Feline Genitalia Guide (Written By a Vet) - Cats.com (2024)

FAQs

What is a female cats privates supposed to look like? ›

Females: The genital opening appears as a vertical slit and is located directly below the anus. Males: The penis appears as a small round dot and is a greater distance from the anus, with the testicl*s located in between.

The pet may appear to have a large cl*tor*s but otherwise normal female genitals. Others may have what appears to be a small but otherwise normal penis. Often, the testicl*s or ovotestis remain within the abdomen and do not descend into the scrotal sacs.

Female cats 'queens' will signal that they are ready to mate or 'in heat' by becoming more active and quite noisy! Usually, she'll do lots of rubbing, rolling and attention-seeking behaviours. You will probably see her arch her back downwards with her hindquarters raised, which is called 'lordosis'.

The Male Genital Tract

In male cats, the genital tract provides a pathway for sem*n, which contains the sperm cells. The epididymis connects the testicl* to the ductus deferens, which carries ejacul*ted sperm to the urethra. Sperm mature and are stored in the epididymis.

In the cat world, a moderate degree of licking is part of normal grooming behavior. For example, a male or female cat may lick the genital area after urinating as a means of cleaning the area.

If you have not altered your female kitty, this behavior could be a sign she is in heat. Female cats in heat will often raise their butt when they are ready to go on the prowl for a mate. If your cat is not spayed, you should not let her out of the house during this time unless you want a litter of kittens.

The signs and symptoms of gonadal or reproductive sexual development disorders may include having an unusually large cl*tor*s, for the female, or having an undescended testicl*, for the male. Other unusual reproductive organ characteristics may also be present.

The gonads in a true hermaphrodite are asymmetrical having both ovarian and testicular differentiation on either side separately or combined as an ovotestis. In an ovotestis, the testis is always central and ovary polar in location [1].

A tiny kitten handed into Cats Protection turned out to be one of nature's rarest finds – a hermaphrodite puss with both male and female organs. Nine-week-old Bellini was part of a litter of kittens taken in by the charity's St Helen's Adoption Centre in Merseyside in February when they were just a few days old.

Why do cats scream when they mate? Cats scream when they mate because of painful scratching from a male cat's barbed reproductive organs. Male cats may also yell in response to the female cat's noises.

What happens if you don't let a female cat mate? ›

Female cats are induced ovulators, which means that ovulation does not take place without mating or similar stimulation. If the female cat does not mate during estrus, hormonal levels will eventually drop off, and the estrous cycle will repeat itself in another two to three weeks.

Cat humping isn't uncommon, even for neutered male cats. They'll hump other cats (and even inanimate objects) because of UTIs, stress, or other health and behavioral reasons.

From Male to Female

The bite is not a faint one, either, and is performed with sufficient tenacity to allow the brief mating process to take place without the possibility of the female turning on the male or running away.

Cats and Mating: How it Happens

First the male bites the female's neck, mounts her and positions himself on top of her. He then thrusts his pelvis into her and finally penetrates her, which usually only lasts about 4 seconds.

This sniff can help a cat determine if this will be a friendly encounter… or not. Cats use their sense of smell to help them understand and assess their environment so much so that it makes sense for them to seek the same information from humans with the same butt or crotch sniff… even if we hate it.

Accumulated urine and other debris can cause irritation and even infection of the skin or genitals. Wiping gently with a warm, damp cloth daily or when you notice debris can keep things tidy from nose to tail.

Not only is rubbing against you a sign of a happy “hello” or “welcome home,” but cats also want to make sure that they have marked you with their scent. Cats are territorial creatures and will claim their pet parents as part of their territory.

Signs that you may need to express the glands manually include redness in the area and the cat scooting around or licking excessively. 2 Do not express your cat's anal glands without first consulting with your veterinarian. Problems such as anal gland infections and tumors require additional treatment.

Why is my cat squatting but not peeing female? ›

Possibly the most common causes for this problem in cats are urinary tract infections and urinary obstructions. However, infrequent urination can also sometimes be caused by more serious conditions like kidney disease, idiopathic cystitis, and even cancer in some extreme cases.

In rare cases, cats can have an extra X chromosome making them XXY. These cats present as male, but can be Calico because they have two X chromosomes. This XXY configuration can cause Klinefelter's Syndrome, which is a health issue we'll get into later.

