A female cat that has not been spayed becomes sexually mature when she is between 6 and 12 months old, based on how she was fed and the amount of light during the day. Unlike a feral cat, which has to compete for food and cope with short winter days, a house cat has the luxury of having plenty of food and artificial light. This means that while feral cats have a defined breeding season, with kittens being born in spring and early fall, the house cat can go into heat at any time and potentially even every three to four weeks. The behaviors of a cat in heat can be alarming if you can't recognize the cause, but this tutorial will help you determine if your cat is.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Recognizing Behavioral Signs
Step 1. Pay attention to the lines it makes
When she comes into heat the female becomes very talkative and often walks around the house emitting meows and moans. They can sound like real moans, distressing cries, and they can be quite loud and persistent, to the point of keeping you awake at night.
- If your cat is always talkative by nature, that's not necessarily a sign that she's in heat.
- When in heat, his cries usually become much louder, persistent and are accompanied by other behaviors which will be outlined below.
Step 2. Look for restless behavior
If she is always agitated and cannot calm down, then she may be in heat.
This state of restlessness generally occurs simultaneously with inspiration
Step 3. Expect more affection
When it is in the "mating season" the cat is usually much more affectionate than usual. If he normally has a rather unfriendly character, you will notice this change.
- In this period, it is common for him to rub his ankles so persistently that it becomes a danger even to try to walk.
- It also tends to rub the cheeks and chin (where the scent glands are) against furniture, especially in the entrance and exit areas, such as door frames.
- When in heat, the cat changes its scent a little and enjoys spreading it around to send out a clear signal and attract the males to the area.
Step 4. Pay attention to its tail
A typical sign of a cat ready for mating is the position of the tail which, for an instinctive reflex, remains to the side. This simply means that when you stroke her lower back, especially her pelvis and the base of her tail, the cat lifts her butt in the air and moves her tail to the side.
This reflex is its natural way to facilitate a male cat's approach and mating
Step 5. Check if he assumes the position called "lordosis"
This is a typical position when in heat and consists of flattening the front legs on the ground, lifting the butt in the air and crawling along the floor while remaining in this position.
Step 6. Check if it rolls on the ground
Some cats in heat roll on the ground as they moan and meow.
Of course, if you don't know that this behavior is completely normal at this time, it can seem alarming and worrying to you; in fact, it often leads people to call the veterinarian in a panic, for fear of a serious animal health problem. Instead, know that it is not a sign of illness at all
Step 7. See if he continues to lick excessively
When the cat is in heat, her vulva becomes enlarged, causing her discomfort and leading her to spend a lot of time washing her groin.
This swelling is almost imperceptible to the inexperienced human eye, so don't expect to notice a physical difference
Step 8. Get ready for the fact that he will have "escapes of love"
Even house-loving kittens become adventurous when in heat. If she is unable to call and bring a male to the house, she will likely go out for a day or two looking for a cat to mate with.
If your cat isn't spayed and you don't want her to get pregnant, you need to keep her indoors during her time in heat and block all ways out and in so that intruders can't reach her
Part 2 of 2: Knowing the Cat's Reproductive Cycle
Step 1. Know your cat's estrus cycle
This is a polyestrous animal, which means that it goes into heat several times in the span of a year.
- This is in contrast to dogs, which have a diestrus cycle, meaning that they only go into heat twice a year.
- When she is in heat, your kitten's belly becomes swollen as the blood flow to the area increases in anticipation of pregnancy. You will not be able to observe this aspect, however, as outwardly there are no distinctive signs of this process.
Step 2. Learn about the role of the seasons
The breeding season for feral cats is between spring and late summer. This means that kittens are born when the coldest phase of winter weather is over, when otherwise their chances of survival would be reduced.
- Artificial light and indoor temperatures can fool the cat into thinking it is not winter. For this reason, if your cat spends a lot of time indoors, the changing seasons have little or no effect on her reproductive cycle.
- An indoor cat can be in heat all year round.
Step 3. Know your kitten's reproductive times
Its reproductive cycle on average is 21 days. In these three weeks, he will spend a full seven days in heat.
Advice
- Keep your cat indoors and away from any potential mates when she is in heat unless you want her to have kittens.
- Cats usually stay in heat for 4-7 days.
- Due to the large overpopulation problem of these felines, resulting in a huge amount of stray cats every year, you should have your cat spayed if you are not a professional purebred cat breeder.
- You can have her sterilized at your vet. Typically, the cost is around 150 euros, depending on where you live and where you have it sterilized.
