New member and kitty owner with questions!

[Butyrol]

Hello everyone!

I am new to the forum, and a new cat owner in general. I received my kitty from a friend when they were about 6 weeks old. He said it was the runt of the litter and a boy. I named him Jarvis. I have had him for quite a while now, since February. He is my first pet, and has become the love of my life. I live by ,myself, and Jarvie keeps me great company, especially if I become bored or lonely.

Jarvis' balls never dropped, and he is almost a year old, so I have become curious and even somewhat concerned. From what I read, it can take up to a year for this to happen. I did some more internet surfing and watched a video on how to determine a cat's sex. After watching multiple videos of a similar nature, I have determined that I think Jarvis is actually a girl.....I am really upset, embarrassed, and not sure what to do. Any suggestions are welcome. Should I rename him to a her?

On another note, I have never taken my cat to the Vet. My friend who gave me the kitty said he got all the shots shortly after birth. My kitty is indoors only, in my apartment and sometimes for short multiple day visits at my parent's house. Any thoughts here? Thanks!

[marie73]

Welcome!

I say keep the name. Of course, this is coming from someone with a girl kitty named Charlee.

Jarvie might sound a little more feminine. Cute name!

[Susan]

You adopted Jarvis at six weeks old, and I presume he (or she) had not been neutered (or spayed) at that point. Jarvis is now a year old. If Jarvis were a girl, you would have seen rather clear signs of her being in heat quite a few times at this point. Have you? If not, then Jarvis might well be a boy after all.

I also think your friend was mistaken when he or she told you that Jarvis had all of his (or her!) shots shortly after birth, because a very young kitten (less than 6 weeks old) can't receive so many shots all at once. In your shoes, I would make a vet appointment, which will likely also solve the mystery about Jarvis' sex.

[jusjim]

If your cat turns out to be a girl, what do you thinkof the idea of dropping the 's' and substituting an 'a'? Several languages seem to use an 'a' at the end of a female name. Or perhaps just dropping the 's'. It's far from unknown, though, for a cat's guardian to take her in to be spayed and returning home with a neutered male.

[yingying]

I agree with everything Susan said. Jarvis was too young to be removed from his/her mom at 6 week old. And there is no way he/she has gotten all the shots/deworms needed at that time. He/she might got the first shot, but there should be 2 more.

Anyway, those are history and nothing you can change now. At one year old, its time for the vaccine boost shot. And also you should get Jarvis spay/neutered now, regardless boy or girl. I would suggest you schedule it, and when you bring Jarvis to the vet, he would tell you what gender your cat actually is