Originally posted by ravenqueen
I was told that when a a cat is in heat that it is actually painful for them not to mate. Like a form of torture.
Nope, not true.

Yes, they sound like they're in pain, but the rolling and yowling is only to attract males. They also release a pheromone that attracts males from miles around. If you've ever heard a cat in heat, I'm not surprised you'd think someone was killing it, but being in season is not painful at all.