Cats, like most animals, have sex strictly for reproduction, and so it only takes place when the female is fully fertile. Part of the brief ritual of mating (calling it “lovemaking” would not be appropriate) involves the male biting the nape of the female’s neck before the sex actually takes place. This love bite is actually a kind of fertility test, because the female would not submit to this bite unless she was in full heat. That is, if she submits to the bite, the male can proceed knowing the female is as fertile as she can be.
