Superfetation occurs when about 10 percent of cats come into heat when pregnant. This results in a second set of eggs being fertilised before the first litter is born. It is a result of the breeding capabilities of the domestic cat. Normally pregnancy suppresses the sexual physiology of the female. However, female cats sometimes break …
What is feline superfetation? Promiscuity in human terms. Read More »
Here are 4 facts about calling female cats ‘queens’. I think that there is a misconception by quite a large number of people about how this description came about and is used. Why is a female cat called a queen? The answer is because “when she is on heat, she lords it over the toms”. …
Tomcats can’t, it seems, tell the difference between females who have been spayed and those that have not been spayed. This information comes from Dr. John Bradshaw in his book Cat Sense It is based upon his admittedly “casual observations”. He writes that “tomcats seem unable to distinguish between neutered females that form the large …
Tomcats cannot tell the difference between spayed and intact females Read More »
Why does my female cat refuse to mate? The most common reason why a female cat refuses to mate is that the proposed mating is taking place at the wrong time in her oestrus cycle and usually during proestrus. If she is at the correct stage of her breeding cycle but still refuses to mate …
No, cats do not stay in heat after they get pregnant. The more technical word for “heat” is oestrus (estrus in America) which is the period of sexual receptivity. During oestrus the queen (unspayed female cat) seeks out males and allows mating. Mating is necessary for ovulation to occur in the female cat. This is …
Although the news media are having fun with this video in describing a female domestic cat’s behaviour as stealing another female’s kittens, this is normal behaviour for group-living females. It might look odd to some observers but when you think about it, it is very friendly, harmonious and cooperative. In this instance a TikTok user …
Female domestic cats cooperate to care for kittens Read More »
No, properly spayed cats do not go into heat and do not have the urge to mate. The surgery is called ovariohysterectomy. The surgery removes the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries. The spaying operation prevents the queen from coming into oestrous (estrus). Because it prevents the queen coming into oestrous it prevents the oestrous cycle …
Do spayed cats go into heat and have the urge to mate? Read More »
Is this female cat’s actions a vestigial female mating behavior? By that I mean an instinctive but not complete form of female cat in heat behavior provoked by her human companion’s friendly advances. I have asked if the cat is unspayed. It is not a full cat-in-heat position but she does turn her back to …
Does this female cat want her male owner to have sex with her? Read More »
The question in the title is a roundabout way of asking if female cats have periods. As female cats come into heat in cycles (the estrus cycle) we have to make sure we understand what a human period (cycle) means in terms of menstruation and ask if cats have the same thing. Women obviously know …
When a female cat is ‘in season’ she is ready to mate (in heat) and this readiness is dependent upon the season (i.e. winter, spring, summer and fall). Queens (intact females) vary at which age they first go into heat. Puberty in male and female cats usually starts at between 6-9 months. However, cats of …
Because she behaves like a queen towards courtiers, the people who attend the court of a monarch. When a female cat is on heat – a period called ‘estrus’ and the time during which she is receptive – she lords it over the toms who gather around her like a circle of courtiers. They approach …
Female cats who have not been spayed are fertile and sexually active all their lives. Therefore they do not go through the menopause. That is the short answer. Dr Bruce Fogle makes an interesting point about this. He says that domestic cats compared to their wild card ancestor are living over twice as long as …
Why do female cats tend to want to bite their partners when mating? The answer – which I am sure a lot of people now know – is because the male cat’s penis is an instrument of torture covered as it is with short, sharp spines. It damn well hurts the female when he extricates …
Why do female cats tend to want to bite their partners when mating? Read More »
Cat owners are not used to discussing cat contraceptives because it is commonplace to neuter and spay domestic cats. Why aren’t cat contraceptives more popular? It is probably because (1) cats are the patients rather than people and it is easier and more certain to spay female cats than to administer contraceptives and (2) cat …
In a strict sense, cats do not have periods primarily because they do not menstruate. A period is part of the menstrual cycle for female humans. This happens normally every 28 days or so. It can last between three and eight days. During this time, in response to reproductive hormones a woman’s womb gets ready …
