Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
allow males to mount them. Restlessness, increased vocalization, facial
rubbing and rolling are the not-so-subtle female signals.
Estrus is the period of sexual receptivity that follows.The behaviors
that began in proestrus become more apparent, plus the female will now
permit copulation. If there are no tomcats and therefore no mating,
estrus lasts about 10 to 14 days, then the cat gets a break for 2 to 3 weeks,
then estrus returns. Repeated estrus can be annoying for owners, because
there is nothing that can be done to calm the cat's behaviors. It is also
stressful for the cat, who cannot control her urges to find a mate. Cats
have been known to lose their appetite and sleep poorly during estrus.
When a female cat is in estrus, she does not bleed like a dog; rather,
she has changes in behavior.The changes can include:
•
Increased vocalization
•
Rolling on the ground and crying
•
Lying on her belly with her rear end pushed up in the air
•
Acting more affectionate
•
Attempting to escape the house and get outside
•
Urinating outside the litter box, often on vertical surfaces
Metestrus occurs the day after estrus ends. During this time females
aggressively reject male approaches. Pregnancy follows if fertilization
occurred during mating.
Anestrus is the quiet part of the estrous cycle. It occurs between
periods of estrus and during the late fall, when the seasonally polyestrus
cat does not cycle.
THE ACT
Male cats have the ability to be continually sexually active once they
have reached puberty. Females, however, are only sexually active when
they go through their heat cycles.
Female cats will only accept a male mounting them and copulating
when they are in heat (estrus). If a female is not in heat, she will not
stand still for a male. If she is in heat, she will allow a male to mount
her, then, after intromission occurs, she will bite and strike at him to
leave her alone.
Female cats are
induced ovulators
, which means the act of copulation
stimulates them to release their eggs.They can ovulate more than one egg
during each breeding and can be quite unparticular about their partners,
