Ever have a girl who turned into a boy?
By mentalward
@mentalward (14691)
United States
October 3, 2011 11:51am CST
I was given a kitten from my oldest son's girlfriend who told me she a male and a female kitten that were rescued by her family. They were abandoned, lost or their mother disappeared for whatever reason. I told her I would love to take the female. I have an adult male cat and knew that another male would be trouble as they have strong territorial issues. I wanted another cat that my male (Bean) could play with.
I brought her home two days ago but have not been able to settle on a name for her, one that "fit". My husband's home nurse (he just came home from triple bypass surgery yesterday) came by to check his incisions and said "Mischief" would be a good name for this kitten since it is an extremely curious kitty and is always knocking things over.
I though Mischief sounded appropriate and even thought that "Missy" would be a good nickname for Mischief. That's when I spotted something odd -- for a female cat, anyway.
This kitty is most likely a domestic longhaired kitty and has a lot of very long hair around her rear end and tail. But, as soon as the name "Missy" came out, that's when I saw what looked like an exceptionally large, uhh, well, butt below her tail.
On closer examination, I found that my little female kitty has balls! She is a He. 
This explains why my kitty Bean has been hissing and running from this little fella and why my husband's cat (the meanest cat on the planet) would walk right by him as though he wasn't there.
So, anybody want a 5 to 6 month old MALE kitty? He's really sweet (he sleeps on my pillow above my head). As much as I'd love to keep this little guy, I have to find a female so Bean will have a playmate and I simply cannot have any me pets in my life, not at the moment anyway. If you know of anyone in my area who would love a sweet, affectionate, very handsome little boy kitty, let me know! He's FREE (except that he still has his balls, now that we've found them 
, and will need to be neutered.)
This explains why my kitty Bean has been hissing and running from this little fella and why my husband's cat (the meanest cat on the planet) would walk right by him as though he wasn't there.
So, anybody want a 5 to 6 month old MALE kitty? He's really sweet (he sleeps on my pillow above my head). As much as I'd love to keep this little guy, I have to find a female so Bean will have a playmate and I simply cannot have any me pets in my life, not at the moment anyway. If you know of anyone in my area who would love a sweet, affectionate, very handsome little boy kitty, let me know! He's FREE (except that he still has his balls, now that we've found them , and will need to be neutered.)3 people like this
13 responses
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
3 Oct 11
That is so sad! I hope you find a good home for him. Maybe whoever took the girl will trade with you? Poor Bean, too, having that intruder in his territory! 
I have two black kitties from the last feral litter that I have no idea which they are. They won't get very near and since they are deep black, nothing really shows much--and they don't turn their back on me! Poor things. They are getting a little bolder, though, so I may find out by the time the snow begins to fly. There's certainly nothing wrong with their appetites and I think they are beginning to develop a small measure of affection for me.
I have two black kitties from the last feral litter that I have no idea which they are. They won't get very near and since they are deep black, nothing really shows much--and they don't turn their back on me! Poor things. They are getting a little bolder, though, so I may find out by the time the snow begins to fly. There's certainly nothing wrong with their appetites and I think they are beginning to develop a small measure of affection for me.1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
4 Oct 11
I'm glad that everyone seems to be adjusting! Maybe Bean will even relent a bit if he sees the new baby isn't a threat. Cats love motion so no wonder he likes the TV! My son has a cat that enjoys watching TV with him, too.
My kitties do eventually tolerate me. I don't approach them at all, only talk to them at feeding time and they'll usually end up asking to be petted after a few months. This winter is the kitties' first but there are garages in the alley that no one uses and that's where they go when it is cold. I also have a plastic tub on the porch with a door cut into it and a rug inside that they will sometimes use. I feel so sorry for them but they are healthy and seem content. I just wish I had the money to spay/neuter them all.
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
5 Oct 11
I year ya about the spaying/neutering! When I realized I had a male, that thought popped right into my head. Males are cheaper! Yay!!! We have a Spay/Neuter clinic near here and they charge an extremely nominal fee. I just took my son's cat there last month, a female, and it cost $50. The males are $35. They are awesome and treat the animals like family.
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
3 Oct 11
Hi dragon. My son's girlfriend said there was one male and one female but now that we know this one is a male, it turns out that she actually had two males to begin with. Her family is keeping the other one. Maybe this is a case of the one I got taking longer to have his balls drop.
My little fella wasn't real keen on my picking him up and raising his tail in the air to have a closer look but he let me look long enough to know for sure that he's a male.
I hope your feral kitties learn to trust you because I have no doubt that you will treat them better than a lot of people would. Will this be their first winter? I wonder how feral cats make it through really cold winters. My husband's cat took off the first time she was let outside when we first moved here. She had never been outside before and we thought she got lost. She was gone for four months but finally came back when it was getting colder. We later learned that she was going from neighbor to neighbor and being fed. She came back fatter than she was when she left!
