i want kittens

Question
i have 3 indoor cats 2 are girls another a boy.One of the femals are fixed but i want my other ones to mate.I cant tell if shes in heat.she almost a year and hes about 6months i only want them to mate.What can i do for them to mate? He bites her neck sometimes but doesnt mount.help!!!

Answer
Dear Jen

Every breed and indeed every cat is an individual when it comes to sexual maturity.  Some breeds such as Persians can be late to mature whereas others such as Burmese or Siamese may be early, but within each breed there are exceptions to the rule.  

Generally females come into season from 10 months upwards with the average being around a year old.  It may be that your girl is coming into season.  You can tell this as she will be come more affectionate, do a lot of rolling around on the floor and become much more vocal, though if you have a sexually mature boy, some of these may not be so evident as she has her mate 'on tap' rather than having to call to let a roaming boy know where she is.  When she is just 'ripe' for mating, she will crouch down on her front legs with her back legs higher, tail to one side, and start 'treading' with her back feet.  

Regarding the boy, it may be that he is starting to become sexually mature but doesn't quite know what he should be doing yet.  6 months is a little young but not impossible.  Biting the neck is what the male cat does to keep his female where he wants her and yes he would then mount her, but it sounds as though your boy knows what he is there for but not sure how to achieve it.  You will need to be patient until he gets the idea.  Some cats will allow their owner to position them but quite often this results in confusion so best to let nature take its course.  Don't try to push your boy into doing the deed just yet, but if he hasn't got the idea by about a year old then you may like to try intervening.

Marcia.