Mating and Courtship Behaviors in Domestic Cats by https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95 The unique behaviors domestic cats engage in during and leading up to fertilization of the queen. en-us 2016-10-06 18:25:29 UTC 2025-10-11 14:36:05 UTC hello@padlet.com Overview  dnleona https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/128938990 The male cat is also called a tom and the female cat a queen. 

The Tom- A tom begins to mature around ten to twelve months of age. 

The Queen- A queen will go through her first cycle of heat around six to eight months of age.

Pictured below are my two cats, the cream one is male and the grey is female. I had both these cats as kittens so it was vital to get atleast
 one of them spayed or neutered before their period of maturity to prevent pregnancy in the female.]]> 2016-10-06 18:27:34 UTC https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/128938990 The Queen dnleona https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/128942422 Oestrus is the period of sexual receptivity of the female cat. Cats are "seasonally polyestrus" which means they have multiple estrus cycles during the breeding season, which varies according to geographic and environmental factors.
"Principles and Applications of Domestic Animal Behavior"

]]> 2016-10-06 18:36:30 UTC https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/128942422 Stage 1-Proestrus dnleona https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/128944314 This first stage is about 1-2 days long. Some characteristics to look for during this time would be the queen beginning to seem more restless and might eat more then usual. During this time period the queen will attract toms but if the tom was to make sexual advances the queen would reject them.]]> 2016-10-06 18:41:37 UTC https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/128944314 Stage 2- Estrus dnleona https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/128945977 This stage takes place between days 4 and 6 and is considered the "heat" stage. The queen will begin to make loud frequent vocalizations, these are usually easily distinguished between her non-estrus meows. The queen will also appear more affectionate and in a distinguishable stance. This stance will be a hyperextension of her back, exposing her vulva for mating.]]> 2016-10-06 18:46:00 UTC https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/128945977 Stage 3- Interestrus dnleona https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/128947291 This stage occurs between days 7 to 14, but only happens if the queen did not engage in any sexual activity with a tom. This causes the cycle to completely restart. During this phase the queen will show complete disinterest in mating with a tom.]]> 2016-10-06 18:49:44 UTC https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/128947291 Stage 4- Anestrus dnleona https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/128948540 This stage is around 90 days long and occurs from November to January. Since cats are seasonally polyestrus they will go through Anestrus during times when the hours of daylight are shorter. This varies depending on geographical regions, but for North American domestic cats, the period of Anestrus would be from November to January, in the winter.]]> 2016-10-06 18:53:13 UTC https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/128948540 Queen Vocalizations dnleona https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/128952056 This is a very good example of the distinguishable vocalizations made my female cats during their stage of Estrus.These vocalizations are usually accompanied by the crouching mating stance of the female.]]> 2016-10-06 19:03:52 UTC https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/128952056 The Act of Mating dnleona https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/128952871 During the estrus stage the female is ready to actively engage in courtship leading to copulation. Both the male and female will express vocalizations and attempt to become familiar with each other. This familiarization includes licking and smelling of the genitals. After the female assumes the mating crouch the male will attempt to mount her. If the female is not ready for this step, the act of copulation can turn violent and painful.]]> 2016-10-06 19:06:41 UTC https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/128952871 Ovulation dnleona https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/128956281 The Female cat is an induced ovulators, meaning that the act of breeding stimulates or induces ovulation or the release of eggs from the ovaries. Subsequently, a queen will require the act of copulation around 3-4 times in a 24 hour period in order to ensure successful ovulation and fertilization. A queen may also mate with several different toms during this period to ensure her fertilization, which then can result in a litter of kittens with multiple tom cats as the father.]]> 2016-10-06 19:16:34 UTC https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/128956281 The Act of Copulation dnleona https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/128959818 This video is a good representation of the act of cats mating, though there is no sound to listen to the courtship vocalizations. The video depicts the female cat rolling on the ground and positioning herself in the mating stance. It also is a good representation of the aggressive behavior the male possesses during mating. People may mistaken this behavior as acts of aggression, for example the biting of the neck and hissing exchanged between the queen and tom.]]> 2016-10-06 19:28:42 UTC https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/128959818 Study on Corpus Luteum of Domestic Cats dnleona https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/129604774 This study looked at the corpus luteum in relation to pregnancy and hormones in pregnant and non pregnant cats.
The corpus luteum is a hormone gland on the ovary that produces progesterone for the maintenance of pregnancy. The study looked at the luteal function of the corpus luteum during different stages of reproduction. The study was able to conclude that the formation of the CL occurs after ovulation and that luteal regression occurs from there on. They also were able to conclude that the first signs(coarsed vacuolization) are already apparent in the corpus luteum during the second trimester of pregnancy in cats. ----This study might not seem significant to our study of mating behaviors, but the release of different hormones plays a big part in both female and male reproduction and mating.
]]> 2016-10-10 18:35:47 UTC https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/129604774 Study on Courtship in Feral Cats dnleona https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/129993523 The study done was done to observe the dominance levels in feral males in an outside environment. It was concluded that most of the time the heavier males showed dominance over the smaller males and therefore won in number of encounters during the estrous season.Courtship rank was then lowered depending on if the male was ever defeated, which then would lower their success in copulations. Though many domestic cats don't have to deal with establishing dominance, it is clear that if a domestic cat was also an outdoor cat, he too would be thrown into the mix of establishing dominance in order to successfully mate with a female during the estrous season. ]]> 2016-10-11 23:24:20 UTC https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/129993523 Colony of Feral Cats dnleona https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/129994229 2016-10-11 23:30:57 UTC https://padlet.com/dnleona/uzb4xwfnit95/wish/129994229