I've already developed an affection for this kitty so I will most likely end up keeping him. He seems pretty happy here even if he does have to give Bean a wide berth. He definitely has no inclination to fight and is more of a lover than any cat I've ever known before, male or female. He's so curious about everything and seems to LOVE watching TV. He's stared at it for a good half hour before his attention was diverted. Only one of my dogs (Penny, the older one) is having a problem with him. The other (Lilly) is just really curious. I'm sure Penny (and Bean) will learn to accept him in time.
I hope your feral kitties learn to trust you because I have no doubt that you will treat them better than a lot of people would. Will this be their first winter? I wonder how feral cats make it through really cold winters. My husband's cat took off the first time she was let outside when we first moved here. She had never been outside before and we thought she got lost. She was gone for four months but finally came back when it was getting colder. We later learned that she was going from neighbor to neighbor and being fed. She came back fatter than she was when she left!
I've already developed an affection for this kitty so I will most likely end up keeping him. He seems pretty happy here even if he does have to give Bean a wide berth. He definitely has no inclination to fight and is more of a lover than any cat I've ever known before, male or female. He's so curious about everything and seems to LOVE watching TV. He's stared at it for a good half hour before his attention was diverted. Only one of my dogs (Penny, the older one) is having a problem with him. The other (Lilly) is just really curious. I'm sure Penny (and Bean) will learn to accept him in time.2 people like this
@RitterSport (2451)
• Lippstadt, Germany
3 Oct 11
ohhhhh mentalward why dont we live closer to you. We cant give a kitty a home here cause the renting contract forbids and your story makes me laugh. I have always said when we hava a kitty it should be female but this little boy sounds like a wonderful addition to the household. Would take him in in a second.
BTW same happened with the tortoise my family found in the garden 30 years ago. We thought she was female but its a male and he loves to BITE.
1 person likes this
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
3 Oct 11
I'd have to think that after 30 years a tortoise doesn't produce any eggs, it would most likely be a "he". I raised turtles myself (these only get to be about 12-14 inches long) and learned how to tell the difference. Males have a concave underside while females are flat. This is so the male won't keep rolling off the female as he's attempting to fertilize her eggs. Wouldn't that be a funny site to watch!
I wish you could take this little fella, too. I'd love to be able to keep tabs on him since he's such an extremely sweet kitty. Honestly, I've never known a cat, male or female, to be so affectionate. At the moment, Bean is at my feet and one of my dogs is beside me so the kitten is curled up on a pillow as close as he can get to me and purring away.
Oh! You made me remember a rabbit I had decades ago. I thought she was a he for a long time before someone showed me exactly how easy it is to tell as this person had a male rabbit. She picked hers up by the nape of its neck and showed me its underside. Male rabbits have HUGE, uhh, balls. I thought rabbits looked the same whether male or female before then. Turned out I had a female rabbit. 1 person likes this
@sharj123 (17)
• Canada
4 Oct 11
When my daughter was 5 we went to the pet store as she wanted a guinea pig for her birthday. My daughter picked a black and white one because she said it was going to have babies. The pet store lady said it was a male and was just fat because he got fed a lot. My daughter said "No, that's a girl and she's going to have babies." The lady even checked and still insisted it was a boy. We took the little "guy" home and named it Wuffles. (It mostly got called Gunzer for some unremembered reason). About 4 days after we brought "him" home Wuffles(Gunzer) had 2 adorable little babies. My 5 year old daughter was right and had to go back to the store to tell the pet shop lady, of course!
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
5 Oct 11
Good for your daughter!!! I wish I could've been there to see the look on the pet shop lady's face when she was told she was proven wrong by a 5-year-old!
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
4 Oct 11
Awww, I just pictured that, her watching you with guarded attention only three feet away while you watch her. I bet she wants to get closer but is not sure yet.
1 person likes this
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
4 Oct 11
I've already decided I'm keeping him. He's such a sweetheart that he's worked his way right into my heart. Bean is beginning to tolerate him. I think he'll eventually come around to accepting him. It's funny but I'm having an issue with my oldest dog now. She never was crazy about any cats being in here and has been trying to establish dominance, to no avail. She's learning (hopefully) that she's not the alpha dog in this house. That would be me and I say the kitten stays. She'll be fine in time, I'm sure. I'm making sure to give the dogs (and Bean) plenty of attention so they don't feel they're being replaced.
I've named him Trouble since he's always knocking things over but right now he's anything but trouble. He's curled up in my lap, purring away. He's either extremely sweet or extremely smart since he knows how to get into my heart.
