Cats Mating Game
Cats are promiscuous creatures. Female cats start to get in heat from the time they are six months old. They have short intervals during spring and summer. Every period lasts three to six days. The female or “queen”, indicates when she wants to mate by crawling on the floor, rubbing herself incessantly against objects and making noises to attract males. If a male responds the female will squat and lift its tail. When the female is ready to mate she will flirt and role on the floor in a provocative manner. Later she will lift her behind and put her tail to one side. The male will grab her by the neck with its teeth and will mount her. The sexual act, which usually only last a couple seconds, causes ovulation. Once the male removes himself the female lets out a loud, screeching sound and breaks loose from him. The male moves away quickly and observes her from a distance, while she roles around and contortions in a voluptuous way. Both cats groom before mating again. The queen can mate several times during heat and not necessarily with the same cat.
Note:A female that is not castrated is usually called a “queen”, but not for her royalty. The word comes from the ancient word “quean” that meant rascal. If you watch closely a female cat that is in heat you will understand why its been given the name.
Happy Times
The queen carries the kittens in her womb for about sixty-three days. When birth is near, she looks for a place that is dark and away to be able to make her nest. Even though it is her first time, a queen knows what to do by using her instincts. She will purr all the while she is giving birth. The first kitten is born after fifteen minutes of labor. The mother will immediately lick it to be able to take off the bag of tissue and stimulate it to breathe. Later she chews on the umbilical cord and eats the placenta. She does this to not attract predators that may want to harm her new born kittens and also because the placenta has essential nutrients that will help strengthen her for the days after she gives birth, when she is unable to hunt. The majority of queens give birth to three and up to six kittens (the average is four) and the time of giving birth varies from five to sixty minutes.
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