Cat Heat behavior

Cat on heat behavior can result in a pregnant cat
photo copyright and by Cory Blundon

A more scientific word for "heat" is "estrus" or "estrous" or indeed "oestrous". I'll use the shortest of the three, "estrus". A female cat is on heat at regular intervals. This is called the "estrus cycle". The estrus cycle is managed by the cat's reproductive hormones. For female humans it is called the menstrual cycle. Cat on heat behavior is very noticeable (the phrase can also be "in heat").

During estrus the female is receptive to the male cat looking to procreate. The length of time that the female is "in heat" is from 14-21 days (src: Wikipedia). Although Robinson's Genetics says it is normally 5-8 days but sometimes lasting for up to 20 days.

During this period of time the females behavior is distinct. It allows the cat breeder to gauge when to allow the male to meet the female.


Pre-estrus -- first phase

Just before the estrus stage (pre-estrus or more accurately called "proestrus") female cats become affectionate and demands more than the usual amount of attention. She will rub against things and be playful. She may also howl which is calling the males. It is a long and noticeable howl. These are classic signs of cat on heat behavior. The howling varies from breed to breed.


Estrus -- second phase

During this phase the female cat demonstrates behavior indicating that she is ready to have sex. She will tread the ground and adopt a position to receive the stud boy. This is a flattening of her back and a raising of her hind quarters. It is called the "coital crouch". It can be stimulated by the presence of the stud boy or by a gentle stroking of her genital region.

Cat in lordosis - photo by Sidereal (Flickr)

She is ready for sex to use vernacular language (usual language). After sex the female will growl (the male's penis is serrated, or spines pointing backwards, and removing it hurts the female).

Male trying to mate with female unsuccessfully
Photo by Michael Broad (Flickr)

If sex ("coitus") does not occur the female will re-start the cycle again in about 12-22 days. This may be irregular. In the northern half of the world, the time of year over which the female demonstrates cat on heat behavior is usually from January to July (but can be longer). It is the availability of daylight that affects this period of time. Artificial lighting can reduce the time, in the winter, when the heat cycle pauses.

Related posts:

Cats mating

Cat pregnancy

Sources:

• Wikipedia
• Robinsons Genetics for Cat Breeders and Veterinarians
• http://www.cat-urine.net

From Cat Heat behavior to Home page

Cat Experiments

Cats are used extensively in animal testing and cat experiments are conducted in universities all over the world. Physiologically cats have a lot of similarities to humans. The idea of carrying out nasty and injurious tests on cats does not bother many people. To others it is abhorrent and unforgivable. I am in the second category.

The examples are numerous. Two immediately come to mind. The beginning of the Bengal cat breed is indirectly founded on tests carried out on Asian Leopard cat hybrids (leukemia research). Jean Mill acquired one of the hybrids and bred from the cat to start the breed. Read about Bengal cat origins (this post has a different take on the breeding of Jean Mill). Another is the testing on Safari cats. The Safari cats concerned were killed (I don't know if these tests were carried out at university facilities).

You can go on and on. Testing often happens behind the respectable veneer of established and revered University facades. Here are some other examples of cat experiments at universities:


----University of Colorado Denver and Health Sciences Center (this is a PETA story, src: Peta). I am not sure of the date of this research. It concerns the work of a person named Moshe Solomonow. He was conducting tests on cats into back pain. He'd open up the cats back to the spine and attached hooks to the cat's spinal ligaments, having administered an anesthetic that is considered "archaic" and inadequate by modern standards. The indications are that the cats felt pain. It is claimed the test were worthless. This sounds like a form of medieval torture.


----Ohio State University - 2002 - Experiments carried out by Michael Podell a veterinarian (src: Singapore cats). Cats where used to test the effect of HIV positive humans abusing drugs. Cats were deliberately infected with FIV and injected with the drug "speed" (methamphetamine) and their brains cut into to check the brain response. The cats were then killed. Nice one Mr Podell.


----Baylor College of Medicine Houston, Texas (it is not clear if the following experiments were actually carried out at this college). The research was written up by Claudia Robertson, MD, Guest Editor, Department of Neurosurgery. The language of scientists is opaque. This is probably deliberate to make the work sound more complicated, important and special, which translates to the people conducting the experiments being more important.

In this case the method employed was "open skull experiments" on cats and monkeys under chloralose anesthesia. This anesthesia is apparently archaic. The objective of the cat experiments was as far as I can ascertain to study the incidence of Peri-infarct depolarizations (PID).


----University of Edinburgh, Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1QH, UK (1996) - This entailed researching the release of immunoreactive (ir-) neuropeptide Y (NYP) in the spinal cords of cats that were anesthetized. Yes, fine the cats were anesthetized but did they feel pain and did you check? And what happened to the cats after the experiments?


----University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia. The research was to investigate the effect on blood flow in the cat optic nerve by flickering light. The cat(s) were anesthetized. It looks to me as if electrodes were placed into the cat's head to take measurements.

As I said, I could go on. Some of these are freely available published results, usually on PDF format direct from the researchers and usually in the form of an article or research paper. The sources for the above came from a simple Google search. A lot of the research is almost invisible, I would think for the purpose of limiting attention to it.

