Heat Cycles In Male Cats
The case of heat cycles in male cats is different from that of females. From 8 to 12 months of age, a male cat is already able to reproduce, but will not show symptoms as obvious as those of female cats. Cats do not have seasonal heat cycles but rather they are willing to fertilize a female cat on heat throughout the year; when it is in contact with a predisposed female you will notice how his behavior changes and starts calling the female cat, he will roll on the floor, shake, etc.
It is true that the male cat will have a weaker libido in times of less sunlight, i.e. during the winter and autumn. Environmental factors also affect male cats during these months as they are less receptive to the pheromones of the female cats.
There are some signs of cat heat cycles you can easily detect. For example, a male cat will mark his territory with urine which will smell stronger than usual, it will do so to in order to attract the female cat in heat and mate with her. Also, males are more aggressive in these times and become more territorial.
Both male and female cats in breeding season will be wanting to go out more to look for a couple. The heat cycle in female cats is easy to identify as they will be very loving and will be meowing all day with strong cries and hardly eating anything.
Remember that in periods of heat, your cat is likely to get pregnant, especially if they are an outdoor cat. Have a look at our article how to know if my cat is pregnant to recognize the signs.
Myth: Cats Need To Get Pregnant To Feel Like A Real Cat
Just as people dont need to get pregnant to feel likereal people, so too can cats have a very enriching and enjoyable quality of life without having kittens.
The experience of going into heat repeatedly and being unable to mate can be far more stressful to a female cat than the experience of being fixed one time and never dealing with it again.
The experience of becoming pregnant repeatedly can be incredibly dangerous and depleting for a female cat.
When you consider that an adult female cat can have three or more litters per year every single year of her adult life, it is easy to see how draining that can become to the point where her lifespan is potentially shortened as a result.
Myth: Letting Kids Experience Kittens Being Born Is An Important Rite Of Passage
Keeping company with a companion animal can be an amazing part of the experience of growing up.
But your kids also need to understand what can happen once the kittens leave your home and go to their new homes with other people.
It is far better to teach your kids how to responsibly care for a family pet by preventing unwanted births that may add to the number of animals already waiting in shelters to be adopted.
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What Can I Do To Comfort My Cat That Is In Heat
How To Help A Cat In Heat Check for the signs. Make sure that some acts of your cat actually means that she is in heat and not just sick. Give her love and attention. Play with your cat at this time and give her attention. Keep her warm and fuzzy. Make sure, your cat stays away from male cats. Look for herbal solutions. Spay Your Cat. Use Feliway.
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How Often Do Cats Go Into Heat: What To Expect When Your Female Cat Grows Up
Female kittens grow up quickly. When they become mature, they will have their first heat cycle. Going into heat means that a female cat is now able to get pregnant.
It is very important to learn about the feline heat cycle so you wont get caught off-guard when your kitten starts behaving strangely. This is especially true if you are caring for a young female kitten or cat for the first time.
In this article, we go into detail to discuss how often do cats go into heat, what to expect when the heat cycle begins, how often cats go into heat, and effective methods to prevent the heat cycle from occurring.
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Should I Let My Cat Have An Estrus Cycle Or A Litter Of Kittens Before Spaying Her
There are no valid reasons for letting a cat have an estrous cycle or have a litter of kittens before being spayed. Cats can become pregnant on their very first estrous cycle, increasing the chance that an accidental breeding may occur. Cats are indiscriminate, so a brother cat may breed with its sister, a father may breed with his daughter, and a son may breed with his mother.
A common myth is that female cats will become more friendly and sociable if they are allowed to have a litter of kittens. This is not true, and only serves to contribute further to the serious problem of cat overpopulation.
Signs That Your Cat Is In Heat
Hormonal changes when your cat goes into heat can have powerful effect in her behavior.
Some cats will show more signs, some less, but every female cat has a couple of signs that shows she is in the heat cycle.
