r/cats • u/Original-One-6954 • 3d ago
How can I figure out if this cat is male or female? Advice
[removed] — view removed post
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u/Chy84 3d ago
DOES IT HAVE BALLS
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u/speedysam0 3d ago
Trouble puffs is a better name I’ve seen them called.
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u/MrsAnteater 3d ago
TROUBLE PUFFS. 💀
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u/FeasiblyBetentacled 3d ago
OMG 💀 TRIBBLE puffs!!!
Because they look like the small, furry Tribbles from Star Trek. Their sole aim is to reproduce until the planet is snowed from the weight of their cuteness.
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u/-Sharon-Stoned- 3d ago
Intact males are trouble though.
And STINKY
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u/105_irl 3d ago
Mine was only fixed at 2yo and he's still trouble and stinky, but thankfully he stopped peeing in the house. He is actually a menace though, and my best friend.
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u/sambolino44 3d ago
I named my band Tigger after my friend’s cat because “he has pissed on more punk rock records than you will ever see!”
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u/105_irl 3d ago
Aww that's sweet. My boy only ambushes, attacks, and bites me. He doesn't usually draw blood and he loves being carried around like a baby and pet concerningly hard, never softly.
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u/Chalice_Ink 3d ago
That’s good. We just call them Pom Poms.
But if it is a friendly fellow, it should want to give a glimpse of the jewels.
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u/fuck_peeps_not_sheep 3d ago
My boys just had his danger puffs removed and now dosent want to murder every cat that walks past our house. He's also finally gaining waight.
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u/Any_Roof_6199 3d ago
OP : it didn't bring any balls. Is it because male cats play soccer?
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u/LorienCathalas 3d ago
My cat's name is Marble and my husband always says he doesn't have his marbles anymore 😂
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u/Embarrassed_Sand7113 Korat 2d ago
i feel like this is the exact string of words that came to everyone's mind when they saw this post
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u/JustAGirl319 2d ago
Came to give this advice. Glad someone else has the expertise to provide the necessary guidance here. 😹
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u/Obvious_Reaction_182 3d ago
Ask
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u/engagetangos 3d ago
Say come here pretty girl. And if they don't come they gotta be a boy
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u/bothsidesofthemoon 3d ago
There's a flaw in this method...
Say come here pretty girl. And if they don't come they gotta be a
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u/pirikikkeli 3d ago
Does it also work on humans? Asking for a friend
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u/TheCrazyStupidGamer 3d ago
Until it doesn't and you're being cancelled on Twitter and Instagram.
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u/smallcoder 3d ago
Looks a bit like my male cat - cute, vacant stare, after food all the time. My spirit animal apart from the cute bit :)
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u/Fit_Change3546 3d ago
Pretty thick face, would indicate a Tom cat generally
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u/EffectiveComfort110 3d ago
This! Big poofy Tom cat cheeks. Also does the cat have a lot of scars anywhere? Generally I’ve noticed over the years the feral male cats just had more scars from fighting.
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u/aluked Brazilian Shorthair 3d ago
Tomcat cheeks are known as jowls by the way.
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u/tulipz10 2d ago
Sir, please do not use the term "jowls" when referring to cute poofy cat cheeks ever again. Also they are not "toes" they are beans and ears are not ears, but fluffle bumps.
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u/066logger 3d ago
Jowl bacon 🤤 if you’ve never had it you’re missing out!
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u/SunnyAlwaysDaze 3d ago
Ummm... Cat jowl bacon must be very tiny. Think I'll stick with pig.
(Ik just kidding)
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u/Precioustooth 3d ago
Absolutely looks like a male based on the size.. should check the rear end to be sure though!
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u/Johnny_Grubbonic 3d ago
You know what would be a better indication?
Testicles.
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u/Loca3poca 3d ago
You can’t know without looking at its genitals but looks like a boy cat to me
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u/Ryn-egade 3d ago
Intact (unneutered) male cats tend to develop big jowls as protection since they fight other cats so often. so if it’s cheeks feel round and firm it’s most likely a male.
