What to do if a cat asks for a cat

How long does sexual heat last and how often does it happen?

The cat's characteristic behavior lasts up to 10 days. The period when a cat is in sexual heat and allows a cat to approach her is called estrus. At this time, the ovarian follicles produce the maximum amount of estrogens and sex hormones.

In the very first days of estrus (1-4 days), the cat demonstrates sexual arousal, but does not allow mating. This time is called proestrus, “forerunner”.

If sexual intercourse does not occur during estrus, then ovulation does not occur. In this case, sexual heat returns every 10-14 days. The period between estrus is called interestrus, this is a time of rest for the uterus and ovaries. In some cats, the concentration of estrogen in the blood does not decrease, and the animal walks constantly. Prolonged heat is a sign of follicular ovarian cysts, which must be removed surgically.

Complete rest of the ovaries, which means the absence of the reproductive instinct, is called anestrus, the absence of estrus. In stray cats, this period occurs in late autumn or winter due to short daylight hours and the action of the hormone melatonin. Anestrus does not occur in domestic cats due to constant light and nutritious food.

General information

City cats are deprived of this opportunity and walk around the apartment.

The concept of “walking” in cats is directly related to the search for a sexual partner. During this period, an apartment cat throws a significant tantrum to its owners, and cats from private homes simply go on adventures and search for like-minded people.

How often do cats go for walks?

The frequency of search depends on the estrus of each individual individual. Most often, estrus occurs in early spring and late autumn, but the general rhythm always depends on age, breed, personal hormonal levels and living conditions. The first heat occurs between 9 and 12 months, but always consider your pet's breed because the first heat can occur as early as 6 or 18 months.

During the first and subsequent heats, the behavior of the animal changes, this is especially noticeable if the cat is domestic, all the time in front of the eyes and during the rutting period, he begins to give concerts to the owners due to the lack of opportunity to throw out energy for its natural purpose.

Signs that your cat is ready to go for a walk:

• Aggression or excessive affection appears.
• Cats begin to mark their territory, and kitties pee more often.
• The pet meows almost non-stop, constantly trying to attract attention.
• The genitals swell and increased secretion appears.
• Appetite decreases.
• The gait changes, this is especially noticeable in females - they begin to lift their butts more and walk on tiptoes of their hind legs.

The immediate frequency depends on how effective the previous “hunt” was and how stable the hormonal levels are. In an adult male cat, if there has been sexual intercourse or even pregnancy, the energy has received an adequate release and the animal is satisfied - in such cases, estrus occurs according to a standard schedule 2-3 times a year.

But if estrus did not receive any logical conclusion, or the animal did not have enough sexual partners, pregnancy did not occur or was interrupted, then the schedule of festivities may become more frequent.

If your cat begins to go for walks frequently, but you are unable to independently identify the cause of the animal’s dissatisfaction, contact your veterinarian; your pet may have a hormonal imbalance.

IMPORTANT: after giving birth, a cat usually starts leaking again within 3-4 months, so you can’t compare her festivities schedule with the cats’ schedule.

How long does a cat walk?

How many days a cat walks depends not only on its personal insatiability, but also on its breed characteristics, whether there has been at least one intercourse at all. The fact of intercourse, however, affects mainly cats - after it, the female subsides after about 2-3 days, but the cat will look for partners until its hormonal release stops.

Examples of estrus duration in the most popular cat breeds:

• Maine Coon: the first heat occurs at the 12th month and passes quite calmly.
• Persians: a rune bird in the matter of puberty - at 6 months the owners will have their first concert. At the same time, the breed can conceive and bear offspring only after one and a half years.
• British breed: the first heat occurs every year and lasts from 4 to 14 days, depending on the characteristics of the body.
• Scottish Fold: It is not for nothing that breeders recommend castration if there is no goal of further breeding, because the breed walks 4 times a year starting from 10 months.
• Sphynxes: a difficult breed, because after the onset of a year, cats walk for a week once every 2 months. During this period, usually affectionate velor cats and seals turn into monsters, hissing and hating everything around them.
• Siamese breed: In general they are very similar to Sphynxes, with the only requirement that the first heat be at one and a half years.

How many days a cat walks for the first time often does not depend on the breed. Estrus lasts about a week, but all other times the period varies depending on the results of the rut.

What doesn't help during heat?

What you definitely shouldn't do:

• Stroke the cat and pay attention to it: tactile contact only increases sexual arousal.
• Give herbal sedatives: the cat is not stressed and she is not nervous, she wants to reproduce. Owners can drink “Persen” with “Novopassit”; no herbs will affect the cat’s behavior.
• Use products with pheromones such as Feliway. They really help you survive the trip, get comfortable in a new place, and welcome a new family member. But they are expensive and absolutely useless during heat.

The first symptoms of estrus

How can you tell if a cat is in heat? Several signs indicate the onset of puberty:

1. Loud meow. It is connected with the fact that the cat is calling and looking for the cat. In this case, meowing can continue for several hours, both during the day and late at night. Sometimes cats make too loud a chest sound, which can slightly frighten a person. However, this depends more on the character of the animal - as a rule, more affectionate pets do not meow too much.
2. Animals relieve themselves in the wrong place. For example, a cat persistently ignores its own litter box and goes to the toilet anywhere but in the right place.
3. Behavior change. 4-6 days before cats go into heat, they can become overly affectionate. Your pet follows you and rubs your legs, obsessively hinting that she needs care and attention. True, there are also cases when, shortly before estrus, animals become very aggressive.

