When do cats begin to mate? A lesson from Cats Protection and Simon's Cat.

Yesterday on the blog we looked at how to recognise the signs of your cat showing you ‘love’ or affection; and how cats in the same social group can show affection to each other (if you missed the post, read it here).

But what happens when your kitten is smitten – and at what age do they begin to mate with each other?

In the latest video in the Simon’s Cat Logic series, Simon’s Cat creator Simon Tofield discusses love between cats in the video ‘Butterflies’.

“One of the stars of ‘Butterflies’ is a fat, chubby girl cat, who is a bit of a love interest for Simon’s Cat,” explains Simon. He goes on to describe the inspiration behind the video and the character of Cloe.

Cats Protection’s Behaviour Manager Nicky Trevorrow discusses the concept of love between cats and mating behaviours. Nicky says: “Unfortunately cats aren't really that romantic – cats actually mate with quite a few different partners, they’re not really fussy about who they choose to breed with.

“When a female cat is in season she’ll call quite a lot or miaow and it’s a very different sort of miaow to what owners are normally used to. It’s quite a persistent noise. Some owners that aren't familiar with this sound may actually think their cats are in pain, but this isn't true.

Nicky adds: “Cats can start mating from four months of age which is why we recommend neutering from four months of age.”

Find out more about the health benefits of neutering here.

Feel free to share the video and join in the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #SimonsCatLogic.