Cat in heat what to do?

Your cat is behaving strangely, have you noticed that she is not as usual, you think she might be in heat and don't know what to do?

Just like me, I wondered when my little Mistee had her first heat, you are probably wondering:

• What is heat and how long does it last in female cats?
• When is the mating season for cats?
• What are the symptoms of a female cat in heat?
• How to take good care of a cat in heat?
• How to calm a cat in heat?

What is heat in a cat?

Heat in a cat is the period in which she is fertile. In fact, this is the period of her reproductive cycle during which she will try to get pregnant.

At what age does a cat have its first heat?

A cat will usually have her first heat at 6 months, but some female kittens may have their first heat at 4 months.

When can a cat be in heat?

In the wild, cats were only in heat during the months of the year when daylight is the longest. Today, for some this phenomenon will apply but for others not at all. In fact, nowadays, a domestic cat who lives indoors enjoys artificial lighting which distorts the natural period of mating.

As a result, your cat can be in heat at any time and usually every three to four weeks.

Cat mating season

The mating season, which is the “natural” breeding season for cats, is therefore influenced by daylight. Theoretically, it begins at the end of winter and ends at the end of summer. To put it simply, in France, the mating season is going from February to September. This period allows the kittens not to be born in the middle of winter because in the wild, their chances of survival would be compromised by the extremely low temperatures.

Nowadays, the mating season from February to September is still the season of the year during which cats reproduce the most but for some indoor cats, the mating season lasts all year!

How long does the heat last?

Usually a female cat will be in heat every 2, 3 to 4 weeks. La heat lasts on average between 2 and 6 days but for some cats, it can last up to 12 days. If during her heat, the cat does not mate, she will come out of her heat period and start a new heat period a week or 10 days later.

Cat in heat - At what age?

It is different depending on the cat, but in general, it is between 6 months and 9 months that the cats reach their sexual maturity and that they become fertile. The heat cycles will therefore begin around the age of 6 months to 9 months..

Cat in heat - Until what age?

A female cat can be in heat until she is 9 or 10 years old. And this, despite the fact that at this age, a pregnancy can be dangerous because it can completely exhaust a cat ... There is no "menopause" in a cat, which is why it is recommended not to wait too much to sterilize her.

Cat in heat - Female cat blood loss?

Unlike female dogs, female cats do not show significant physical signs when they are in heat. In fact, a cat in heat does not lose blood: she does not have her period.

It is therefore more complicated in cats than in dogs to know if a female is in heat. However, there are some behavioral signs that can tell if her cat is in heat or not.

Female cat heat symptoms

Here are the main signs or symptoms that tell you that a cat is in heat:

• A cat in heat meows loudly and very often day and night (she lets male cats know that she is in the breeding season);
• A cat in heat is much more affectionate than normal. She rubs against her legs, against doors, furniture ...
• A cat in heat will try to attract attention by rolling on the ground at your feet, by insisting on going out (she wants to go to mate), by scratching the door ...
• A cat in heat is often very agitated, excited and almost stressed.
• A horny cat will lift his cock and arch his back when you stroke her ass. This is a natural reflex in the cat to make the male's work easier during mating (call and mating position);
• A cat in heat can urinate on the walls to let the males know that she is in heat by leaving characteristic odors, sex pheromones;
• A cat in heat can lose her appetite. Since she focuses on the need to go out to mate, her food needs take a back seat. After the heat period, the cat quickly regains her normal appetite.
• A cat in heat will groom itself more often. She will notably lick her genitals.

What to do when a cat is in heat

It depends on the cats, but the behavior of a female in heat can quickly become annoying and tiring for you and your family. You will then have 3 solutions:

• Either put up with these recurring changes in behavior and try to take care of your cat and calm her down;
• Either you opt for a means of contraception: Pill or injection of hormones (see with the veterinarian);
• Either you have her sterilized so that she is always very calm, that she stops escaping, that she stops meow at night...

If your cat has been out or been in contact with males while she was in heat, she should be observed for check if your pussy has gotten pregnant.

How to take care of a cat in heat?

• Keep your cat indoors and isolated away from males (if you have any in your home);
• Close the doors and windows so that she does not run away or that males do not enter your home;
• Also remember to block the flaps on the doors;
• Keep her busy by distracting her and playing with her very often;
• Give her affection by stroking and brushing her;
• Do anything to make your pussy stop meowing constantly (see How do you stop meowing?) ;
• Find her a secluded, calm and well heated place because the heat can calm her. The ideal is to put a woolen cloth over a hot kettle.
• Clean her litter box more often to eliminate the traces of urine that she leaves regularly and encourage her to return to her litter box rather thanurinate everywhere elsewhere…

How to calm a cat in heat?

Faced with your cat's excitement during the breeding season, you can calm her down or reduce her state of stress by:

• Using cat sprays or pheromone diffusers (see recommendation below);
• Try a homeopathic or herbal treatment designed especially to calm female cats during breeding season. Be careful because depending on the females, the results are very different.

How do I stop my pussy from getting hot?

If you don't want your cat to have kittens, then the most radical way to stop her from having heat is to have her sterilized (see At what age should a cat be sterilized?).

See also: Why does my cat pull out his penis?

How many litters per year in cats?