He's taking his advances but she is not quiet ready. She run, he move swiftly in pursuit. Over the night, they are in a seemingly endless quest. He murmur something that only the two of them understand. She responds with a gracious body movement. He, reacting but choose to wait for her readiness and then the inevitable happens.
before your mind wanders off to something else. I'm talking about the act of lovemaking in cats, yes - Tom and Molly and the reason behind their wild noises when they engage themselves to the world of breeding.
For several years, our boarding house garage had served as a dwelling house for the this family of 'pusakal' (pusa sa kalye or homeless cat). Despite the sternness of the sorrounding, these cats had come to love the place. We usually find them lying underneath the cars, besides the windows, up in the garage posts, or in any corners. Sometimes we tripped over them on our way out especially if the lights were off, expect that we will receive a disgruntled sound or a scratch (which rarely happens) and lucky for us if the cat will just scamper away. The three of them - we called according to their age, mother (obviously, their mom), ming-garot (a male) and sister (the younger one, female). If we have spare foods, we let them inside the house to feed and eventually prompt them to catch some mouse. Aside from the occasional tripping, there is no problem having them as err... household members? lol
It was the usual friday night in our 'bahay ni ate' (this is how we called our humble abode - boarding house and when I say usual it means we are still up and busy catching up with each other or watching a movie 'til past midnight knowing it would be a glorious rest days the following two days). My relaxed mood was disturbed when we heard the loud and amorous noise coming from the garage. The 'barako' or the male cat (Tom, generally a name for a he-cat) was producing this very loud voice so frightening, which is responded in shriek by the female cat (Molly is what you will call a not pregnant female cat). I'm quiet familiar with the sound though because I have heard it before back in the province but it still never fails to make my arm hairs stood to its end. Tom and Molly continued their loud talks for quiet a time despite our rebuking. Out of curiousity, me and one of my boardmates went outside and took a peek underneath the car. There we saw, not the act but their prelude. The female cat, our very own sister and her male guest, were facing each other. The sound is non-stop despite having us as their spectator. We decided to throw them some water to stop the noise because it's really disturbing and we were glad that they did.
I wonder what reasons behind their sounds when they engage on the act and this curiosity drives me to search. Below are what I have read:
- Caterwauling refers to the male's loud voice which serves with two purposes: announce his availability and warns other males of his intention and territory
- Tom's interest to Molly increases when he is summoned by her own calls of love or smell her receptivity from urine or secretions from the vulva.
- Flehmen refers to the expression (wrinkling up his nose and appears to be grinning) on the male's face as he smells the female heat.
- If the female is not yet receptive, she may engage in a flirting chase, refusing to let him mount - thus the reason for the screeches and scratching sounds I've heard in our roof back in province. All this time I thought the female cat is being raped haha...
- Once the he-cat is done, the she-cat pulls away, strikes out at him with a talon-exposed paws and screams. This is due to the pain she received from the spines on the male's withdrawing penis. (To view the complete source, click here)