These are the mostnoticeable behavioral signs:
- Your cat will become more affectionate. Shell keep rubbing against you, weave around your ankles and purr very often
- Shell also rub against furniture very often
- She will also seek attention and roll on the floor more than usual, and she will assume mating position by placing her head down and raising her hindquarters and tail
- Some females will start spraying urine, which contains pheromones that act as signals to males. This means she is ready to mate, and she may keep doing it as long as she is in heat,
- The one sign that everyone hears: howling, or caterwauling to let the males know that she is in heat and ready to mate.
- She may also be demanding or pushy, or beg to go outside
There are other signs of cat in heat, but behavioral onesare the easiest to notice.
Here is a video of acat in heat:
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What Can Owners Expect From Cats In Heat
A queens estrus is very different from a human females menstrual cycle. Unlike humans, a cat doesnt shed the lining of her uterus, so there is no vaginal bleeding. And while there may not be any visible physical changes, a queen in heat may exhibit some unusual behavioral changes such as:
- Increased affection. Your cats desire to mate will be so strong during her cycles that she will demand your affection, often by rubbing up against your leg.
- Howling. Known as calling, these loud cries are actually an attempt to attract a mate and not an indication that she is in any kind of pain.
- Spraying. In addition to feeling very amorous, your queen is also feeling very territorial. Spraying the walls and furniture with strong-smelling urine is her way of telling any males in the area that she is available.
- Loss of appetite. Her appetite usually returns when her cycle ends or she becomes pregnant.
- Excessive licking, especially her genital region.
- Attempts to escape the house. If your queen is a house cat, be aware that her desire to find a mate is so overwhelming that she might see an open door as an opportunity to go looking for one outside the safe confines of your home.
How Often Do Cats Go Into Heat
Since cats are seasonally polyestrous, they can have several cycles during their breeding season. Weve already mentioned that the breeding season varies depending on environmental factors such as the number of daylight hours and the outside temperature.
Cats typically cycle from January until late into the fall, at least in the Northern Hemisphere. Those that live indoors or in tropical regions can cycle all year long.
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What To Do When Your Cat Is In Heat
There are a variety of reasons cat owners decide not to spay their cats. Whether youve decided to breed your cat or have ethical or health-related concerns about spaying, living with a queen during the height of her cycle isnt easy. Here are a few tips to keep both of you as comfortable as possible:
- Provide her with lots of love and affection. Spend time playing with her daily. If she allows it, pet or brush her lower back.
- Make her a nest with a heating pad and her favorite toys.
- Give her some catnip to help her calm down. Your veterinarian may have other ideas as well.
- Keep her litter box clean, especially if she marks her territory. This may encourage her to use the litter box instead.
Above all, be patient. Your queen is simply exhibiting instinctual behavior during her estrus. If her behaviors dont return to normal when her cycle ends or you suspect she is sick, contact your veterinarian immediately.
If you arent planning to breed your cat, consider getting her spayed. This will eliminate the annoying behaviors she displays during heat and prevent any unwanted litters of kittens.
Whichever you decide, know that science says cat owners are happier and healthier than folks who dont own pets. Besides being great companions, cats can lower stress and anxiety as well as combat loneliness. That means that even on their worst day, owning a cat makes life better.
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How Often Do Cats Go Into Heat The Estrous Cycles In Cats Explained
Home»Cat Health Articles»How Often Do Cats Go Into Heat The Estrous Cycles in Cats Explained
Unlike female dogs, female cats do not cycle at regular intervals in a year. Cats tend to come into heat depending on the season. The mating season in cats can be determined by a variety of factors, and they range from the length of daylight to whether other cats in heat are present in the environment. If there are 10 hours of daylight available and other conditions are at optimum levels, a cats hormonal system is activated. The queen, therefore, starts the reproductive cycle.
But how often does a cat, whether male or female, go into heat? And what else should you know if you are a cat parent? Find out the answers to these questions in the paragraphs below.
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Heat Cycles In Female Cats
We will start by talking about the heat cycle in female cats. It first appears when they reach the age of puberty, i.e. towards 6 or 9 months. You should know that cat breeds with short hair reach this point earlier that long haired breeds that start later .
Make sure you know how to help a female cat in heat for both her well-being and yours.
