How do you know if your cat is in heat?
The love life of your little furball is a very sensitive subject that deserves great attention from you. Because each cat is unique in its kind, the mating season or even the "heat" can manifest itself differently from one cat to another, depending on its character, its breed, or other factors.
But anyway, there are many general signs that make it easy for you to tell if your cat is in heat or not. Read on to find out everything you need to know about heat in female cats, including all the signs that accompany these particular periods.
The signs that show that the cat is in heat
In times of heat, the cat changes radically its behavior, the heat is difficult to calm, so that it is easily possible to notice it. It all starts with the appearance of ultra emotional behaviors : the cat becomes sticky, rubs against you all the time, against the furniture and against the floor. It will become cleaner, will very often clean the body and the vulva which will then be swollen.
Then, she will also become very talkative and will not stop rocking you with her loud, high-pitched meows, even during the night. She may also be able to run away and go on hunger strikes. You will finally be able to observe her mating positions: the tail in the air, the pelvis raised, the front legs in flexion and the head down.
Here are the symptoms that may tell you that youris in heat kittenand ready to mate to have kittens:
- Lots of insistent meows attracting your attention.
- Very sticky and always ask for hugs.
- Often rubs on walls and furniture.
- Rolls on the ground often.
- Licks genitals a lot because of swollen vulva.
- Absent in search of a male.
The first heat in the cat
Sexual maturity is just as disturbing in cats as in men. In the cat, the first heat generally occurs between the 4th and 12th month of the life of the little hairball, and on average at 6 or 7 months, from puberty. All this will depend heavily on its breed, the seasons, its weight and its lifestyle.
For example, a Persian cat will experience her first heat less quickly than a Siamese cat. Likewise, a cat born in spring will only reach puberty when she is 9 to 12 months old, while another cat born in the first days of autumn will be sexually mature at 5 months, due to the days that last longer than the nights.
Never mind, the first heat is undoubtedly the most disturbing for the young cat who barely understands how her body works. It is then that your help will be most precious to him; but still, you will need to know how to detect the signs of heat.
How long does the heat period last in the cat?
The sexual cycle of the cat, calledcycle, has 2 phases: estrusthe heat phase or estrus, which is manifested by the peak of hormonal production and the phase of non-activity or diestrus, marked by the drop in hormones. The average length of a cycle varies between 18 and 24 days and each phase often lasts 10 days. One cycle begins at the end of another and can only be interrupted by mating or castration.
Note that in cats, the length of a cycle is not always the same for all cycles as in women. Indeed, between January and October, the cat will be in heat several times, which means that she will experience more sexual cycles than between October and January.
