10737 Venice Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 559-3770
Center-Sinai Animal Hospital
Serving the Los Angeles Community since 1969
10737 Venice Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 559-3770
Full
range of pet care and emergency veterinary services available
Read a question and answer from our archives here, and scroll down to ask me a question
you and your pet have been pondering!
Check questions others have asked at the archives button, and
check our pet care articles and stories, too.Please note: if you believe your pet's situation is critical, Dr. Baum urges you to contact your vet ASAP.
Dear Dr. Baum --
My cats, both neutered males, are used to lolling happily under a
lamp on top of the sofa, as I tell them we're "going to Florida."
(We live in New York City.) Recently, I saw that one cat had
mounted the other, and was moving his hind quarters in an
unmistakable attitude. The other cat seemed perfectly happy
with the proceedings. I wonder, what is going on? Is it
perhaps a female feline on the same floor has gone into heat, and is
emitting musk or some other pheromone that is causing this behavior?
And is there anything I should do about it?
Please note: In the interest of their privacy, please keep
confidential the names of my faux "doing it" cats. Homophobia
is not uncommon among felines, both domestic and wild, and you may
pass a remark at a cocktail party to a cat fancier who has a cat who
knows a cat who has been to New York and, well, you know the rest.
Many thanks for any insight you can give.
Just sign me "Wondering"
Dear Wondering:
Sitting under the heat lamp, being told that they are "going to Florida" has
probably conjured up images of South Beach to your cats. Their
occasional trysts can be stimulated by a variety of conditions.
Aromas are very "heady" stuff for cats and certainly if there is a
female in heat in the area, her odor can have aphrodisiacal effects.
However, other less obvious aromas can also serve as stimulants.
As unappealing as they may seem to us, the odors that emanate from
urinary tract infections or anal sac infections can also result in a
sexual attraction.
All in all, if you've been able to eliminate infections as a root
cause, the situation isn't serious or depraved. When visitors
ask what is going on, smile knowingly and say, "they're in love."
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