Unlike dogs who were selectively bred by humans for hundreds of years, cat mating has been mostly dependent on themselves. This could be the reason as to why cat mating has always been more – animalistic, if you pardon the pun.
To the human eye, cat mating is on the extreme with all the biting and the shrieking. For cats, this is just the normal way of life and of romance. Let’s take a closer look at their mating rituals.
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Sexual Aggression in Cats
Before they even do the deed, male cats have this premating ritual where they will spray their urine all around. This is one of their ways to mark their territories so other males know who is the boss around these parts. The smell will also attract female cats in heat.
During the mating season, tom cats will become increasingly territorial. This mostly because male cats will wander around more when they’re in heat, barging in on other cats’ territories in search for females. The more males get in contact with each other, the more they’ll get aggressive and may get violent. Strangely, male cats typically won’t fight around females.
Cat Courtship
Tom cats will wail loudly for females. This practice is known as caterwauling. It serves as an advertisement to the females in the area that he is a viable male. When a female cat finally shows herself, the male cats in the area will follow her around.
Among her suitors, one will become a “central male”. This lucky guy will come much closer to the female cat and will have more chances with her. This male and the female cat will rub their faces on each other’s and even smell each other’s behinds.
Then, they’ll both start making those in-heat cries we’ve all heard before. The male cat will circle around the female before going all in with her, while more experienced tom cats will go right in.
A Biting Romance
Once the female cat has chosen the lucky male, the copulation can begin.
Although different cats have different styles, the most common way tom cats will go about mating is they will grip on to the female’s necks. When cats get bit on the dorsum of their necks, they will immobilize. The females won’t fight back when they’re necks are being bit because it’s not really an aggressive behavior. It is rare for the male’s bite will actually pierce through the female’s skin.
When in position, the cats are ready to copulate. Sex doesn’t take long for cats. It generally lasts somewhere between 1-9 minutes. After the first mating, the pair can mate again after 5-15 minutes. If they’ve repeatedly mated for a while, the male may stop neck biting when mounting the female.
After mating, the tomcat may stay around the female for a while, but it is rare that they keep bonding after the mating cycle is over. Indeed, while cat mating is a bit intense, there is no lasting relationship that is formed in between the cats.
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Common questions about cat mating
Do neutered males still mount spayed females?
Despite not having the balls to really do anything productive with humping, neutered male cats sometimes still do stalk, mount and hump other cats. This could be due to your cat having health issues or behavioral problems.
If you notice your cat humping within the few weeks after they have been neutered, that’s totally normal. It takes a bit of time for all the sexual hormones in their body to be totally gone. However, if they’ve been humping for a while after that, it could be because they have a UTI or a Urinary Tract Infection. Talk to your vet about this.
If it isn’t that, your cat may be stressed or anxious about something. Ask yourself if there has been a big change in your lives that’s stressing out your cat.
How to tell if cat mating was successful?
In cats, ovulation usually happens between 20-50 hours since copulation. That’s right, female cats are induced ovulators. Soon after, their eggs travel to their oviduct to be fertilized in the next 24 hours, after which the eggs will travel to the uterus.
You’ll start noticing big changes in how your cat appears and how they behave in the third week after your cat has mated. The first visual sign you’ll see is their pink nipples that will start to swell. They’ll also be eating a lot more, gain a bit more weight, and start ‘showing’ on their 5th week.
Do female cats refuse to mate?
Sometimes, female cats will refuse to mate and will aggressively fight her suitor until she gets her point across, and he goes away. It could be because it’s her first time and she’s stressed and confused about what’s happening, she isn’t ready to mate because she’s not in heat or she is pregnant.
Conclusion
Biting during copulation in cats is a totally normal thing and is not at all an aggression thing. While in the human perspective, it may all seem very rough, for cats it is romance. The biggest reason why males bite the female cat’s neck is to calm her down so he can mount her successfully.