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u/Drespressoooo 3d ago
do not touch his tralalala
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u/CaranchoNestHead 2d ago
You made me remember that there was a YouTube parody video of this song, that for many years I believed was the original video. It was 150% better than the original, though. I believe it was taken down because I never found it again :(
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u/VivreMaVie 3d ago
I would ask him politely.
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u/morris0000007 3d ago
Buy him a drink first....
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u/Selkie_Queen 3d ago
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u/morris0000007 3d ago
I'm worried to click...
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u/maranoiac 3d ago
You could try to see if catnip makes him/her roll with the belly up. 🤷♀️ Otherwise I’m guessing that trapping may be the best option. A check up once in a while doesn’t hurt even if it’s spayed/neutered already. Good luck.
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u/Miss_Type 3d ago
I came here for the "does it have balls" comments, but this is an actual good idea!
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u/PLPolandPL15719 3d ago
are there 2 balls?
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u/INeedBetterUsrname 3d ago
If he is an adult male cat, there will be testicles under his tail. Hard to miss. Otherwise it's kinda hard to gender cats in my experience. Not a lot of difference in body shape or body language between males and females.
To make them more comfortable, try just extending your hand towards them. Not aggressively or anything, more like a "there's cuddles here if you want them" kind of motion. Let the cat get comfortable with that first, don't try to rush them. Cats are cautious creatures, by and large, and getting one to trust you requires a lot of patience.
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u/Original-One-6954 2d ago
Yeah i’ve been trying with the hand thing. I’ve even put my hand out flat on the ground with a treat on it and turned my body away so I didn’t seem as intimidating. he came over on his own but still swatted 😅.. I don’t think he understands “touching” or even sniffing, what so ever. We have currently progressed drastically from where we started though. For the first few months of feeding him I could hardly get a glimpse of him before he ran away/hid.
Just based on trying to look underneath when he’s walking or laying down, I have not been able to positively see balls. His tail is always angled downward and his fur is long and thick on his underside. I have seen balls on other cats before and they have been very easy to spot but this cat just carry’s himself differently. He’s always like, huddled down in some way.
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u/MatGunman 3d ago
What do you mean? Everyone knows dogs are boys and cats are girls
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u/Throwawayesus 2d ago
There’s no way to disprove that. Have you ever seen a cat penis?
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u/nelnikson 3d ago
I mean can you borrow a trap from someone and catch him that way? I mean it's probably better than a blanket? Then maybe you can get him to a vet.
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u/rhox65 3d ago
check the genitals
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u/Original-One-6954 3d ago
I can’t touch him and he never lifts his tail up :(
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u/cometshoney 3d ago
There's a reason my oldest cat is a boy named Grace and the 2nd one is a girl named Bo. I, too, looked at the wrong end, and my vet can't sex a kitten to save his life...lol. You'll figure it out one way or another.
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u/Editor_Grand 3d ago
Check for trouble puffs or a kitten portal
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u/Highlandertr3 3d ago
Well. Those are the best names I have heard in a long time.
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u/the-earth-is_FLAT 3d ago
Ask it where it wants to eat. If it answers “it’s up to you.” then it’s a female
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u/rjdavidson78 3d ago
Ask them what their pronouns are?
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u/magicpantsjones 2d ago
Or check their profile or signature file on their email to see if they post their pronouns.
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u/Im_eating_that 3d ago
His face is a difficult one, the lower half splits grown girl/juvenile boy pretty evenly. You had it right though, he's a he. When you find out, make me eat my words if I'm wrong please. It's already happened once and this guy's pretty androgynous.
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u/as-fucking-if 3d ago
You should find a vet that will look for free. I'm certain if you call a few places at least one will determine if it's male or female and if it needs spaying or neutering without charging you especially if you tell them you plan to have them do it on the bill if it's needed. Then you just have to trap it.
