Anyone who owns a cat knows it well: sexuality among felines is very impetuous, not only in the courtship period during the heat cycle of both sexes, but also during the very act of mating of cats.
In each situation, in fact, the cat and the cat are restless, emit long and tireless meows, behave strangely and have a real role before, during and after the act.
In this article we see all these phases of mating cats together, trying to understand how to identify two cats in the fertile period but, above all, trying to understand what are the dynamics that affect the male and female in this important passage of their (and our) life at home.
When do cats mate?
Let’s start by taking a step back: At what age do cats mate?
Female cats usually reach the sexual maturity between 5 and 12 months, while for male cats you have to wait a little longer, at least between 9 and 14 months.
Cats, then, can also reproduce in old age, but only the most robust remain active even during old age.
The heat period in cats is when it is warmer, in general from March to Octoberand cats mate only when the female goes into heat.
How does cat heat work?
The heat of the cat can come several times a year in the number of two or three cycles of heat, each of varying duration inclusive between 3 and 20 days.
Between one heat cycle and the next, then, 10 to 40 days can pass, during which two scenarios can occur:
- if the cat has mated and become pregnant, then the cycle ends and her body prepares for pregnancy and to welcome the kittens;
- we proceed until the female has become pregnant.
It should therefore come as no surprise that the cat mate repeatedlynor that the same cat has relationships with several cats: for this reason, in fact, in the same litter it will be possible to have kittens from the same mother but from different fathers.
How do cats mate?
The behavior of the female cat in heat
The first phase, as we have said, is that of the heat cycle: in this juncture the cat rolls on the ground, rubs against our legs, purrs more loudly and is more affectionate with the masters.
If it is stroked, it bends its paws towards the ground by folding its tail, while at night it meows loudly for call all males of the surroundings.
The behavior of the male cat in heat
The latter, attracted by the “call” of the female cats, meow in turn, begin to mark the territory, they fight for the cat and only the victor will mate with the female.
How long does it take for cats to mate?
The actual mating of cats lasts a few minutes during which the male penetrates the female making copulatory movements.
At the end of the deed the cat meows and rebelsthis is because the surface of the cat’s penis is bristling with small spines, le spicules.
Why do cats scream when they mate?
Because of these spines, the pain can be acute during mating.
This explains both why cats scream when they mate and why cats roll over after mating.
How to tell if two cats have mated?
Just check the behavior of the female after mating: usually, in fact, after having moved away from the male, the cat he licks his genitals for a long timebetween one and seven minutes.
The pregnancy of the cat
Following ovulation induced by the speculum of the cat’s penis, the cat’s body begins to secreteLH hormonefollowing which the oocyte descends from the ovary into the fallopian tubes where the sperm will be ready to make it pregnant.
Frequent questions
At this point, it seems only right to conclude the article by answering some common questions on the subject of mating between cats:
- Is a mating between sterilized cats possible? Yes, even if sterilization inhibits sexual instincts: in this case we speak of “fake” couplings with cats in heat.
- Can male cats mate? Yes, even if in this case it is not a real mating: when a male cat mounts another male cat it is rather an act of domination over each other.
- Can there be mating between sibling cats? Yes: the cat is a very prolific animal!