How to Determine the Gender of a Kitten

If your cat has recently had kittens, it is helpful to find out if the kittens are male or female. Determining whether a kitten is male or female is a straightforward process known as "sexing." Sex your kittens to make adopting the kittens out a little easier. Handle the kittens carefully while you determine their gender. If they start mewling or crying loudly, set them down next to their mother and leave the sexing for another day.

Things You'll Need

  • Clean towel
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Instructions

    • 1

      Pick up the kitten in a warm towel. The kitten should be resting on its belly with its tail closest to you and its head farther away.

    • 2

      Lift the kitten's tail very gently. You should be able to see two openings. The upper opening from this angle is the anus and the lower opening is the kitten's genitalia.

    • 3

      Examine the kitten's genitalia. In males, the opening is round and flat, while in females, the opening is a vertical slit.

    • 4

      Look at the distance between the genitals and the anus. The space between the genitals and the anus is larger on a male kitten than a female kitten.

    • 5

      Look for testicles. If the kitten is older than 2 months old, the male kitten will have testicles.

    • 6

      Look at the color of the kitten's fur. According to Washington State University, most kittens with calico or tortoiseshell coats are female, while a large number of orange kittens are male, though the correspondence is not as strong for orange cats as for calico cats.