# Help determine the sex of my kittens (with pictures) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 30, 2015, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-determine-the-sex-of-my-kittens-with-pictures/718870 "2015-04-30T03:57:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Two\_Wheels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@Two\_Wheels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Wheels)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-determine-the-sex-of-my-kittens-with-pictures/718870/1 "2015-04-30T03:57:40Z")
My wife and I adopted two kittens from an animal shelter about a month ago. We were told (and the paperwork says) that the black one, who we have named Athena, is a female and the gray one, who we have named Apollo, is a male. This evening I was watching Athena (the black “female”) walk away from me and noticed what looks like testicles. Apollo (the gray “male”) doesn’t have anything similar. I think they are opposite of what we were told they are. He is a she and she is a he. I am sure there are people here that know a cat’s anatomy far better than I do, so what do you guys think? > **[Microsoft OneDrive - Access files anywhere. Create docs with free Office Online.](https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=f9e8e28d814ea3e%2127732&authkey=%21AKw7SVhWFRqX-BA&ithint=folder%2cjpg)** > > Store photos and docs online. Access them from any PC, Mac or phone. Create and work together on Word, Excel or PowerPoint documents. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-determine-the-sex-of-my-kittens-with-pictures/718870/2 "2015-04-30T04:47:37Z")
We have five felines in our house so take my opinion for what it’s worth. YMMV. I wish you had provided straight on mugs shot of your critters. That said the black appears to have a masculine face structure and vice versa. The butt shots seem to confirm the perceived diagnosis. Masculine as a stronger jaw line. The other one’s jaw line and facial features look to have a soft appearance. Anyway, cute kidlets. Kudos for getting catsie photos past the censors, too. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-determine-the-sex-of-my-kittens-with-pictures/718870/3 "2015-04-30T05:33:41Z")
The black one definitely looks like testicles are present - did you adopt them unaltered? Would it be possible to re-post the tabby’s pic, it’s too out of focus to be sure it’s not a neutered male. They’re both too young to tell gender from their faces. If you adopted them unaltered - now is the time to get it done, they are way too big to be unaltered and together - you will make more homeless cats! We alter kittens as soon as they weigh 2 pounds. I see a buckle on the tabby’s collar - is there a breakaway clip on the collar, too? They need to have breakaway collars on; if a buckle collar gets caught on something (you will NOT foresee whatever it may end up being!) it can strangle a kitty before you can rescue him or her. Vet tech and employee of exclusively feline rescue since 2003. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-determine-the-sex-of-my-kittens-with-pictures/718870/4 "2015-04-30T06:39:26Z")
Tabby looks female in the photo. Black kitty harder to tell from image. Have you tried to, ahem, grope? If testicles have descended, you should be able to feel them. Also, if things have progressed that far, you’re gonna want to get every one to a vet pronto, or you going to have more kitties. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-determine-the-sex-of-my-kittens-with-pictures/718870/5 "2015-04-30T07:54:39Z")
I see pretty clearly a vulva on gray and balls on blackie. That dimple in the middle is where his penis is, they aren’t really external like on a dog. ---
**Author:** ![May\_20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@May\_20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/May_20)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-determine-the-sex-of-my-kittens-with-pictures/718870/6 "2015-04-30T09:44:41Z")
> [@Two\_Wheels](#): > > I think they are opposite of what we were told they are. He is a she and she is a he. I am sure there are people here that know a cat’s anatomy far better than I do, so what do you guys think? You’re correct. He is a she, and she is a he. Congratulations! 😛 It’s probably too late to change their names, but you can try if you want. If you do a simple name swap, that would probably be the least confusing for them, since they already know both names. And I echo the need to take them to the vet to be neutered/spayed very soon. If you really want more kittens, you can go back to the shelter and adopt more, right? Fwiw, they are both beautiful. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-determine-the-sex-of-my-kittens-with-pictures/718870/7 "2015-04-30T10:53:56Z")
> [@TheChileanBlob](#): > > I see pretty clearly a vulva on gray and balls on blackie. Yeah, me too. I think whoever filled out the paperwork got distracted. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-determine-the-sex-of-my-kittens-with-pictures/718870/8 "2015-04-30T11:11:05Z")
