Tom Cat

"Tom Cat" has been used for generations to describe a fellow with loose morals because, long, long, ago, everyone knew the morals of an "alley cat" were lower than a grounded limbo bar.

Male cats have four priorities in life: food, sex, sleep, and play. Cats have a reputation for being selfish, and male cats apparently originated the "Me" generation because what a male cat wants, a male cat gets!

Female cats are like females around the world and believe that there is a time and a place for sex. Females cats enjoy the company of their children, and love to watch kittens play. The trouble is that females believe raising kittens is more important than sex, and male cats don't like that attitude at all!

Male cats don't show any interest in kittens until they grow big enough for sex. When male cats want sex, they want it NOW, they don't want to wait for it, so they do the unthinkable and kill all the kittens. Then the mother cat misses her kittens, and knows the only way she can get more kittens is to have sex with the male cat.

Birds can make love without a peep, but cats want the whole world to know what they are doing! The most gut-wrenching noise in the world is the moan of a female mountain lion in heat thundering down the canyon! Sometimes its difficult to know if they are making love, or trying to kill each other, but these jaguarundi ("little jaguars") show how easy it is to get their tails in a twist!

Centuries have passed, but Tom Cats haven't improved their behavior - or their morals - at all, so when you hear someone call someone else a "Tom Cat", you know for a fact that they don't think very much of that man!

Humane Societies around the world have many unwanted kittens to give away to good homes so, despite the behaviour of male cats, female cats have learned how to become good mothers. You can see Mother Margay's concern on the next page, which is

© 1997 Rico Leffanta

Bobcat cat cheetah cougar felis concolor felis pardalis sonoriensis felis wiedii gato gatto jaguar katze kitten lynx margay mountain lion neko ocelot pussy wildcat

Bobcat cat cheetah cougar felis concolor felis pardalis sonoriensis felis wiedii gato gatto jaguar katze kitten lynx margay mountain lion neko ocelot pussy wildcat