1 person likes this
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
3 Oct 11
i found that often happened with cats when i had them. i love cats but havent had any since ive had coco. not sure if she would get along with one. when i first saw your title here, my childhood popped into my head
as my mom used to get so mad cause i was such a tomboy and wanted to be a boy. no, its not like that. because if id been a boy, id definately be gay. 
since i really love men. lol. @mentalward (14691)
• United States
4 Oct 11
It's a darned good thing you were born a female, then.
I was quite a tomboy myself when I was young. The boys just had way better toys, in my opinion. Mud was so much more fun to play with than dolls and dressup. Maybe that's why I feel so good when I'm gardening and playing in the dirt these days; it takes me back to those carefree, fun days.
I'm a dog person first but I love cats, too, at lest the ones who aren't really mean. Both of my "boys" (Bean and the new one I've just named Trouble) are real sweetheaarts.
I've decided to keep him. @kingparker (9673)
• United States
3 Oct 11
Maybe your son's girlfriend mistakenly give you a male kitty instead of a female. Or she intentionally give away a male cat instead of a female. Oh well, whatever it is, it is yours now, and hopefully you can find someone who can take care of cat, and who loves another male cat.
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
4 Oct 11
After thinking about it for awhile and now naming the kitten ("Trouble") I'm going to keep him. He really is a sweetheart and, except for the fact that he loves investigating everywhere and knocking things over all through the house, he really is no "trouble" at all. Besides, he keeps climbing up into my lap and taking a nap. He sure knows how to get to a person's heart!
@courtknee525 (3742)
• United States
3 Oct 11
Awww!! He's adorable!! I wish my dad would let me get a kitty :( It's too bad he turned out to be a boy instead of a girl.
Lol When I first got my rabbit they had the vet do a gender examination and we were told that it was a girl. After going over a bunch of names I finally settled on Minnie. Well, about a few months and my rabbit began to grow, I noticed that she had a lot going on in her "personal area" whenever I held her on her back and scratched her tummy. Turns out my Minnie was really a Mickey! Even though he's a boy, I still kept his name.
The same thing happened to my friend when she got her rabbit, only they said hers was a boy when really it was a girl.
I don't understand how that happens since males usually have a few extra parts down there that aren't noticeable in females
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
3 Oct 11
I had a similar experience with a rabbit. When I got it, I was told it was a boy but later learned he was a she. I had no idea how to tell with rabbits before I met someone else who had a male rabbit and she showed me exactly how to tell. 
I had named my rabbit "Bunz" so it wasn't so bad once "he" became a "she". Bunz is a rather generic name.
Now that I'm thinking of getting rid of this kitty, I'm having second thoughts and will most likely be keeping him. He's honestly the sweetest kitty I've ever known, male or female. I've never had a cat who likes to curl up in my lap and go to sleep before. I just touch his head and he starts purring. And, the name "Trouble" popped into my head since he's always knocking things over, investigating everything. (That has been shortened already to "TC" meaning Trouble Cat.)
Bean is just going to have to get over it. He knows he's top cat in this house, well, as long as you don't include my husband's cat who is female but the MEANEST animal I've ever known! She has less of a problem with the newcomer than my cat does although she is really scary... we haven't seen ANY deer around here this year. There have been fewer and fewer since we moved here. I'm convinced my husband's cat is either scaring them off or killing them and hiding the bodies in the woods somewhere. She's MEAN!
I had named my rabbit "Bunz" so it wasn't so bad once "he" became a "she". Bunz is a rather generic name.
Now that I'm thinking of getting rid of this kitty, I'm having second thoughts and will most likely be keeping him. He's honestly the sweetest kitty I've ever known, male or female. I've never had a cat who likes to curl up in my lap and go to sleep before. I just touch his head and he starts purring. And, the name "Trouble" popped into my head since he's always knocking things over, investigating everything. (That has been shortened already to "TC" meaning Trouble Cat.)
Bean is just going to have to get over it. He knows he's top cat in this house, well, as long as you don't include my husband's cat who is female but the MEANEST animal I've ever known! She has less of a problem with the newcomer than my cat does although she is really scary... we haven't seen ANY deer around here this year. There have been fewer and fewer since we moved here. I'm convinced my husband's cat is either scaring them off or killing them and hiding the bodies in the woods somewhere. She's MEAN! 1 person likes this
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
4 Oct 11
I think he will. Right now, the kitten is sleeping on my lap and Bean is about three feet away cleaning himself. He's getting a bit better although he still doesn't want the kitten to get too close. They each have separate food and water bowls for the time being. I hope that I can eventually get back down to two bowls. There will never be just one, not as long as I live with my husband and his insane cat. She doesn't like anybody or anything so she gets her own bowls.
