I just witnessed something peculiar among the street cats on Borgo. The male cat dominant in the upper part of the street made an attempt to mate with one of the three females in his harem. Another female cat was also present, together with her kitten sired by the same male not long ago. The third female was not around on this occasion. The male held the female cat by the scruff of her neck with his teeth. She cried plaintively while he attempted to climb on top of her. Her behind held low to the ground and her tail lodged between her legs, he could not force her to submit to him. In the end she managed to free herself from his painful grip and jump away to safety, at which point the two females started fighting each other, albeit without much zeal. Lost in the hubbub, the kitten hung around quietly. Looking rather sickly, it started mewing only when its mother was in danger. The whole thing lasted about a minute only, but throughout it the cats appeared totally oblivious both to me and to my neighbors, who also came out to see what was going on. To the best of my understanding, this was the first rape attempt I have ever witnessed among cats.