How can you see a cat penis?

Our question this week was:

Dr. Debra – How can you see a cat penis? I adopted a cat and my vet says he is male (he was already neutered) – but I can’t tell. Does he still have a penis if he was neutered?

Janis Bell

Answer

Hi – thanks for your email. You asked how to determine a cat’s sex, after he is neutered. Janis – this can be difficult. Especially in kittens. In dogs, it is obvious if a dog is male or female when you look at them from the side because to dog will have a penis that come down under his belly and he will urinate from there. A female has a urethra that exists just below the rectum and she will urinate from there.

In cats – there is a difference but it can be hard to tell. Also, cats don’t like to stay still for these sort of “inspections” making it even more difficult.

To answer your question – it is possible to tell. A male cat does still have his penis – the only parts removed are his testicles. It is possible to see a cat penis – to do so you find the area where the urethra would exit which is under his tail and below is rectum. You generally see a little tuft of hair and in the center is a little dot, which is where his penis is. You generally have to work to protrude the penis. Like I mentioned – this is not something cat owners ever see – they keep in tucked in and out of sight.

It might be easier juts to take your vets word for the fact he is male.

An article that might be helpful to you is How to Determine the Sex of Your Kitten.

Best of luck!

Dr. Debra

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