Socially, the African civet is a solitary animal, although on rare occasion they can be seen in pairs (Stuart, 1998). The African civet can be solitary because they have an abundance of food and have no need for companions. The females can raise young by themselves and the males can find random mates abundantly Also, their camouflaged coats provide ample protection from predators. They simply have no need for social living. The solitary life is the best for them.

For many reasons the African civet practices overlap promiscuity. It requires very little energy for both the male and female to maintain the relationship and the energy can be spent foraging. This is the ideal practice for the males because they do not have to take part in raising the young since paternity is uncertain. For the females, this is less desirable because they do not have help in rasing thier young. But, this practice succeeds because the female is able to collect enough food and water to sustain herself and her young. The offspring are also born well-developed and grow quickly, so maternal care is only needed for a shorter period of time than most mammals. Also, predation is lower so the females do not need the males for defense (class discussion).

The African civet has various breeding seasons throughout the continent of Africa, but they are known to mate in warmer months when insects are readily available (Ray, 1995). This is so the female is ensured increased and plentiful resources for her and her offspring. Since these animals are solitary, they must communicate well to ensure a mate during their mating season. Both sexes have perineal glands that are found near the anus. These glands are "double-pocketed invagination that opens to the exterior via a wide opening” (Kingdon, 1977). They use these perineal glands to mark trees and other vertical objects by rubbing the gland on the object after they have secreted “musk”, which is a thick, yellowish grease that turns darker with time. This musk has a very strong odor that can be noticed for at least four months (Gunderson, 1976). Amongst other purposes, these markings give other African civets sexual and hormonal information on themselves so that males know when females are in estrus and females will know when males are around and available. If an individual smells a marking of another individual, they will sniff around it and then mark on top of the site (Woodmansee). This could be because the second individual knows the first individual must be close around and will walk by the site sometime. Their mark could help the other to find them and mate. During times of sexual activity, the females also contact the males through olfactory senses that are in the female’s urine. The female will urinate on objects around her range so that the male can locate her to mate (Kingdon, 1977). Females will also meow when in estrus to attract the attention of males in her area (Gunderson, 1976). Like most other cats, both sexes of the African civet will also increase range size during mating time. This is to increase the chances of running into another African civet of the opposite sex. When looking for a female, the male with walk or trot with his mouth slightly open in the enlarged range (Ewer, 1973).

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When the male and female find each other, the female will approach the male and then dart back away from him in almost a fighting manner. This tells the male that she wants to mate. The male will not retaliate against the female’s behavior. The female will then run past the male insinuating a chase, which will end when the female lies down and the male mounts her. The male will place his front paws on the female’s shoulders and will tread his hind feet while making a pelvic thrusting motion. The first mount will last a few seconds and then the female will scoot forward. The male then remounts and grabs the female’s fur by his teeth to finish the copulation. This takes about 40 seconds (Ewer, 1973). The females will meow during the copulation (Gunderson, 1976). When the copulation is complete and the male dismounts, then both individuals will lick their genitalia (Ewer, 1973).

The gestation period will last for 60-72 days and the litter of 1-4 will be born in a hollow trunk or an old unoccupied nest from another animal. The females are able to have 2-3 litters per year, but usually have 2. The kittens are born with eyes open and full fur. This is very advanced in comparison to most other carnivores. They mature very quickly in their first few weeks. The mature births and quick development is because the females are solitary and do not get any help from the males. She needs the kittens to be able to move and develop quickly so that foraging can continue. If a mother happens to lose her kittens, she will go back into estrus within 14 days (Ray, 1995). Weaning from the mother’s milk begins after one month and they then move on to live solitarily (Kingdon, 1977). If a kitten were to become lost before it is ready to leave its mother, the kitten and the mother will meow until the kitten is found. This is used so that the mother and kitten can find each other and so the kitten will survive (Gunderson, 1976).

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