Can cats be hermaphrodite? Yes, there is one for adoption at Caldwell!
At March 16th 2021 a hermaphrodite cat whose name is Jessie is up for adoption from the West Valley Humane Society in Caldwell. So domestic cats can be hermaphrodite because they are born with male and female reproductive organs. They are very rare as you might expect.
Some hermaphrodites begin life as one sex and change sex in their life.
Sarah Hartwell on her website Messybeast.com describes a tortoiseshell (marmalade) cat she heard about from a lady named Carol Gravley. The cat looked like a male as he had testicles. He was neutered in the usual way. A few weeks after the neutering operation he/she went into heat. Now female in the eyes of the veterinarian she was spayed as well. This single cat was spayed and neutered.
Apparently the cat was functionally female and then looked like an ‘abnormal female’. It seems that it was decided that the cat was a female with testicles. Hartwell says that the cause is either chimerism or a chromosome abnormality.
‘Chimerism’ refers to an organism or tissue that contains a least two different sets of DNA. Does that help?!
In an undated post, the Blue Cross reported that they had a rare stray kitten born with both male and female reproductive organs. She/he was rehomed successfully. He was called Jamie. Here she/he is:
Is there is link between coat type and this condition? Both these cats are gingers. Gender is linked to the tortoiseshell cat coat.
They discovered that he was a hermaphrodite when they neutered him. They discovered female genitalia. No one at the centre had seen one before. They said that the amount of development of the male and female organs varies.
Their veterinarian, Serb Prior, said that the condition is caused by ‘abnormal chromosomes, hormone production or problems that occur during the kitten’s development before birth. In some kittens it can cause recurrent infections…”
SOME PAGES ON CAT ANATOMY:
