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How Do Cats Mate? And How Often Can Your Cat Mate?

How Do Cats Mate? And How Often Can Your Cat Mate?

Mating is a stage that all animals experience, whether birds, insects, worms, aquatic animals, or terrestrial animals. Every animal has a special way of mating; in some animals, the female comes onto the males. In some, the male forces the female, while in others, it is mutual. Most terrestrial animals such as dogs, cats, and lions mate the same way.

When cats are mating, the male cat mounts the female from the rear and inserts his penis through the vulva. The male cat often holds the female on the back of her neck with his teeth when mating. A cat can mate about 10 to 20 times in a day and for 4 to 6 days. 

Mating is an important stage in a cat’s life; without mating, there will be no reproduction. As a pet cat owner, you should understand the process of mating so that when your cat exhibits some behaviors after mating, you are not worried. Sometimes a female cat will scream during the mating process; this is normal and not a problem.

cats in love

How Do Cats Mate?

If you have ever noticed a cat showing some behaviors and signs that you cannot explain, such as rolling on the floor, mewing strongly, showing a lack of appetite, and having its rear train raised frequently, you will probably be worried. However, all these signs and behaviors show that the cat is in heat.

The heat stage refers to when a cat is in a period of being receptive to mating. Mating refers to the pairing of opposite-sex animals for sexual reproduction purposes. When a female cat is in heat and ready to mate, she signals willingness to a male cat by lying with her chest down, forelegs bent, and rear legs raised with her tail to expose the vulva.

Once a male cat notices this posture in a female cat, he approaches her and mounts her. After mounting her, he holds her on the back of the neck with his teeth and inserts his penis through her vulva. Most male cats have barbed penises, and once withdrawn from a female’s vulva causes pain which leads the female to scream.

Most people believe that the barbed penis stimulates ovulation and ends the heat period or estrous cycle in a female cat that is not ready for breeding. Within 20 to 50 hours after mating in cats, the ovulation period in the female cat will begin. The eggs in the cat’s system will be capable of fertilization for a day.

Once the eggs have been fertilized in the oviduct, they will make their way to the uterus through the uterine horn and implant the uterine lining within 12 to 13 days. After this, the cat will be able to give birth. A female cat can mate with two or more male cats for 21 days.

How Long Does It Take For Cats To Mate?

The estrus period or heat cycle in cats determines how long it takes for them to mate. The estrus cycle of a female cat starts when the cat is about 4 or 5 months old and will not stop until she is bred or sprayed. The heat cycle in a female cat will last for many days and repeat every two or three weeks if the cat is not mated.

It takes just a minute or two for cats to mate. A female cat can mate about 10 to 20 times on the first day of its mating period; it can also mate with several male cats for a period of 4 to 6 days. The mating season for cats usually begins around January or February and ends around October or November.

A male cat can fertilize a female cat when it is about 6 to 8 months old; at this age, it has reached puberty. A female can mate for about 7 to 9 years before it is unable to bear kittens. The time intervals between mating can be as short as 5 minutes or as long as 30 minutes.

A female cat can allow up to 30 matings from varieties of cats; this results in different fathers for the same litter; each kitten has a father. Research and observations have proven that if cats mate only once, 50 percent of the female cats will get pregnant.

Once a cat conceives, its heat period for that moment is over, and you may not see the cat mating with any other male cat until the next heat period comes. A female cat can have several heat cycles in a year, and during those periods, the cat will not be at ease until it mates with a male cat.

Do Cats Feel Pleasure When They Mate?

It is very unlikely that cats feel pleasure when mating; this is because the barbed penis of a male cat causes pain to both the male and female cat upon removal after mating. A male cat’s penis is full of barbs that are shaped in the direction of the body. When the penis penetrates the cat’s vulva, it is usually not painful until it comes out.

The pain caused by the extraction of a male cat’s penis from the female vulva results from the barbs on the penis. When the penis is pulled out, the barbs stand up and irritate the vaginal walls, causing severe pain. Sometimes the pain also affects the male cats.

Although female cats usually feel pain when mating, this does not stop them from mating for several days with a different male cat. This is because the pain of being in heat will not stop until the cat is fully mated and conceives. However, one thing is clear; cats do not feel pleasure when they mate.

cats cuddling on couch

Why Do Female Cats Roll After Mating?

Cats roll a lot; it is like a habit for them, and they do so for different reasons. If you have ever seen cats mating, you will notice that the female cat will immediately roll on the floor and away from the male cat once the mating is over. It is easy to think the action does not mean anything, but in reality, there is a reason for it.

When a cat rolls away after mating, it is referred to as an after reaction of mating. A female cat rolls to get rid of the male cat’s scent before moving to another male cat to mate. It is well known that cats claim things by marking their scents on such material, so when another cat comes by, it will stay away from that area.

When cats are mating, the male cat usually mounts the female cat; during this period, the scent of the male cat rubs onto the female cat and stays. If another male cat comes near such a female cat, it will perceive the scent of the male cat and not want to have anything to do with the female cat because it considers it as taken.

So, when a female cat thrashes around and rolls on the floor after mating, she cleans herself and gets rid of the scent of the male she just mated with so that she can freely mate with other male cats.

Final Thoughts

It is very normal for animals to be in heat; unlike humans, animals do not mate for love. They mate solely for reproduction, so you need to be very observant to know when your cat is in heat and needs to mate. Knowing the attitude and behaviors a cat displays when in heat will make you understand your cat better.