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Mating Domestic Cats
Cats are seasonally polyestrous, which means they may
have many periods of heat over the course of a year. A heat period lasts
about 4 to 7 days if the female is bred; if she is not, the heat period
lasts longer.
Multiple males will be attracted to a female in heat. The males will
fight over her, and the victor wins the right to mate. At first, the
female will reject the male, but eventually the female will allow the
male to mate. The female will give a loud yowl as the male pulls out of
her. After mating, the female will give herself a thorough wash. If a
male attempts to breed with her at this point, the female will attack
him. Once the female is done grooming, the cycle will repeat.
The male cat's penis has spines which point backwards. Upon withdrawal
of the penis, the spines rake the walls of the female's vagina, which
may cause ovulation. Because this does not always occur, females are
rarely impregnated by the first male with which they mate. Furthermore,
cats are superfecund; that is, a female may mate with more than one male
when she is in heat, meaning different kittens in a litter may have
different fathers.
An adult cat with kittens a few hours old
A kitten with eyes open for the first time.The gestation period for cats
is approximately 63–65 days. The size of a litter averages three to five
kittens, with the first litter usually smaller than subsequent litters.
Kittens are weaned at between six and seven weeks, and cats normally
reach sexual maturity at 4–10 months (females) and to 5–7 months
(males).
Cats are ready to go to new homes at about 12 weeks old (the recommended
minimum age by Fédération Internationale Féline), or when they are ready
to leave their mother. Cats can be surgically sterilized (spayed or
castrated) as early as 6–8 weeks to limit unwanted reproduction. This
surgery also prevents undesirable sex-related behavior, such as
territory marking (spraying urine) in males and yowling (calling) in
females. If a cat is neutered after such behavior has been learned,
however, then the behavior may persist.
These pictures form part of the
very large mating picture and video clip cat collection on the sites
DVD's. |