> [@May\_20](#): > > YIt’s probably too late to change their names, but you can try if you want. Frankly, a name isn’t that big a part of a cat’s personal identity anyway. I have met any number of cats who either: a) don’t have a clue what their names are (or their tails from their elbows in general), b) know, but don’t care, or c) know their names perfectly well, only that it’s not what you’re calling them, and they’re too busy thinking about quantum physics, Romantic poetry and their imminent takeover of the world to set you straight. It’s hard to know which it is sometimes. I think a name swap would probably work fine. On the other hand, it’s not like it hurts them to stay gender-swapped either, so whatever the OP wants to do, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-determine-the-sex-of-my-kittens-with-pictures/718870/9 "2015-04-30T12:31:10Z")
> [@May\_20](#): > > It’s probably too late to change their names Why change their names? I think it’s cuter if you leave them… They’re gods, ya know…and they ain’t gonna let you forget it. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-determine-the-sex-of-my-kittens-with-pictures/718870/10 "2015-04-30T16:47:39Z")
Maybe they’re transgender kitties and came out to the pet shelter people. ---
**Author:** ![RedSwinglineOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9adbd/32.png) [@RedSwinglineOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedSwinglineOne)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-determine-the-sex-of-my-kittens-with-pictures/718870/11 "2015-04-30T17:07:24Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > I think a name swap would probably work fine. Then you risk having the wrong cat not come when you call it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-determine-the-sex-of-my-kittens-with-pictures/718870/12 "2015-04-30T20:53:25Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > Frankly, a name isn’t that big a part of a cat’s personal identity anyway. My cats will answer to their names, but it takes quite a while for them to figure out which one I want\*, and of course, being cats sometimes they dont answer at all. - as in they need about a year to grow into their names. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-determine-the-sex-of-my-kittens-with-pictures/718870/13 "2015-04-30T21:35:46Z")
Should I be reporting what is clearly cat porn? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-determine-the-sex-of-my-kittens-with-pictures/718870/14 "2015-04-30T21:47:26Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Should I be reporting what is clearly cat porn? Kitty porn!?!:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-determine-the-sex-of-my-kittens-with-pictures/718870/15 "2015-04-30T21:49:54Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Should I be reporting what is clearly cat porn? There’s a “turned on by hairy p\*\*\*y joke” to be made here. But I won’t be the one making it. Just for the record. BTW, I didn’t actually look at the OP’s link until just now. And now I’m a bit confused about how there could have been any doubt about the genders of the cats in question. Yeah, yowza. That didn’t leave much to the imagination. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-determine-the-sex-of-my-kittens-with-pictures/718870/16 "2015-04-30T21:54:39Z")
“How do I tell if the cat is male or female?” “Lift the tail and count the holes” \* I saw one very young female kitten with the fur on the vulva creased horizontally, giving the impression of scrotum. It was sexed as male by the shelter. Its name was already Kahuna, so a re-name was not required. And, unless the kitties start reading up on ancient religions, there is no need to rename these. - - this can also be a fun party game ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-determine-the-sex-of-my-kittens-with-pictures/718870/17 "2015-04-30T22:34:55Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > “How do I tell if the cat is male or female?” > “Lift the tail and count the holes” Actually, (at a much younger age than the OP’s pictured cats), the identification method is: Turn the kitten onto its back, gently pull the tail down away from the body. If you are looking at a colon, the kitten is male. If you are looking at an exclamation mark, the kitten is female. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2015, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-determine-the-sex-of-my-kittens-with-pictures/718870/18 "2015-05-01T01:17:04Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Turn the kitten onto its back, > gently pull the tail down away from the body. > If you are looking at a colon, the kitten is male. If you’re looking at a colon, the kitten has a much bigger medical problem than figuring out if he’s male or female! 😃 (I really did first read that “colon” as the body part, not the punctuation!) ---
**Author:** ![RedSwinglineOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9adbd/32.png) [@RedSwinglineOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedSwinglineOne)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2015, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-determine-the-sex-of-my-kittens-with-pictures/718870/19 "2015-05-01T18:06:24Z")
> [@choie](#): > > If you’re looking at a colon, the kitten has a much bigger medical problem than figuring out if he’s male or female! > > 😃 Or you are pulling the tail way too hard. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-determine-the-sex-of-my-kittens-with-pictures/718870/20 "2015-05-02T03:33:41Z")
If you’re looking at a question mark, the kitten is still in the process of working out its gender identity. If you’re looking at an [interrobang](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interrobang), it’s transgender and proud.