Joanna Wilson
If you’ve ever seen two cats mating, you’ll note that the female appears to be in a lot of discomfort. Because of the male’s barbed penis, which has keratinized penile spines, female cats make cries during mating. Barbs on the penises of male mammals aren’t new, but what use do they serve? Continue reading to find out why a cat’s penis has developed in this way and how it helps in reproduction.
Table of Contents
What are Penile Spines?
It’s not simple to fully comprehend a cat’s male anatomy. The male cat penis is noted for possessing little spike-like penile spines that only appear when he mates with a female feline. When the mating is finished, they immediately vanish back into the skin. These barbs have the appearance of a cat’s tongue. While eating, the abrasive texture tears the flesh off the bones. But that doesn’t appear to be useful for mating, does it? What is the function of the barbs?
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Stimulating Ovulation
The barbs on a cat’s penis are said to aid in ovulation. Because female cats do not ovulate until after they have intercourse, the spikes stimulate her vulva, indicating to her body that it is time to release an egg.
How Cats Mate
When a female is in heat or at her most fertile stage, cats mate. Cats are seasonal polyesters who go into heat according on the length of daylight and the temperature. Because they are exposed to greater daylight, feral cat populations tend to reproduce year-round.
Male cats do not go into heat the same way female cats do. When a male detects female cat pheromones, he goes into heat. During this season, both males and females meow excessively, and males tend to urinate or mark everything around them. This is also when your cats are most likely to flee the house or exhibit other behavioral changes.
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Prevent Her from Escaping
This may appear to be a little cruel, but the barbs on the male’s penis prevent the female from fleeing before the mating procedure is complete. Cats are solitary creatures who prefer to avoid harm. Female cats find mating painful, not just because of the barbs, but also because males bite the backs of their necks during intercourse.
The Cat’s Heat Cycle
Cats can mate at any time of year and at different times of the year. Between the ages of 7 and 9, a female reaches sexual maturity. They can also be fruitful for up to ten years. If your cat is not spayed, she will go into heat and complete the four stages of the cycle.
- Proestrus: Proestrus is the first part of the heat cycle and is when females start to attract nearby males. She is not quite ready to mate at this time, and you might not even know that she’s in heat. Proestrus take place over one or two days.
- Estrus: The next stage of the cycle is the estrus stage. It lasts for about an entire week, and this is when your female becomes receptive to male cats because hormones are flooding her body.
- Interestrus: Females that are unable to mate or get pregnant start to enter the interestrus stage. This period is one that happens between heats. She may act normally for a few days to three weeks before going into heat again.
- Anestrus: This is the dormant phase in the cat’s heat cycle. Females exhibit no signs of being in heat until their breeding season starts again. As mentioned before, the breeding season is influenced by daylight and temperature. The number of times she goes into heat could be constant with regular exposure to light.
Do All Males Have Barbed Penises?
Barbs on male kittens’ penises are not present at birth. This happens around the time they reach puberty, which is around 6 months old. If you neuter your male cats at a young age, they will never develop them. The male’s testicles are removed during neutering, which prevents them from developing barbs.
You think that being in heat alone would be excruciating, given all of the meowing. It isn’t, however your feline may require special attention throughout her cycle.
1. Groom Her
While your feline is in heat, assist her in taking additional care of herself. Brush her more often and touch her to make her feel more at ease as her body undergoes these changes.
2. Give Her a Safe Space
When a female is in heat, she becomes more aggressive and irritable than usual. Give her her own space where she may go when she’s not in a good mood.
3. Play with Her More
When a cat is in heat, her desire to hunt is reduced, and she has a lot of pent-up energy. During these times, play with her more frequently.
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4. Secure Your House
When a female is in heat, there are more cat escapes than when she is not. Her impulse is to find a suitor, even if it means she has to leave your home. Take some precautions and make sure she can’t get outside when you don’t want her to.
5. Clean the Litter Box More
When males and females are ready to mate, they both spray more. This has something to do with pheromones and marking territory. Clean the litter box more than usual to encourage your queen to keep her spray in the litter box.