A pseudohermaphrodite is a person whose gonads are consistent with the chromosomal sex but who has external genitalia of the opposite sex. Male pseudohermaphrodites have normal testes but incomplete masculinization of the wolffian duct system and external genitalia.

Yes. They can smell the hormones/pheromones.

Abstract. Background: There are 11 reported cases of pregnancy in true hermaphrodites, but none with advanced genetic testing. All known fetuses have been male. Case: A true hermaphrodite with a spontaneous pregnancy prenatally known to have a remaining portion of a right ovotestis, delivered a male neonate.

Hermaphroditism refers to a discrepancy between the morphology of the gonads and that of the external genitalia. In female pseudohermaphroditism, the genotype is female (XX) and the gonads are ovaries, but the external genitalia are virilized. [

Can a hermaphrodite have both working parts? Yes, hermaphrodites have both working parts -- the male and female reproductive systems. However, only simultaneous hermaphrodites can have both reproductive systems at the same time.

Yes, female cats can get pregnant by multiple partners. In fact, the number of fathers isn't limited to just two males. Queens can have as many partners as there are kittens. For example, if your cat has 3 kittens, each kitten could have a different father.

Hermaphrodite felines are rare but do occur, but there is no known documented case of a cat with no genitals. Fiona Brockbank, the senior field veterinary officer at Cats Protection, told The Telegraph: “It was an incidental finding. Nobody was aware of it.

How common are chimera cats? While chimerism among animals is exceedingly rare, among cats, "chimeras are really not all that rare", explained Leslie Lyons, a professor at the University of California, Davis. In fact, Lyons explains that most male tortoiseshell cats are probably chimeras.

How long are cats stuck together when they mate? ›

Since the female is less sensitive to environmental changes when in heat, she is brought to the tom for breeding. Once the cats get together, the mating process doesn't last very long – only about half of a minute to about 4 minutes.

We now know that cats scream during mating because the male's spiked reproductive organs cause pain for the female. Males will occasionally respond with their shouts in response to this. Also, it's vital to know that cats ‌have love bites as a display of power.

Cats take one to two minutes to mate. Thus they can repeat the process multiple times within a short period. A queen may mate with different tomcats during the heat cycle to make it possible that a litter of kittens may have different fathers.

Most females require three to four matings within a 24-hour period for ovulation to occur. It only takes a minute or two for cats to mate, and cats may mate multiple times in a short period of time.

Simply, the answer is no! As well as being prepared for the textbook scenario resulting in a bunch of healthy kittens, you need to also be prepared for things going wrong. You may encounter hurdles before birth, during birth or after birth. And this can be a very costly and worrying process.

While in heat, their strong, natural mating instinct will cause them to try to mate with any and every cat of the opposite sex nearby – the cat in heat does not obey any rules about how humans think they 'should' behave! Get your cats spayed and neutered to avoid unwanted cat pregnancies.

How long does a cat stay in heat after mating? If your queen is mated during her estrus cycle, the signs of heat will usually subside within 24-48 hours.

These cycles will continue to repeat until the cat either becomes pregnant or is spayed. If your cat mates, they'll go out of oestrus within a day or two.

In most cases, yes, fathers cats do care about their kittens. While female cats will typically do most of the activities related to caring for the young, such as nursing and grooming, a father cat can also show affection and protectiveness for his offspring.

It is normal for cats to hump their pet parents because it's a way to gain their attention. Your cat might also hump you while kneading, or “making biscuits” to show their affection for you. While it's cute they want to show you they love you, this display of affection is often unwanted.

Why does my neutered cat hump his sister? ›

Humping Behavior in Neutered Male Cats

However, both males and females can demonstrate humping, even if they have been neutered or spayed. Humping isn't necessarily something to worry about, as it is a natural behavior. However, it can also be a sign that your kitty is bored, stressed, or frustrated.

Even after being neutered, the male may become stimulated enough to try to mount a nearby female cat in heat due to her scent. A neutered male can even display mounting behavior toward a spayed female.

a) Dogs and cats are not like people when it comes to sex. They don't cycle the same way and there's no evidence, behaviorally or otherwise, that sexual activity brings them any specific pleasure akin to org*sm, for example.

