Unneutered cats are prolific breeders when left to their own devices, with females often becoming pregnant from multiple fathers. One of our readers asked us whether kittens from the same litter can be twins, and we asked Dr. Hannah Godfrey for an answer. So, can cats have twins?
Twins in cats
Wikipedia defines twins as two animals born during the same pregnancy. If we go by their definition, all kittens born in the same litter are technically twins, so cats can indeed have twins. But this is not the end of the story ..
The father
See, while two kittens from a litter may have shared the womb during pregnancy, they can have different fathers. If they do share the same parents, their genes and appearance are more likely to match, and they are what we would call paternal twins in humans. Paternal twin kittens can still look very different, which is explained in great detail in a blog from Basepaws:
However, even those kittens who have both of the same parents, have likely randomly inherited a number of different gene combinations. This means that while certain genetic traits will be shared by the siblings, every sibling will be genetically unique. This remains untrue only for identical twin cats.
https://basepaws.com/
So what are identical twins? Are they exactly the same? Yes, but it is very rare.
Identical twins
Kittens that got the exact same parts of mom and dad are what we call genetically identical. These types of “carbon copy” twins are one of nature’s accidents, and this can happen when a fertilized egg splits into two separate embryos. This is extremely rare, so you’re not very likely to ever encounter a set of real kitten twins.
So while it’s definitely possible, when two kittens look similar, the more likely explanation is that they share the same parents, rather than being truly genetically identical.
How do I know if my kittens are real twins?
Interestingly, even in the extremely rare event that kittens share the exact same genetic mark-up, this still does not necessarily mean that they share identical markings. Since the genes that code for color and markings can be expressed slightly differently depending on various factors, their appearance doesn’t have to match.
This means that it is very difficult to determine whether two kittens are identical twins in a genetic sense. In fact, the only way to be certain would be to perform a DNA test on each of them and compare the results.
How many kittens does a cat usually have?
Although female cats can get pregnant all year, the kittening season occurs during spring. Female cats come into season most often when the days are getting longer, so most litters are born in late spring. Female cats can even get pregnant while they are nursing a newborn litter, so it’s important to keep your cat inside at this time to avoid another pregnancy.
Litter size can vary dramatically in cats, ranging from one to twelve kittens and averaging at about four. The reason that litters are so big is that females can become pregnant with litters from different fathers at the same time. Therefore, it is not uncommon for litters of kittens to be born with very different markings. Those that share similar markings may share the same father.
Conclusion
Although kittens can indeed be genetically identical twins, it is very rare. It is far more common that two kittens are ‘twins’ only in the sense that they are two kittens from the same pregnancy who share the same mother and father, but are not the product of a fertilized egg splitting into two. If you want to find out if your kittens are identical twins, speak to your veterinarian about a DNA test.
I have two cats who came from the same litter. They have the exact same markings just opposite sides. When you hold them up together it’s like fitting together the piece of a puzzle. Ones a boy and ones a girl.
We just adopted three kittens from the same litter same mother same father they were seven kittens and all but the first two that I went to were the ones that were identical twins genetically born in the same sack both female they are exactly alike in every way shape and form only their personalities are different when is lovey-dovey and when is very playful
Obviously the cat or the fathers of the cats must have a predisposition to have twin kittens. All the cats I have had have never calved twins, although the last cat does it every 2 months ))
My cat had twins who shared the same sac, only one was black and one was white…they were both part Siamese. The white one developed siamese markings, and if you looked very closely at the black one you could see the pattern of the same type of markings; he was just slightly darker in those spots. One male, one female. I saw them born, otherwise I would never have imagined they were twins. Never saw such a thing before or since.
She had 2 other completely black part siamese kids in 2 other litters, too. You could see the distinct differences in body shape as opposed to other cat breeds and the darker areas where siamese markings would be.
They definitely didn’t inherit those traits from her side of the family – she came from a multi-generation family of cats descended from a single stray mom who adopted us, and she was in the 4th generation. I’ve had years to observe the particular traits that passed through the family and there’s nothing remotely siamese aside from those 4 kittens she had. Most of her other babies looked very much like her – a combination of gray and beige spots and stripes.
I was always so curious as to what those kittens’ father looked like. She would leave the neighborhood for a few weeks every time she went into heat, and we had no siamese cats in our neighborhood at all.
I got two kittens from this lady I was only going to get one but I didn’t want getting to be by itself cuz I had a friend get a kitten too and she had three and brought all three of them with her and it just so happened that the two kittens that I got are extremely close they behave as though they are twins how twins have that special bond I’d be interested to know that they were how expensive is it to find out
Hey Catherine, it’s great that your new kittens are so close! While possible, it is unlikely that they are genetically identical twins. But kittens that have different fathers can still form a very tight bond during their first weeks, and sometimes those bonds remain in adulthood. I hope yours will remain good friends!
If you still want to find out, there are DNA tests available, but they are quite expensive. You would need to order a test for both your kittens and compare the results to see if they indeed share the same genome. Here’s a company that offers them at $400 per test: https://basepaws.com/pages/how-it-works
My cat had identical twins she woke me up when her water broke they had one amniotic sac with a separate cord going to each baby there body markings weren’t the same but close but their faces were identical and they have a very close bond different from the other kittens I called and woke my mother up at 5 because she already had one kitten the twins were 2nd and she was still trying to eat the sac and the twins I had to get them started breathing but they were crawling in separate directions with one sac and I didn’t know what to do but my mom said relax give her time she’s new at this and the twins came out side by side EEEEEKKKKKK!!!!!!
She wasn’t supposed to get pregnant she was 3 days away from getting fixed I didn’t know cats could get pregnant at 6 months I learned the hard way but she is fixed now the neighbor’s 2 teenage daughters took the twins so they could stay together and they have an amazing loving family I couldn’t ask for more for them that is all I wanted and the other 3 are. with me forever and are 3 months old and getting fixed next week we won’t make that mistake twice thank you for your post I truly enjoyed it