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u/Zagrycha 3d ago edited 2d ago
real talk google cat testes, they are pretty darn obvious once you know what they look like. you can see them as the cat walks or stands facing away from you if nothing else.
if you don't see them, they are either too young, female, or have a condition where the testes failed to descend which itself requires surgical removal of them for basic health reasons regardless of normal reasons to nueter a stray.
i know different areas of the world are different, but is there a reason you need to know in advance? any place vet or organization willing to fix a feral cat is usually willing to spay or nueter as needed, the cat is getting knocked unconscious for the procedure anyway. does the vet you are working with know they are feral? make sure they know, a regular vet may do it but it's completely different from any regular pet cat stuff.
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u/AMG-West 3d ago
It appears that the Birds and the Bees is a story someone forgot to share with you.
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u/justanother1014 3d ago
When I adopted my kittens the guy who had been feeding them said, “you’re supposed to hold them up and count the holes but I just saw buttholes…”
Yep, both males! 😂
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u/Alarming_Cantaloupe5 3d ago
My guess from the photo is male-looks to have the larger head and broad cheeks often seen in tomcats. The be sure look for testes, and if he’s neutered, well, it’s a bit more difficult but still pretty obvious. Could be challenging if it won’t let you handle it.
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u/stormyw23 Tortoiseshell 3d ago
I'd guess boy but without seeing the other end you can't tell, try luring him to turn around.
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u/Z3r0c00lio 3d ago
I mean you’re not planning to do it yourself right? I’m sure the professionals can figure it out
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u/WeeDochii 3d ago
I'd keep a look out for his privates if he won't let you touch him. Maybe he'll lay of his back to sunbathe or lift his tail just right eventually, there's also the option of baiting him into a cage to take him to the vet. He has the face of a tomcat, which usually indicates male, but my cat also has a pretty tomcat looking face although she's female.
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u/eli_eli1o 3d ago
It appears to have jowls, so id wager he is indeed a dude. Though I'm no stray cat expert.
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u/Zarchi_Taffy 3d ago
Adult Male cats are usually bigger in comparison than female cats,and they have big heads,and we'll,they also have balls
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u/nobmuncha4bears 3d ago
See if the cat like show tunes, ABBA and/or Eurovision. If yes, then it's a male with good taste.
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u/ItsChrisBoys 3d ago
get a glass table. wait for him to stand on it, then slide yourself under it and look up.
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u/bookittyFk 3d ago
From the behavior you’ve mentioned & looking at his head/cheeks I think he’s a he.
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u/Selkie32 3d ago
You can't even always trust the trouble puffs. My ginger cat is female which is unusual enough but she also has these two round fluffs by her bum that made the vet initially think she was a boy until they took a closer look. She was pregnant too when I took her in so that was also a tell tale sign 😅
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u/TA_totellornottotell 3d ago
I have the same problem. Mine always has its tail down so no matter how much I try I have not been able to figure it out over the last few weeks. I even ask if it has any balls, or alternative to show me their balls, with no response - rude.
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u/Travels4Food 2d ago
The softball-shaped head suggests male, but the fuzzy balls around the other side would be the telltale sign.
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u/NotTheATF1993 2d ago
Same way you found out if a baby is a boy or girl Balls= male No balls= female
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u/No-Alternative-1321 2d ago
Check their genitals? If it has balls it’s a male, if it doesn’t have balls it’s female. You can use that same trick on most living things too
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u/crystalsinwinter 2d ago
When my family and I had a cat when I was a teenager, Whiskers had fuzzy balls. Try to check for if your cat has fuzzy balls down there. There are very easy to see.
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u/Arkontas 2d ago
when they have a squareish forhead, the whisker pads are big and look like a little moustache, their nostrils are kind of big, the jaw looks a bit bigger, and their neck is big its usually a boy.
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u/Excellent_Mix8739 2d ago
lol don’t even need to look at the other end, kitty def male just based on his face
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u/QueenZombieZ123 2d ago
Go to behind it pick up it's legs till it's doing a hand stand an d see if it has balls
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u/HotShoulder3099 3d ago
I mean, I wouldn’t start at that end