It's no surprise that like nearly all animals, yes, male cats (toms) have been observed mounting and even penetrating one other.

Cats are seasonal breeders and only enter their reproductive cycle at a certain time of year. This generally begins in spring as daylight starts to lengthen, and stops in late Autumn when daylight is reduced. This explains why litters of kittens are typically seen between April and September.

After mating the female will seem very agitated and will roll and thrash around. This is normal behaviour. The whole mating process can take between 30 seconds to 4 minutes. A female can mate up to 30 times during one estrous cycle.

Head, Shoulders, Cheeks and Nose

The head, chin and neck are often their favorites. While some cats enjoy having their tails touched, others will recoil and even experience pain from a tail stroke.

A: The vast majority of cats do not spray. Males are more likely than females to spray, but if a cat is neutered before 6 months, he will almost never spray. If an intact male cat does begin to spray, neutering him will solve the problem in about 95 percent of the cases.

It looks like a red or pink tubular structure sticking out of the area from which your pet normally poops. It can also be crusty, ooze, or be a dark color if it has been around for a while. Rectal prolapse is not the same thing as hemorrhoids, which are swollen veins from the rectum that bulge out of the anus.

The primordial pouch, or belly flap, is a long stretch of skin that runs the length of your cat's tummy, but it most pronounced towards the rear. Instead of being closely attached to the muscle like the rest of your cat's skin, this flap is loose and naturally only has a thin layer of fat.

What is the hanging belly on a female cat? ›

Cats are born with this sagging belly, and all cats, both male and female, have primordial pouches. Some pouches are more prominent than others. Even non-domestic big cats have them! The pouch is an abdominal flap along their belly made up of extra loose skin and some fatty tissue.

While some cases of uterine prolapse may not be externally visible, most cats suffering from the issue will develop a “doughnut” shaped protrusion in the vagin*l area. This protrusion is often very unclean, with fecal matter, hair or after-birth tissue stuck to it.

The most common disorders that pelvic organ prolapse is mistakenly diagnosed as include urinary and fecal incontinence, constipation, and irritable bowel disease.

A perineal hernia is a condition seen in dogs and cats in which the pelvic diaphragm becomes weakened. This results in displacement of pelvic and abdominal organs (rectum, prostate, bladder, or fat) into the region surrounding the anus. The cause of this condition is not completely understood.

The acronym FUPA stands for “fatty upper pubic area.” In some instances, FUPA can both cause physical problems and negatively impact your self-esteem. If this is a real problem for you, then there are surgical and psychological treatments that can help.

Your furry friend will wrap their front two legs around the intended target (say, for instance, your arm) and, like a little thumper, will kick at the target with their hind legs. Cats typically perform this bunny-kick move when engaging in aggressive play or when they're attacking their prey (i.e., your arm).

If your cat loves it when you rub her belly, take it as a compliment. It means that your cat wants attention and trusts you enough to touch her belly. Remember your cat's belly is the most vulnerable spot on her body.

Overactivity of the glands at the base of the tail is often known as 'stud tail' and can produce a similar appearance in this region. Although stud tail is seen most commonly in entire males (where testosterone presumably influences its development), it can occasionally be seen in neutered males and in females.

While most of the swallowed hair eventually passes through the animal's digestive tract and gets excreted intact in the feces, some of it remains in the stomach and gradually accumulates into a damp clump — the hairball. It's not uncommon, says Dr. Goldstein, for a cat to regurgitate a hairball once every week or two.

Primordial pouch, also called the cat belly pooch, is excess skin and fat that hangs low on the rear part of a cat's abdomen. This flap develops during adulthood and is more evident in certain breeds. This isn't really a condition, rather just a normal part of their body.

What is pyometra uterus cats? ›

Pyometra occurs in older, intact female cats that have undergone multiple heat cycles without getting pregnant. It occurs when hormone changes make the uterus more susceptible to bacterial infections. Following these chronic changes, bacteria travels into the uterus from the vulva and replicates, forming pus.

Clinical signs may include any of the following: foul smelling vagin*l discharge, loss of appetite, fever, lethargy, weight loss, vomiting and diarrhea, or excessive thirst and urination.

The placentas in cats are red-brown in colour and usually come out after each kitten. If there are fewer placentas than there are kittens, there is a chance that the placenta was retained, and a vet needs to be contacted immediately.