@courtknee525 (3742)
• United States
3 Oct 11
Awww, I've never had a cat before but TC sounds like a sweetheart!! I saw that in one of your other comments that maybe Bean will change once TC is neutered. I think that it's very possible that they may like each other more since TC won't have all those raging hormones anymore. Animals change so much once they're neutered and they seem to mellow out a lot. I hope he works out for you!
1 person likes this
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
26 Oct 11
Have you found a new home yet for him? He is cute. We have a loveable Dog ourselves and I could never imagine having a cat around. I love cats, but we wanted a dog and that is our pet. I am sure in time you will find the girl cat that you are looking for.
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
4 Oct 11
Hi AP. I've decided I'm keeping him. He's a sweet little lover and has worked is way right into my heart. Bean is just going to have to get used to having a little brother around.
On another positive note, it's cheaper neutering a male than it is spaying a female. 
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
10 Nov 11
There was a kitten at the adoption center, had a shaved tummy, we all thought it was a girl. Paperwork said it was a boy. We thought the paperwork was wrong until somebody told us that there had been some other problem requiring a shaved tummy, and we took a closer look...
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
23 Nov 11
Oops! Was it an umbilical hernia that caused the need for the shaved tummy?
1 person likes this
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
5 Oct 11
I hope that by now you've found a suitable home for Mischief. I've not had a female cat turn into a male, but I had what I thought was a male turn out to be a female. I was sure that the largest and most dominate kitten in the litter had to be a male, but the vet told me I was wrong.
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
9 Oct 11
I guess size doesn't necessarily determine gender. This kitten is small, much smaller than his brother, according to my son's girlfriend. That's another reason I thought he was a she.
Even being male, this little fella has wormed his way right into my heart and I've decided to keep him. He's an incredible amount of trouble as he's always investigating everything and knocking things over or down and I have to almost constantly pick things back up but he's the sweetest cat I've ever known. He lets me pick him up and put him anywhere I want and he'll stay there... for awhile, anyway. Then, of course, he's back to running around checking everything out.
@paula27661 (15811)
• Australia
5 Oct 11
What a cutie! There are two very good reasons why I cannot adopt Missy, one is the distance between The States and Australia and the other would be that my husband would probably file for divorce if I bring home any more animals! The first kitten I got at home when I was a child was a Siamese cat I called Gea. To cut a long story short Gea ended up with a set of ‘extras’ too!
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
5 Oct 11
I hear you about your husband. Mine has always said, No more animals! But, he's never had his cat spayed because he's always wanted her to have kittens. 
Luckily, his cat is so mean no male wants anything to do with her.
I've decided to keep the little fella. He's so adorable, loves to play, loves to curl up in my lap and take naps, loves to play, he's just so much fun!1 person likes this
@TigerSpirit (320)
• Australia
5 Oct 11
When you do get a female, don't forget to get your pets desexed (spayed/neutered), so there's no more little extra kittens running around the place. Too many kittens (hundreds in fact) at animal shelters get destroyed on a daily basis due to overcrowding.
Thousands of cats are put to sleep every year because people fail to get their pets fixed.
If you are looking for a female, go to the pound or animal shelter. There, you'll find a female that's had all her needles, and been fixed so she won't have any more kittens and you'll be saving a life.
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
5 Oct 11
Thanks, TigerSpirit. I know all that and already have plans to take this little fella to get him neutered and have his vaccinations. (I've decided to keep him.) But, it's always good for those who don't know or understand the importance of spaying/neutering their pets to hear again and again.
All of MY pets have been spayed or neutered. My husband has a cat who is around 15 years old now that he's never gotten spayed. He kept saying he wanted kittens and I kept telling him that he could get kittens from any animal shelter. He didn't need to be bringing more into the world by not having his cat spayed. Luckily (I think), she's the meanest cat on the planet and has never gotten pregnant. She's just too mean! When we first moved here, male cats would come from all over when she went into heat but now there are none. She's let them all know just how mean she really is. I guess that's a good thing, at least on that level. 
If it were up to me, I'd be taking all the kittens, cats, puppies and dogs home from the shelter.
If it were up to me, I'd be taking all the kittens, cats, puppies and dogs home from the shelter.
@PointlessQuestions (15397)
• United States
5 Oct 11
Oh too bad he is a boy cat! I love kitties, but can't have any. I love cats better than anything... but have to be satisfied with our Chihuahua. He owns us... I hope you find a good home for this little guy.
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
5 Oct 11
Hi PQ. I've decided to keep him. The little bugger wormed his way right into my heart. He really is the sweetest cat I've ever known. He loves curling up on my lap and taking naps while purring himself to sleep. He's a pain in that he's always investigating and knocking things over but that's just part of his charm.
My other cat is learning to adjust. He's already established his dominance and I guess that's all he wanted to do because he seems content now to have this little intruder around.
Maybe, once he's neutered, these two can actually be friends and play together because they're both very playful.
