Cat keeps trying to mate with his housemate

[trianglekitty]

Stark is estimated to be about seven years old. Yes, he is neutered. I don't know when he was neutered, as he's a rescue who came from a feral colony (he is not feral...probably a dumped housecat.) Thor is also around seven and was neutered as a kitten.

Stark already has a habit of mating with stuffed toys and blankets. Due to misdirected issues with another cat, the boys don't spend a great deal of time together. A few hours in the evening, typically. Stark will repeatedly get Thor in a scruff hold and attempt to mate with him. Thor does not enjoy this, and it leads to fights and hissing. There is no question that it is an attempt to mate and not play. He will even seek Thor out when he is sleeping in bed with "his" person, which is resulting in interrupted sleep when fights erupt. Any advice is appreciated!

 

[Norachan]

This is pretty common behaviour from male cats, neutered or un-neutered. It's more of a dominance thing than a sexual one. Some of my male cats try to do it to each other.

I suspect that Stark is feeling anxious and so is trying to make himself feel more secure by demonstrating that he has dominance over Thor. Of course, Thor doesn't like being pushed into the submissive role.

Have you tried anything to help both cats feel more relaxed around each other? Feliway plug-ins are helpful in these cases. Other people have found calming collars or calming supplements to be pretty useful too.

I use Zylkene® | Vetoquinol USA when my cats get stressed. You can buy it online and it's safe to use without a prescription.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

If Thor were a female,spayed or unspayed, I would advise you that neutered males are capable of mating, sometimes do mate, apparently for "fun," but that there was no real issue with it, other than the fighting and spitting. Wouldn't hurt a thing in the long run. However, since Thor is a neutered male, I'm entirely with Norachan on this...it is almost certainly a dominance thing. And I second her suggestions.