.
Below the anus is the genital opening which is round in males and is a
vertical slit in females. In kittens of similar size, the distance between
the anus and the genital opening is greater in the male than the female.
 |
anus |
 |
| genital |
Male 8 week old kitten |
|
Female 8 week old kitten |
As the male kitten grows the testicles become more apparent.
The color of the kitten may suggest it's gender. Almost all (but not
ALL) kittens of calico (black, white and orange) or tortishell (black and
orange) color are females. 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.
Washington State University assumes no liability for injury to
you or your pet incurred by following these descriptions or procedures.
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Last Edited: Dec 21, 2007 4:37 PM
