# Do cats have orgasms when you pet them? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 9, 2006, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-have-orgasms-when-you-pet-them/363716 "2006-07-09T09:24:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dead\_Pete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@Dead\_Pete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Pete)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2006, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-have-orgasms-when-you-pet-them/363716/1 "2006-07-09T09:24:31Z")
I have a cat who gets so worked up and drooling when I pet her enough, that I wonder if she is actually having an orgasm. Her tongue goes between her teeth, drool comes out of her mouth, and she acts like she is experiencing the most exciting (heavy petting) thing ever. Could she actually be having an orgasm when this happens? ---
**Author:** ![Seymour\_Gams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Seymour\_Gams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seymour_Gams)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2006, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-have-orgasms-when-you-pet-them/363716/2 "2006-07-09T10:50:40Z")
> [@Dead Pete](#): > > I have a cat who gets so worked up and drooling when I pet her enough, that I wonder if she is actually having an orgasm. Her tongue goes between her teeth, drool comes out of her mouth, and she acts like she is experiencing the most exciting > > (heavy petting) > > thing ever. Could she actually be having an orgasm when this happens? Whether or not, I would just stop petting the thing… :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2006, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-have-orgasms-when-you-pet-them/363716/3 "2006-07-09T10:59:04Z")
I do not know, but I suspect not. Kitty sex involves lots of biting, screaming and presumably orgasms. Petting is quiet and peaceful, not at all like the only orgasm-producing activity in cats I am certain of. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2006, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-have-orgasms-when-you-pet-them/363716/4 "2006-07-09T11:44:51Z")
:eek: I hope not. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2006, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-have-orgasms-when-you-pet-them/363716/5 "2006-07-09T12:46:54Z")
Sometime female cats can get ‘stimulated’ by scratching them by their tail on their back. If you ever had a queen in heat you see that this releives some of her ‘sexual’ tention. Other then that, or I guess if you wandered towards their nauty feline bits if you are into those types of things, I would say no. that reaction you describe sounds like their ‘kitten mode reflex’. Your scratching is like the preening their moma cat did to them when they were kittens, this was also associated with them feeding, so their mouth waters and they drool sometimes. > [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > Kitty sex involves lots of biting, screaming and presumably orgasms To go further, kitty sex usually involved the male bitting the female hard, on the scruff. When the tom cat is done and withdraws his ‘willy’ it has a barb that ‘rips’ the female, causing a good amount of pain down there, and also stimulates ovulation. The Tom cat hangs on to her for all he has during this withdrawl, because if she managed to get ‘free’ from him at this time she will most likely attack him due to that pain. Ususally he can hang onto her till the pain goes down and it is safe to descruff her. ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2006, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-have-orgasms-when-you-pet-them/363716/6 "2006-07-09T14:06:22Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > If you ever had a queen in heat you see that this releives some of her ‘sexual’ tention. Please! It’s simply not proper to talk about Her Majesty in such a manner! ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2006, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-have-orgasms-when-you-pet-them/363716/7 "2006-07-09T14:25:43Z")
Kitty sex in general ain’t fittin’ to talk about. But I have learned much about it on the Dope. ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2006, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-have-orgasms-when-you-pet-them/363716/8 "2006-07-09T15:58:18Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > To go further, kitty sex usually involved the male bitting the female hard, on the scruff. When the tom cat is done and withdraws his ‘willy’ it has a barb that ‘rips’ the female, causing a good amount of pain down there, and also stimulates ovulation. The Tom cat hangs on to her for all he has during this withdrawl, because if she managed to get ‘free’ from him at this time she will most likely attack him due to that pain. Ususally he can hang onto her till the pain goes down and it is safe to descruff her. I’ll be damned, my wife and I go through the exact same thing! 😃 :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-have-orgasms-when-you-pet-them/363716/9 "2006-07-10T01:22:46Z")
There are too many jokes just waiting to happen in this thread. To (not) answer (but at least address) the OP’s question: Don’t know. Possibly, but probably not as humans experience orgasm. There’s no question, however, that the cat enjoys the experience. My advice: Don’t stress and become morally conflicted over seeming to molest your feline. See yourself as a public servant that can make their life more pleasurable, and go for it. But if [little Vincents](http://images.google.com/images?client=opera&rls=en&q=beauty%20and%20the%20beast%20vincent&sourceid=opera&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi) start popping up in your part of the world, we’re going to look at you funny. > [@Szlater](#): > > Please! It’s simply not proper to talk about Her Majesty in such a manner! “We are _not_ aroused!” > [@Beware of Doug](#): > > Kitty sex in general ain’t fittin’ to talk about. But I have learned much about it on the Dope. Hey, don’t get us started on kitty porn. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Pete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@Dead\_Pete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Pete)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-have-orgasms-when-you-pet-them/363716/10 "2006-07-10T03:44:51Z")
> [@Dijon Warlock](#): > > But if little Vincents start popping up in your part of the world, we’re going to look at you funny. :eek: :eek: :eek: You wouldn’t be the only one. My wife would freak! ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-have-orgasms-when-you-pet-them/363716/11 "2006-07-10T04:47:45Z")
> [@Dijon Warlock](#): > > But if [little Vincents](http://images.google.com/images?client=opera&rls=en&q=beauty%20and%20the%20beast%20vincent&sourceid=opera&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi) start popping up in your part of the world, we’re going to look at you funny. [I Think I’m Going About This Cat-Breeding Thing All Wrong](http://www.theonion.com/content/node/33600) ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Pete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@Dead\_Pete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Pete)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-have-orgasms-when-you-pet-them/363716/12 "2006-07-10T07:00:55Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > To go further, kitty sex usually involved the male bitting the female hard, on the scruff. When the tom cat is done and withdraws his ‘willy’ it has a barb that ‘rips’ the female, causing a good amount of pain down there, and also stimulates ovulation. The Tom cat hangs on to her for all he has during this withdrawl, because if she managed to get ‘free’ from him at this time she will most likely attack him due to that pain. Ususally he can hang onto her till the pain goes down and it is safe to descruff her. This is off-topic, but why in the world would male cats have barbs on their sex organs? What purpose could those possibly have, evolutionarily speaking? Do “ripped” female cats have some naturally-selected advantage over “non-ripped” ones? ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-have-orgasms-when-you-pet-them/363716/13 "2006-07-10T12:12:29Z")
**Dead Pete** the barb, or more correctly the ‘ripping’ is to stimulate ovulation. Evolutionarily speaking is seems very efficient, only ovulate when there is some sperm present. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Pete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@Dead\_Pete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Pete)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-have-orgasms-when-you-pet-them/363716/14 "2006-07-10T17:41:24Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > **Dead Pete** the barb, or more correctly the ‘ripping’ is to stimulate ovulation. Evolutionarily speaking is seems very efficient, only ovulate when there is some sperm present. Ah, okay. That makes sense, thanks for clarifying. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-have-orgasms-when-you-pet-them/363716/15 "2006-07-10T18:12:36Z")
I don’t know, but I can tell you my Shar-pei has an eargasm when you rub his head. Complete with pornographic sounding “OH! OHHHH! UNNNNGGGHHH!!!” sounds. It’s hilarious to hear and he loves it. Sick little pup.