Female Cats in Heat
Female cats first become fertile at 4 to10 months of age. After this, they will be in heat at different times in their life, a season also referred to as estrus. The estrus season usually occurs every 2 to 3 weeks, and during this time, the cat will be in heat for about 4 to 6 days. Cats in heat will definitely tend to mate, so if you don’t want to end up with lots of kittens at home, then you should take measures to prevent your cat from being pregnant. But first, you need to know the indicators that show your cat is in heat.
There are many obvious signs that your cat is in estrus. A female cat in estrus becomes more affectionate than she usually is and tends to rub her head on almost anything she could rub her head to, including you, other people, other cats, and even objects. She will also tend to roll on the floor often and walk with her tail positioned to one side.
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A cat in heat will also display other behaviors that indicate she is in estrus, such as spraying urine on vertical surfaces and assuming a mating position (going down on her front legs and tilting her bottom in the air). If your cat is confined in the house, she will show an excitement to get out and will probably try to get out whenever she gets the chance.
Female cats in heat also give out a “call,” a distinct loud vocalization that is meant to let male cats know she is in heat. The female calls either day or night, and she will not stop until a male cat comes and mates with her. If a male cat is nearby, he will answer the female’s call with a similar vocalization. This is why the estrus season is also sometimes called the “calling” period.
There are many reasons why you should calm your cat when she is in estrus. First, you want to control the number of kittens your cat will have. Considering the fact that cats go into estrus every 2 to 3 weeks as soon as they become fertile, then there will be many opportunities for a female cat to become pregnant in its lifetime. If you don’t control the pregnancy, then you could end up with lots and lots of cats at home.
Second, as previously mentioned, a cat in estrus will try to get out of your house every chance she gets to look for a mate. If you don’t guard her, she may end up catching a disease or sickness from a male cat that’s unknown to you.
When your cat is in heat, she will not calm down until she mates or until the fertile period has lapsed. However, there is a way to minimize the behavioral changes exhibited by cats in heat, and that is spaying. Having your cat undergo spaying will not only take care of the behavior problems but will also control the number of kittens your cat can have. Some people even have their cat spayed before they become fertile. Spaying decreases your cat’s risk of developing mammary tumors, uterine cancer, and ovarian cancer. Spaying also greatly reduces the occurrence of urine spraying.