How to tell cat gender by face

If you're wondering whether you should name your new kitten Max or Luna, you might think the answer is as easy as taking a peek between its legs.

Kitten gender chart

However, determining kitten gender can be tricky when they are very young. For best results, look below the tail.

• If the cat is a female kitten, you'll see what resembles a lowercase letter "i"
• If the cat is a male kitten, you'll see what resembles the colon punctuation mark (:)

Along with genital shape and spacing, you can also use clues such as coat color to determine whether a kitten is male or female, and at times, there are even behavioral clues that will guide you to the answer.

But don't disrupt the mother-kitten flow within the first few weeks of life. If a kitten is handled too much during this time, the mother may abandon it and stop nursing it altogether. So don't get too anxious to determine the sex of your kittens.

Instead, wait until at least two weeks—or preferably longer—to start handling your kittens.