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Signs Your Cat is in Heat

Signs your cat is in heat are usually very obvious. Her changes in behavior may include restlessness, loud vocalizations, spraying, and repeatedly assuming a position ideal for mating. Cats have a lengthy breeding season, usually running from around March until September. Female cats go into heat several times a year, sometimes as often as every few weeks, and may start as early as four or five months old.

Just before she goes into heat, you cat will likely become unusually affectionate. She will probably rub her body, particularly her hind quarters, against almost anything she can. This will include furniture, walls, people, and even other cats.

One sure sign your cat is in heat is that she will try to escape the house and seek out male cats every chance that she gets. It is very important to not only keep her inside, but keep her away from any possibility of making a run for it. This may mean keeping her confined to one or two interior rooms so that she can’t bolt out the door as soon as it is opened. Never underestimate the speed or agility of a cat in heat when it comes to getting free!

Cats in heat cry out loudly during the duration of the estrus cycle, usually around 5 to 7 days or so. The female cat in heat is crying out to get the attention of male cats, called toms, and giving them a sign that she is in heat. In some cases, the crying is intermittent but most of the time it will seem nearly endless.

Cats in heat may spray surfaces much the way un-neutered male cats spray to mark their territory. In order to wording, she will back up against a vertical surface with her tail raised. Her tail will likely begin quivering as she sprays and she may appear to be walking in place with a rhythmic tread.

Female cats in heat often assume a mating position, making themselves “accessible” to male cats. This position includes bending her front legs and lowering her head, while raising up her hind quarters to expose her perineum area and vulva to would-be suitors. Holding her front legs in place, she will move her back legs as though she was walking in place. She will hold her tail out of the way, up and off to the side.

Signs your cat is in heat are clearly apparent and, unless you want a litter of kittens in about two months, some cause for concern. Estrus cycles, and therefore signs your cat is in heat, will continue every few weeks until she is either pregnant or spayed.

 

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