How to Tell if a Kitten is Male or Female

Many times, when people want to make an addition to their home in the form of a kitten, its gender is of great importance. Maybe there is already a male or a female in the home; at other times, there may be breeding purposes to contend with. And people sometimes find and adopt a stray kitten without knowing its gender. It is very important to know the sex of your kitten, yet many owners do not know how to determine this crucial detail.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

How to Tell if a Kitten is Male or Female

1. Hold the kitten so its back end is facing you. Its tail will go up; this is just what you want to happen so you can make a determination.

2. Seeif you can make the determination by using what is called the "colon or semicolon" rule. If the animal is a male, the area below its tail should resemble a colon ( : ); if it is a female, the area should represent a semi-colon ( ; ).

3. See if the urinary area and anus are close together; if so, it is a female. In male kittens, the urinary area and anus are not close together, and an undeveloped scrotum may be visible.

Tips & Warnings

• When comparing two kittens, the space between the anus and urinary tract opening in the male is greater than the distance in the female.