Q: How Often Do Cats Go Into Heat
A:;Cats are seasonally polyestrous, which means they can go into heat many times throughout the breeding season. Since feline pregnancy is so short, cats can have more than one litter of kittens;in a breeding season.
Typically, a cat may go through two or three heat cycles;in one season. In some geographic regions, the feline breeding season;may be year-round.
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How Do I Know When My Cat Is In Heat
Common behaviors of cats in heat include:
Soothing Or Calming A Female Cat In Heat
If you have decided not to neuter your cat you may be concerned about her welfare and happiness while she is in heat
Even though heat behaviors are completely natural and your cat isnt in pain or distress, it is natural to want to soothe a restless pet.
Some cat owners find that Feliway products help.
They take time to build up in your pets system though, so start using them from the beginning of spring, rather than waiting until shes already in heat.
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Q: Do Male Cats Go Into Heat
A: No, male cats do not go into heat. But intact male cats go crazy when they smell a female in heat, doing everything in their power to find and mate with the fertile;female cat.
Stray Toms have even been known to try to break into the home of a fertile female cat. During this period, its very important to keep your female cat inside and away from all intact male cats if you want to prevent pregnancy.
How Often Do Cats Come In Heat Throughout A Year
How often do cats come in heat? A heat phase in cats can range from a few days to some weeks, and it can happen every 3 to 4 weeks. Some people also ask, How often do cats go into heat? While in some female cats, heat cycles can begin as soon as 4 or 5 months. Cats go through heat phases every 2 to 3 weeks until they are neutered or get pregnant.
How long does a cat remain in heat? An unneutered female cat may get out of the heat If there is no baby and no mating during evolution. As a result, a cat’s whole ovulation period can last between 1 to 6 weeks. The typical cycle duration is around three weeks.
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How Do I Know If My Cat Is On Heat
The signs of oestrus are mainly behavioural and can include:
- Increase in vocalisation- this is often described as a yowl and is louder than your cats normal meow. It can sometimes be confused with an expression of pain or anxiety.
- Increase in affection- towards people and cats alike.; Rubbing against or weaving between your legs and rolling around on the floor.; Although contrary to this some female cats can become aggressive towards their owners and other cats.
- Change in mannerisms – when you stroke your cat along her back she will lower her front half, raise her bottom in the air, start to tread up and down and move her tail from side to side.
- Increased attention to the genital region .
- Reduced appetite
What To Do If Your Cat Has Heat Stroke
If your cat feels more relaxed when theyre on their own, try providing them with a safe, quiet space where they can retreat. A carrier, cat bed, or enclosed areaeven a box with blanketsmight give them a nice place to calm down. A heating pad might also help your cat relax and stay warm.
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Is It Painful For Your Cats To Go Through Long Heat Cycles
Most of the evidence shows that heat cycles dont directly hurt the cat, but having a litter at a very young age, or having constant heat cycles is very hard on the cats body.
Even though being in heat may not directly hurt her, but it certainly will have its toll down the road, and constant heat cycles are definitely discomforting.
When your female cat goes into heat, the nature is pushing her to obey to hormones and mate, and she just cant help it. If it lasts for a long time, and she doesnt mate or doesnt get pregnant it can put a lot of pressure on her body.
She will often roll on the floor, yowl, walk around constantly and go out to find a tomcat, or she will go crazy .
Plus, all those hormones keep bombarding her body constantly.
There is also a slight risk of growing ovarian cancer as well, which can be prevented by having your cat spayed .
Spaying your female cat is highly recommended by pet organizations, and most veterinarians. Most pet organizations will recommend to spay your cat as soon as it is safe to do so, unless you want to have kittens to take care of, and your cat is in good health to give birth.
Is There A Specific Breeding Season For Female Cats
Many species of animals go through a specific breeding season. This is often regulated by seasonal shifts in daylight hours or temperatures.
This holds for companion felines as well as wild and feral felines.
When the temperatures are warmer and there are 14 to 16 hours of daylight, this will signal the female cats body to go into heat.
When the daylight hours are reduced during the winter season, a female cat will be less likely to go into heat at all. If she does enter the estrous cycle, it will likely happen less frequently until the warm season returns.
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