If you want to keep your female cats from getting pregnant without your permission, learning to recognise the signs of heat is essential. Numerous indicators suggest that a cat may be entering estrus or the heat cycle:
Constantly bumping or pressing its face against things
Wanting to go outside frequently and acting in a demanding or pleading manner.
Movement of the tail and rear end in response to a stroke of the spine.
The animal walks with its rear end raised in the air.
Consistently revolving around the floor in a roll
Conduct that is mildly confrontational or demanding (in general)
Other forms of attention-seeking behaviour
Urine spraying over a few surfaces
Constant talking that goes beyond the norm
Some of these actions could appear if the cat is suffering from another illness.
The best course of action if your cat is acting strangely is to videotape the incident(s) and present it to your veterinarian. With such data in hand, your doctor will be able to make a quicker and more precise diagnosis for your feline friend.
An estrous cycle (or “heat cycle”) can run from seven to fourteen days. More than one monthly heat cycle is possible for a queen. In the same category as other seasonal polyestrous animals is the common housecat.
During the mating season, a female cat may experience several heat cycles in a short period of time. Cats can mate whenever they like, therefore there is always a breeding season. The height of the breeding season may shift depending on environmental conditions. The breeding season in the northern hemisphere typically begins in January and winds down just before winter.
Temperate-climate cats may have fewer heat cycles in the winter. Female cats in the tropics are pregnant all year long because of the consistently warm temperatures.
A cat’s body is primed for reproduction for quite some time after it goes into heat. Typically, a period will last between six and seven days.
But vets have seen that some adult cats can have heat cycles that last up to six weeks. If the average length of an estrous cycle is used, that comes out to roughly three weeks. Get your female cat(s) spayed as soon as possible to avoid the hassle of dealing with her/their heat cycles.
Having a number of un-spayed queens might cause a lot of problems. If there are a large number of females in one area, many males will be attracted to your home and yard.
Moreover, your cat will have times of pain. While the specific pains and discomforts experienced by queens during estrus remain a mystery to veterinary science, we can be certain that they exist.
In the context of pain, female cats may exhibit abnormal behaviour, including aggression. If you want to get along better with your female cat(s), you need learn how to handle the heat cycle. Here are some helpful reminders and suggestions for settling a pregnant cat down.
You should never escalate the level of noise or aggression displayed by your female cat while she is in heat. Cats don’t choose to go through estrus, and if they do feel pain and discomfort at this time, the least we can do is be patient with them. As a responsible pet owner, you want to do everything you can to ease your pet’s suffering during this time.
Having your female cat spayed is the most effective way to avoid dealing with estrus concerns. If you plan to have your cat spayed, wait until she is not in season. There is an extremely low danger level associated with the operation.
Keep the litter box or boxes clean for your cat. When a female cat is in estrus, she tends to become more possessive and hostile. Urine marking is a common behaviour among cats. Your queen will be far less likely to mark your furniture and walls if she has clean litterboxes to use.
There are several species besides humans for whom music can be calming. Sweet and soothing music might help alleviate your queen’s aggression and pain if she exhibits signs of suffering.
Herbal remedies for anxiety and anger, such as Rescue Remedy, might be helpful when used sparingly. You can also use catnip, but use it with caution. These treatments should be reserved for extreme cases.
Having a half-dozen toms prowl around your yard won’t help matters. Your queen will be overly sensitive to the pheromones of male cats and may lose her mind if she encounters any.
Bear in mind that even the most domesticated and house-bound animals cannot escape their natural instincts and behaviours. You can spare your cat a lot of anxiety during her heat cycle by protecting the perimeter of your property and discouraging toms from coming.
Give your cat some space during the heat of the day and let her “getaway” from you and the rest of the household’s occupants. Although it’s terrible, they have to retreat from social interaction in order to feel safe and calm during estrus, therefore their tendency to do so throughout the heat cycle isn’t entirely unexpected.
Every two or three weeks is the typical length of a heat cycle. In most cases, a heat cycle will endure for seven days. It has been shown that six-week heat cycles are the longest ever recorded. A period of six weeks is unusual, so until you see signs of heat for more than a week, you shouldn’t be concerned about your cats.
