How Many Nipples Do Cats Have?
Did you just feel you cat’s nipples while giving her a belly rub?
Like all mammals, even male cats have nipples and they have several pairs of them. But, how do you know that it’s your cat’s nipples that you’re touching, not some insect or infection?
In this blog post, I will answer the question, “How many nipples do cats have?” in as much detail as possible.
Let’s begin.
How many nipples do cats have?
The average number of nipple sthat cats have is six to eight.
Mostly, cats have an even amount of nipples but, some have odd numbers as well. For some cats, they have four nipples while other might even have ten! In fact, kittens from the same litter can have different number of nipples. So, don’t panic unless you have to.
Do male cats have nipples?
Yes, male cats, too, have nipples like all mammals. So, you don’t need to panic if you feel something in your cat’s chest or belly.
This is because a cat’s nipples are developed in the womb way before the gender is even determined. So, having nipples isn’t a gender-specific thing at all.
Nipple size and pregnancy
If you have a female cat her nipples will change when she’s pregnant. At day 35 of pregnancy, her nipples will become larger and bright pink in preparation to feed the kittens.
Where Are a Cat’s Nipples On Their Bodies?
A cat’s nipples run along either side of their bellies.
Usually, a cat has two rows of four or six nipples, matched up evenly with one on the right and one on the left side. However, again, sometimes cats will have odd numbered nipples, or fewer or more nipples than that.
This is all quite normal and you shouldn’t really worry about your cat having too many or too little nipples.
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What Do Cat Nipples Feel Like?
This is probably where most car parents are confused.
While they pet their beloved kitty’s belly and chest, they feel something that looks and feels like a pimple which can be a bit concerning. In fact, I’ve heard stories about dog as well as cat parents rushing their furry friends to the vet’s to check for abnormal growth and parasites only to find out that it’s the nipple.
Whoops!
Save yourself the trouble and know that a cat nipple kind of feels like a pimple.
Are Cat Nipples Easy To Find?
Nope, the truth is that cat nipples aren’t really too easy to find because cats for the most part are really fluffy.
The nipples are small in size but, they’re there, in both male and female cats beneath all the fuzz.
What Do Cat Nipples Look Like?
Honestly, to me they look like pimples, though if you have a better description of them, let me know.
Check out this Google search for more images of cat nipples.
PS: Don’t let anyone look at your browser history after you search this. They’ll just think that you’re creepy!
Can You Tell If A Cat Is Pregnant By Her Nipples?
Yes! Cats will have swollen nipples when they are pregnant. Read on to know more.
Can You Tell If A Kitten Is Male Or Female By Looking At The Nipples?
Nope!
Since both male as well as female kittens have nipples, and because gender makes no difference to the number of nipples a cat has, no, you can’t identify a kitten’s gender by nipples.
What Do I Do If My Cat Has Swollen Nipples?
You need to keep in mind that not every cat with swollen nipples is a pregnant cat and this is especially if the cat is male!
These are all the health issues there could be if your cat has swollen nipples:
- Pregnancy
- Mastitis which is a mammary gland infection while lactating
- Galactostasis which is a milk collection in mammary gland while weaning
- Feline Mammary Hypertrophy which are benign masses
- Mammary cancer
- Mammary Hyperplasia which is caused due to high levels of progesterone
And yes, just like with humans, sadly it is possible—however unlikely—for male cats to develop breast cancer.
If your cat has swollen nipples, please take him or her to the vet.
Final Words: How Many Nipples Do Cats Have?
Like all mammals, even male cats have nipples and they have several pairs of them. But, how do you know that it’s your cat’s nipples that you’re touching, not some insect or infection?
The average number of nipple sthat cats have is six to eight.
Mostly, cats have an even amount of nipples but, some have odd numbers as well. For some cats, they have four nipples while other might even have ten! In fact, kittens from the same litter can have different number of nipples. So, don’t panic unless you have to.
Male cats, too, have nipples like all mammals. So, you don’t need to panic if you feel something in your cat’s chest or belly.
This is because a cat’s nipples are developed in the womb way before the gender is even determined. So, having nipples isn’t a gender-specific thing at all.
Do you have questions? Leave them in the comments, and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
i dont know wether my cat is a girl or a boy but it has oink nipples
Does the amount of nipples on a pregnant cat indicate the amount of her litter ? Or could there be any amount thank you in advance 👍
Do you have any other symptoms of cats being pregnant?
because I’ve been wondering for a while if my cat is pregnant
🙂
I have a mail cat and he is 10 years old. Just in the last couple years I have noticed that he has developed a couple Naples on his neck area. They look just like the ones on his belly area. Have you ever heard of such thing. It’s not a problem, just weird.
Very helpful! Thanks! I was wondering what was on my boy kitten’s belly.
On my male cat they look like tiny skin tags. He puts up with my harassment over them rather well. lol
WHAT DO CAT NIPPLES FEEL LIKE?
This is probably where most car parents are confused. Typo
Great content lovely nipples at the google link
My friends and I argued whether male cats have nipples. Then we found the article https://catspro.com/many-nipples-cats-have.html. Cats really have them! Amazing! Why?