Cat Facts | Do Male Cats Have Nipples?

It's virtually impossible to give your cat a belly rub without coming across teeny tiny nipples protruding from their bellies. And like their human counterparts, these nipples are pointless (pun intended). So why do male cats have nipples? There are various theories, let's take a look at the one that makes the most sense - the theory of evolution.

 

Why Males Cats Have Nipples According to Evolution

 

Cats are mammals. And all mammals have mammary glands so they can produce milk and feed their young. Very few mammals lay eggs, and even those that do so, feed their young through milk patches that cover their mammary glands. While in their mothers wombs, all cats develop the same characteristics. They don't have defining features until they reach a certain developmental stage. At that point, testosterone in males eliminates the need for mammary glands. But because the nipples were there from the get go, it stays.

 

According to Darwin's theory of evolution, there hasn't been a survival need for male cats to stop having nipple, so they still have them. Ultimately, only females use theirs. Hence if costly resources were used in making nipples, evolution would have found a way to make them disappear. It explains why humans have tail bones, even though we don't have tails, evolution simply never felt any pressure to make it disappear. It also explains why male cows have nipples (but no udders). Perhaps the only male mammals without nipples are rodents and horses. In accordance to Darwinian theory, we'd have to believe nipples were too costly, so nipple resources were diverted elsewhere.

 

How Many Nipples do Male Cats Have?

 

Ok, do male cats have nipples? Yes. And they can feel so many at times, but only because cats are generally small mammals. You won't be so conscious of a German shepherd's nipple because they'd be so spaced out. With regards to the number of nipples, the number varies - in both males and females. The average number is 6, even though you'll find some with 4 and others with 8. Some really "nipply" cats have up to 10 nipples, and it might be rare, but you can also find cats with an odd number of nipples - say 7.

 

Determining Kitten Gender

 

Because both genders have nipples when they're really young, and two openings at their rear, it's almost impossible to tell which gender your kitten is. As they age, the difference will be clearer, but as babies, you should definitely ask your vet to determine it for you. They usually do this by checking the distance between the two rear openings. In females, this openings are really close to one another, while in males, they're a bit farther - with hair in between the gap. Again, as your cat grows, its gender will become more obvious, thanks to a protruding scrotum. You can just wait it out.

 

Bottom Line

 

Do male cats have nipples? Yes, but probably because nature hasn't found a reason to out them. These nipples are literally pointless, but will replicate themselves in redundant parallel rows - some times having as many as their female counterparts. Can you determine your cat's gender by checking if they have nipples? No.

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