Animal testing is immoral even if it is for the possible benefit of humans. There are two reasons:

1. We have an unwritten contract (a form of social contract) with domestic cats. The contract doesn't allow for one to experiment on the other.

2. We are not superior to cats and have no right to cause them pain in our ostensible interests. All animals whether the human animal or other animals should respect each other. Cats respect us, lets do likewise.

Photo: copyright Brian Gunn IAAPEA (published with his permission. All the photographs on this website are published with express permission of the photographer)

Cat Experiments to cat and animal cruelty

Ragdoll Cat Behavior

Ragdoll cat photo copyright Helmi Flick

Ragdoll Cat Behavior is said to be so particular and unusual, they named the cat after it. But is the behavior really as stated? Or is there a bit of poetic license involved to promote and define this well liked cat breed?

I don't want to break the myths and stories surrounding this cat breed but in the interests of fair play and honesty, this cat is in my opinion like many other cats, both purebred and Moggie, in terms of temperament.

Sure, Ragdoll Cat behavior may be more lad back than some other breeds such as the Modern Siamese (more vocal and 'intelligent') or the wildcat hybrids such as the Chausie and Bengal, which are more active but this doesn't mean the Ragdoll doesn't behave like a typical domestic cat. This includes all the usual likes and dislikes such as play, company and attention from us.

The CFA describes this cat breed as "floor cats" and not jumpers. This, I can understand as my Moggie is exactly that. My previous cat was half NFC (Norwegian Forest Cat) and was a great jumper. What I am saying is that a moggie can be as docile as a Ragdoll and many are. The docile nature of this cat breed is not unique to the Ragdoll cat.

I would think it fair to say that on average, all other influences being equal (such as the cat's upbringing and whether she is well socialized), Ragdoll Cat behavior is probably more laid back than most other breeds.

They are quite large cats too so you get the combination of size and even temperament, which is an attractive combination to some people.

The idea that it is unusual that this cat goes limp when you pick her up is, you know, a bit of an exaggeration. A lot of cats in the right mood go soft and limp when picked up. It is probably a reflection of the classic response of a kitten being picked up by the scruff of the neck by the mother. The kitten will automatically go limp and not struggle to allow the mother to carry the kitten to safety.

As people who keep cats are seen as 'parent cats' by the cat and as the keeping of domestic cats keeps the cat, psychologically, as a kitten, the response to being picked up will be as described.

One final point, there are many influences that affect cat behavior and the variation in behavior from cat to cat is probably greater than the variation in behavior between cat breeds and superimposed into that is how well the cat has been raised by the cat breeder. Ragdoll cats are purebred cats so it is almost certain that the life of a Ragdoll started in a cat breeder's cattery - how good was the cattery? I have posted an article called "cat behavior explained".

Photo - second down - by herrwiggens - creative commons

Ragdoll Cat Behavior to Ragdoll cat

Traditional Chinese Medicine

photo by moriza


I've recently made a post in which I discussed the endangered Bengal tiger. The reason for this cat's endangerment is to a large extent due to Traditional Chinese medicine, which uses tiger parts. A quite disgraceful throwback to medieval times.

The Chinese protect their ancient medicine as if it has some mystical and magical properties yet it originates from a time some 2,000 years ago when knowledge of medicine was extremely limited and superstition abounded. Accordingly, this much treasured medicine is rooted in medieval superstition. Hence the belief that eating a tiger's penis will make men virile - come on please grow up.

Traditional Chinese medicine is heavily intertwined with the extinction and preservation of the tiger and other wild animals such as the rhinoceros (the horn also improves virility - total madness of course). That is why I discuss it on these pages.

Traditional Chinese medicine is in the news again. Chinese people who dispense this ancient medicine don't know what they are dispensing and it could contain banned drugs (in respect of the forthcoming Olympics).

A Times journalist tested the process of dispensing this medicine. A graduate in Traditional Chinese medicine suggested to the journalist that deer's penis mixed with alcohol would speed up an athletes recovery from injury (they are fond of their animal penises aren't they?).

However, the graduate couldn't explain what was in the remedy (i.e how it worked and the chemical substances involved). This demonstrates the ignorance surrounding this medicine. As a result the authorities in China have warned Chinese Olympic athletes to avoid this medicine in case they take a banned substance.

Many athletes in China still take Chinese medicine, which shows how ingrained it is in the Chinese way of life. A star basketball player, Mr Yao, uses it. He supported its use by declaring that it has been used in China for thousands of years. Yes, it has and it has largely gone unchanged over the entire period. It has not been updated, improved and amended with knowledge gained over time.

It probably works on a placebo effect and may have some benefits sometimes for unknown reasons but it is surely time to completely overhaul it and at the same time for people at the highest levels in Chinese government to ensure that China complies with their obligations under CITES and stops the trade in tiger parts and the parts of many other endangered species.

Photo middle of post by by webby0101. Notice the Mountain Yak Penis - heavens the Chinese really do have a penis fixation. Does this say something about the Chinese mentality?? Is this an insecurity due to a certain unmentionable failure in a certain part of the male anatomy??


Traditional Chinese Medicine to more on this subject

BENGAL TIGER FACTS

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Endangered Bengal Tiger

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The reason why it has moved is because Google has stopped finding the page and it is too good to be in an internet black hole.