How Can I Tell If My Cat Is In Heat?

A cat in heat is pretty vocal. If your cat is in heat, there will be no doubt in your mind that something big is going on. She will seem distraught – rolling around, rubbing up on things, and most importantly, there will be howling. She’s howling to try and attract a mate, but if she’s an indoor cat, nobody’s ever going to show up – so this howling can, and will, go on for days. She may also take a mating position, with her head down and her hind quarters in the air.

If your female cat is over 4 months of age, and is exhibiting this kind of behavior, she’s probably in heat – or experiencing oestrus, to use it’s proper medical term. If she doesn’t mate, she will continue to go through this every 2 to 3 weeks. Getting her spayed will end this behavior and she’ll never go into heat again.

If your cat is an outdoor cat, it’s possible that you may never know she has been in heat - until you discover that she is pregnant. As all of her efforts to attract a mate would take place outside the home, you may want to take special precautions as your female kitten nears puberty and adulthood.