The slang word tomcat that describes certain actions of human males is rooted in the real behavior of unneutered (“whole”) male cats. Tomcats really do roam around in search of a female in heat, and in doing so they sometimes stray far from home. The quest for a receptive female can lead to fights with other whole toms (besides which, whole toms are much more likely to fight over territory or just fight in general). In short, a whole tomcat is more likely to lose some of its nine lives in fighting—just another reason to have the cat neutered.
