Quite often cat owners are interested in learning the indicators for when their cat is in heat. The responsible approach would be to spay your feline as early as possible. Most veterinarians will tell you that based on today's veterinary practices and local anesthesia you can safely spay a kitten as early as 8 weeks old. Some owners insist on keeping their females fertile and breed them for kittens to sell through a business. If you are not in the business of breeding purebred cats then do be a responsible owner and spay your feline. The indicators for your cat in heat can be mixed. Every cat will exhibit slightly unique behavior. You can own a cat where the indicators are inconspicuous or in a worse case scenario your cat is going to make obnoxious howling noises and have a strong tendency to scratch up your home furniture.
Cat in Heat: Female cats can become fertile as soon as 6 months. For certain breeds this can occur even earlier in the developmental stage. Female cats can remain fertile for many more years and definitely show signs of being in heat. If you insist on breeding your cat you want to wait until after the cat is over a year old as to not endanger the cat.
When female cats exhibit behaviors of being in heat the most obvious signs are becoming extremely friendly. You will often find your feline constantly rubbing up against your leg. She might also roll on her back a lot. You will frequently notice her sticking her rear up in the air with her tail up and she will tap her feet when you stroke her back. Cats in heat who are normally house dwellers will suddenly want to go outside and you will hear their moaning throughout the day wanting to get out. Lastly cats also have urge to spray their urine everywhere. This is one of her methods to release pheromones to stimulate nearby males cats.
Cat in Heat: When a female cat shows signs of being in heat she will typically remain in heat for about a week. Similar to humans this is a cycle which happens every three weeks from winter to around April. When the female cats are in heat they are most fertile in the first couple of days. Cats will mate frequently with males to ensure a high probability of fertilization. If the female cat is feral and roams wild she may mate with several males while she is in heat. Subsequently she can give birth to a litter with genes from multiple male cats.
Cat in Heat If you are going to mate your cat you will have to be prepared to have multiple sets of kittens. You also have to be responsible in being able to find homes for all these kittens because typically pet shelters do not have the capacity to take unwanted kittens. The pet shelters are overcrowded and millions of cats are euthanized every year. Unless you are going to do this as a business leave the breeding to the breeders and you will be able to reap the longer term benefits of having a healthier cat who will still love you.
