Sterile tom, false pregnancy

One curiosity about neutered tomcats is that some of them still seek out a female in heat and go through the motions of mating, even though these toms are sterile. Even more curious is that the female’s mind and body may both “think” she has been impregnated, and thus she experiences a “false pregnancy.”

No kittens are growing inside her, and she doesn’t gain weight, of course, but she “feels” she is pregnant and may produce milk and seek out a secluded spot to bear the kittens—kittens that don’t exist, that is.

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