How do you tell the gender of a kitten?

To determine the gender of a kitten, lift its tail, and look at its genitalia. Male kittens have an anus and a round genital opening, while female kittens have an anus and a vertical slit. The kitten's color may also provide a clue as to its sex.

1. Lift the kitten's tail

   Lift the kitten's tail, and look at its genital opening. The hole directly beneath the tail is the anus, and below it is the genital opening.

2. Look for a round hole or vertical slit

   The male kitten's genital opening is round, while the female kitten's genital opening has a vertical slit. The testicles of a male kitten are not apparent, but they become more visible as the kitten ages. The distance between the anus and genital opening is also a determining factor in sex of similarly sized kittens; the greater the distance between the two, the greater the chance the kitten is a male.

3. Look at the kitten's color

   A kitten's color can also be suggestive of its gender. Statistically, nearly all black, white and orange, also known as calico, and black and orange, or tortoise-shell, kittens are female, while most orange kittens are males, although there are exceptions to this rule.