| Food Supply | Number of Cats57 in area of 250 acres |
| Food available as prey | 5 cats |
| Food available as prey and food “rubbish” | 50 cats |
| Food supplied by people (e.g. fish processing plants in Japan) | 2,000 made up of overlapping colonies of 50 or so cats |
Cats mating and failing |
Cat behavior – courtship, mating, development
- We have to include the wild cats here. I cover the development of wild cats for each species. Here are some examples:
- Main page on: Tiger development
- Main page on: Baby tigers
- Main page on: Snow leopard cubs. All the wild cat species are covered.
- There is some variation between the wild cats but all cats both domestic and wild follow similar patterns of behavior. There are three stages: cat heat, cat mating and cat pregnancy…
- Main page on Cat heat behavior is very specific. The domestic cat acts similarly to the wildcats and on occasion like the lion.
- Main page on Cats mating
- Main page on Cat pregnancy
- Main page on: Overview of reproduction & development of the domestic cat.
- Main page on: Kitten development
- Female wild cat territories are encompassed by a wider male territory (see tiger ecology). Wild cat females call and mark territory to signal that she is in heat.
- Females mate with the male of choice when ready.
- Young males are often “impetuous” and are rebuffed.
- Domestic cats mate 10 – 20 times daily when mating58.
- Mating sessions can continue for 4 – 6 days.
- Males can wait in line forming a queue, one replacing the other when he is tired.
- Males don’t usually have a parental role.
- Male lions commit infanticide killing the cubs of the last dominant male (lion facts). Similar activity may on occasion occur in respect of domestic and feral cats. Research showed that a male who had just arrived on the scene killed six kittens of three queens who were absent59. Females don’t commit infanticide but occasionally it might very rarely happen if the cat is inexperienced and stressed.
- In order for a female to attract lone males she appears to be promiscuous when compared with more sociable animals such as people and dogs (a pack animal).
- Kittens are born in a very immature state with eyes closed and hearing poorly developed. The cat is an altricial60 species.
- Cat behavior – Mothering:
- Whether a female domestic cat makes a good mother or not depends on genes, emotional maturity and how they were mothered.
- In cat colonies or communities, females may act as midwives in licking the newborn of other cats and cutting the umbilical cord61.
- We all know the aggression and fearless passion with which a mother defends and protections her young.
- The mother licks her young to stimulate bowel movements. That is why adult cats sometimes raise their backs when being stroked.
- Mothers eat all the kittens body waste products to remove scent for their protection and to keep the den tidy.
- The mother may move kittens after birth and at about 4 days of age. This is believed to be for their protection. Mothers carry kittens by the scruff of the neck.
- A mother’s interaction with her kittens is vital to the kittens’ development as a well-balanced adult cat. In terms of the cat’s development as a well socialised domestic cat living with people interaction with people (see below) is equally important.
- Update 19th Aug 2010: Here is the answer to the question: How Fast Do Cats Breed?
