Oestrus in cats is a very obvious and sometimes very stressful process for cat keepers. However, it is a natural and he althy process in them. Unlike other species, female cats are jealous every very little time and are much noisier, showing receptivity to the male much more effectively. Our company cats can become stressed and even suffer from not having the possibility of escaping and meeting a feline. For this reason, we must take a series of measures to help our cat on those days.
In this article on our site we explain how to calm a cat in heat while achieving a calmer environment at home. Keep reading to learn more about the sexual cycle of cats.
How is the sexual cycle in the cat?
The sexual cycle of the cat is characterized by being dependent on the increasing photoperiod, being more favorable in the long days of spring and summer, since they need at least 12 hours of daily light When the days are short, feral cats go into anestrus (they are not in heat), unlike house cats that can present it all year round due to artificial light of home.
Also, the cat is polyestrous during her reproductive season, showing heat every 10-20 days that will disappear if they become pregnant, if they are sterilized or if they go into anestrus during the short days of the year. In addition, the vast majority of female cats present an induced ovulation after mating with the male due to the friction of the spicules of the cat's penis during copulation. It is for this reason that female cats screech so much during mating, because of the pain caused by those spicules.
Puberty or development of sexual characteristics occurs when they reach around 80% of adult weight, between4 months and 12-18 months , depending on the breed, the short-haired ones like the Siamese being earlier and the long-haired ones later.
Phases of the sexual cycle in the cat
The sexual cycle in female cats, especially house cats, is based on a follicular phase, with a proestrus stage and a of estrus and a rest interval between estrus. That is, unlike other species, the cat does not usually have a luteal phase with metestrus and right-handedness, since they present induced ovulation. If there is no unneutered male cat in the household it is very rare for them to ovulate spontaneously (less than 10%). If there is no ovulation, the corpus luteum does not form and progesterone will remain basal at all times.
- Proestrus (0.5-2 days): at this stage the cat still does not accept intercourse, but is more interested by the males, it becomes more affectionate and begins to show lordosis, meowing and rubbing against objects or people. At this stage the follicles are developing and estrogen is high.
- Estrus (3-12 days): it is the heat phase as such, when the male is already accepted and the behavior is very manifest. The follicles increase in size and estrogen increases.
- Interestrus interval (2-19 days): consists of the rest period between two follicular waves of estrus. There is ovarian activity, but estrogen decreases and progesterone does not increase as ovulation does not occur. In some cases, the follicular waves overlap and the interestrous interval is practically non-existent when the cat is in heat, until the anestrus stage arrives.
- Anestrus (50-120): the cat has no ovarian activity, and heat cannot develop. Occurs in months with short days.
- Right-handed or pseudo-pregnancy (30-40 days): occurs when spontaneous ovulation occurs (rare in cats) or has produced copulation and therefore ovulation, but the cat has not become pregnant. In this stage, the corpus luteum is produced, estrogen decreases and progesterone increases. If they are in season, at the end of the phase they will start a new heat.
Symptoms of heat in the cat
What to do if my cat is in heat? The heat in cats is very evident, cat caretakers know that it can become very annoying and stressful, even for the neighbors. When a female cat goes into heat it is noticeable, since she doesn't stop showing it even if there are no males nearby, it is innate.
To know if your cat is in this period, you need to know the symptoms in order to calm your cat in heat and help her. Here are some signs to watch out for:
- Nervousness.
- Greater sensitivity, need for affection and attention.
- Raise the rear third of the body, adopting the riding position.
- They tilt the queue.
- They arch their backs.
- They expose their external genitalia.
- Loud meowing and screeching.
- They roll on the ground.
- Anorexy.
- They sleep less.
- They rub against objects or people.
- They try to escape.
- They purr more.
- Lick their genitals.
- Mark corners of the home with urine.
- Urinate more.
- They move their feet as if tapping.
How to help a cat in heat?
Do you wonder how to calm a cat in heat? To help a cat in heat, a series of measures can be taken, such as:
- Provide a quiet environment.
- Give more love and attention to the cat.
- Play more often, this will make them shift their heat behavior for a moment.
- Don't yell or get angry about their behavior, they don't do it on purpose, it's in their nature.
- Brush the fur of the cat and say nice words to her, trying to calm her down.
- Transmit heat to the cat with our contact, with hot water bottles or with blankets, since the heat helps her to calm down.
- Use of feline synthetic pheromones of fraction 3 of facial pheromones, which reduce stress and anxiety, calming our cat in zeal.
- Clean the sandbox more often.
- Avoid going outside, closing the windows and being careful with the front door.
Can you take a cat out of heat?
A companion cat can become very stressed due to heat and the inability to go outside to be covered by the male and become pregnant. For this reason and also to prevent or avoid diseases such as breast cancer, pyometra, metritis and ovarian tumors, sterilization of cats is recommended.
The sterilization can be by oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries) or Ovariohysterectomy (removal of the ovaries and uterus).
On the other hand, there are contraceptive methods, such as progestogens, also called chemical castration methods. Although they can be very effective, they are not recommended because they can cause problems such as mammary fibroepithelial hyperplasia, increased appetite, diabetes mellitus, pyometra and depression in cats subjected to this hormonal treatment.
Can you spay a cat in heat?
Early sterilization is recommended, that is, before the first heat, being key to greatly reducing the risk of breast cancer in the future. If done before 6 months, the chance of breast cancer is only 9%.
What to do if my cat in heat won't let me sleep?
That our cat in heat makes it difficult for us to sleep is quite common. The best way to avoid it is again the sterilization of our feline females.
However, if she is already in heat and the day of the appointment for the operation has not yet arrived, we recommend the following measures to reduce those incessant meowing at night:
- Ignore her behavior when the night is coming, that will make her tired of meowing and asking for attention without getting it
- Make her release all her energy during the day, stimulating her to move and get tired
- Prevent him from being hungry at night and give him enough food and drink.
- It is important that you are calm and have toys to distract yourself, beds to rest on and places to climb.
What NOT to do to calm a cat in heat?
We have been commenting on what we should do to reassure and comfort our cat on those days that are so "disturbing" for her. However, there are certain home remedies or "tricks" to cut or reduce the heat of cats that we should avoid, both on the net and among the gossip of some groups of people.
We want to highlight the one that states that to calm a female cat it is a good idea to introduce a sanitary swab to simulate intercourse with a male, saying that calms the cat. As cat caregivers we must ensure that they are well, without unnecessary disturbances of their tranquility, without harming them and ensuring that they are happy and have quality of life. If you think about it, it's an atrocity to do that with cats and it doesn't make sense. For a cat to stop being in heat and calm down, she must ovulate after copulation with the male due to the friction of the spicules of the cat's penis (not recommended due to the risk of abandoning the litters) or let the days of heat go by and the cat lowers her estrogen levels in the interval between heats.
We must bear in mind that although it is annoying or stressful, it is something physiological in our cats. If the heat bothers so much we invite you to sterilize the cat again. In this way, we will prevent them from presenting it and we will prevent the diseases that we have mentioned while reducing the stress of cats in heat and avoiding unwanted litters or escapes from home.
