What Is a Tom Cat. A tomcat is a sexually mature male cat. The name “tomcat” is used to refer to the main character in an eighteenth-century novel known as.
The Life and Adventures of a Cat by Willoughby Mynors was later revised into Tom the Cat by R.B. Jameson who was described as a promiscuous cat a tom. Before the publication of this book, males were commonly known as rams, sires, or giants.
What Is a Tom Cat
The howling noise you hear late at night could be from a tomcat or tom, which is a sexually unneutered male cat that likes to fight over females and territory. If you have in fact been hearing this wild cat’s cries, chances are you live near to other tomcats because they will always sound off and fight with each other to scare off intruders.
Behavior of Tomcats
Tomcats are an interesting breed of cats. They have two things on their mind, protecting their territory and finding females to mate with.
As such, tomcats tend to roam around the neighborhood and fight with other guys in the area for land and for females.
These squabbles over territory and girls may be restricted to a verbal exchange if this doesn’t chase off the intruder, it will progress into a full-blown fight in no time at all.
Needless to say, territorial fighting puts the tomcat at risk of getting some nasty bite wounds or being infected with the feline immunodeficiency virus. The incidence of spraying on vertical surfaces is higher in tomcats than in any other cat breed.
Appearance
Some cats like Tomcats have a thicker muscular body and a heavier neck with the jowls appearing around 6 months. This might be caused by un-neutering them.
They are usually less neat in appearance than other cats and may not groom as much as other domestic feline species.
What seems strange is that an older tomcat will appear to have battle scars on his nose or missing notches in his ears, despite fighting more often after being castrated.
Aggressiveness
Tomcats are by nature very territorial and as a result of this reason tend to look at any stranger who enters his territory with caution and hostility.
Tomcats that have been domesticated for their kitten-like behaviors tend to be more accustomed to friendly gestures from strangers, however.
If one is thinking about adopting a cat I would suggest not to make him a pet but rather an outside resident so he’s free to roam the city on his own and hunt other smaller animals.
Do Toms Make Good Pets
Tomcats prefer eating and sleeping in the same area, but their home is often not where they end up spending a lot of time. If he notices a female cat in heat he will roam a lot, defending his territory from other tomcats.
Unless you’re out to get a male cat for breeding purposes it’s usually best to neuter any pets that are allowed outside if they get hurt there will be added medical costs in order to take care of them and bring them back to good health, so surgery is better when it isn’t necessary, to begin with.
FAQs
Is a tomcat a male cat?
Male cats which have not been altered by a veterinarian are called toms. The typical characteristics of unaltered toms include their big muscle mass, thick neck, and classic big tomcat head.
What makes a cat a tomcat?
A tomcat is a male cat; an adult and sexually mature but has not been castrated. The name tomcat originates from the fictional novel.
The Life and Adventures of a Cat by William Willoughby Mynors in which one of the main characters was named Tom, who had a reputation for promiscuity.