   

4. The cat rubs against all objects that get in its way and wriggles on the floor.
5. It becomes a little easier for the cat if she takes a position that is comfortable for mating. It looks like this: the animal squats on its front legs, raises its tail and hindquarters.

   

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By the way, signs of estrus in cats can develop over time. That is, at first the pet does not change its behavior in any way. This is explained by the fact that the pet’s body is still developing, and the most severe symptoms occur over time.

You should not think that a cat’s bad behavior is its protest or disobedience. At such times, it is controlled by hormones, so the pet is not able to monitor its behavior. Don't yell at the purr or use punishment.

Is there any way to help a cat during heat?

A feature of the reproductive system in cats is induced ovulation. Simply put, an egg is released from the ovary only in response to vaginal stimulation. Natural ovulation occurs 1-2 days after intercourse, and after another 1-2 days estrus stops.

Therefore, the owner can imitate sexual intercourse and thereby speed up the end of the cat’s estrus and torment. To do this, the animal is firmly grasped by the skin at the withers, and with the other hand, pressure is applied to the sacrum. When the cat moves its tail to the side, a suitable object is inserted into the vagina approximately 2 cm. This can be a thermometer with a soft tip lubricated with ointment or a cotton swab wrapped in latex. The procedure should be repeated several times within an hour, and then again after 12 hours. If the massage was successful, the cat begins to meow loudly and roll on the floor.

The onset of ovulation causes a false pregnancy. The estrus stops after a couple of days and does not return for 1-1.5 months. But this method cannot be used regularly, so as not to provoke inflammation of the uterus.

Sexual needs of a cat

When a cat yells and asks for a cat, this indicates a thirst for the realization of its main purpose inherent in nature - fertilization and bearing offspring. The animal is ripe for this, and the body requires the fulfillment of natural sexual needs and the removal of arousal.

Raised pelvis

How does your pet behave?

• screams loudly, sometimes unnaturally, meows obsessively from time to time;
• behaves restlessly, aggressively;
• rubs against furniture, people's legs, household objects;
• lifts the pelvis.

At this moment, the animal’s genitals swell slightly, and in some cases a slight discharge appears. During estrus, a cat will instantly become aroused by any cat, so to prevent fertilization it is necessary to completely exclude contacts of individuals of the opposite sex.

Attention! Some cats, when in heat, on the contrary, become very affectionate, they literally stick to their owners.

Six basic short theses about estrus in cats

1. Puberty in cats occurs at 6-9 months.
2. On average, estrus lasts a week and, in the absence of mating, repeats every 2-3 weeks.
3. Behavior during estrus is largely determined by breed. There are cats that walk quietly and little. Others are literally climbing the wall.
4. The only way to calm a cat is to induce ovulation with a special massage that simulates sexual intercourse.
5. The use of hormonal agents or surgical sterilization should be considered before the onset of estrus.
6. Repeated “empty” periods of sexual heat cause diseases of the genital organs - ovarian cysts, pyometra, hydrometra.

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Signs of a spree

Don't be afraid to miss the time when your cat is walking, you will definitely notice it by her behavior. The most intense period of estrus occurs in animals from February to April. In the fall, the pet asks the cat less expressly.

The signs of binge drinking are as follows.

1. Decreased appetite. The cat refuses its usual food and does not even pay attention to treats. The owner needs to carefully monitor the behavior, since a decrease in appetite may be a sign of an emerging disease.
2. Loud scream and piercing meow. The animal's voice is not quite usual. The cat calls the cat in this way.
3. Tags all over the house. Cats mark their territory during heat. According to one version, the animal does this involuntarily. On the other hand, it marks the boundaries so that no one penetrates into the occupied territory. However, it is also believed that the pet attracts the male in this way.
4. Overly affectionate or aggressive behavior. The animal rubs against the owner’s legs, purrs, tries to get under the arm or reacts inappropriately to the owner, scratches and bites.
5. Frequent urination. During estrus, physiological changes occur in the body, causing frequent urination.
6. Adopting mating positions. The cat shows the male that she is ready for mating by lowering herself on her front legs and raising her hindquarters.

Based on the listed signs, the owner will accurately determine that a spree has begun.

Folk remedies

You can calm a cat during agitation for a short time using effective, popularly proven methods:

• distracting your pet's attention with active games;
• bathing;
• isolation of the animal in the room.

It has also been scientifically proven that cats are receptive to classical music. You can try to include different compositions, choosing the most suitable one for it. Try to calm the purr by placing a heating pad under it and gently holding it close to you. You can forget about the screaming animal for a while if you wet her bottom with warm water.

If you bathe her completely, then later she will start licking herself, get tired and fall asleep for a long time. Try to have your cat spend the night alone in the room during heat, this will help her calm down.

Swimming for distraction

Attention! If a cat yells and asks for a cat, then you definitely need to isolate it from other animals in the house. She is already in a restless state and she doesn’t need unnecessary conflicts with her household!

Sedatives from the pharmacy

What can you give a cat so that the cat doesn't ask? How to help an animal cope with sexual desire without stress? Special pharmaceutical products will allow you to stop estrus or correct the purring behavior at this time.

Sedatives are hormonal, but act on the body quite gently and carefully. However, they are not intended for continuous use and bring a lot of side effects. Hormonal agents are used once or twice, as needed.

There are two types of medical contraception:

• tablets or drops;
• injections for cats during estrus.

You can also prevent sexual arousal so that the cat does not ask for the cat by delaying it for about six months with the help of an injection for the animal. But, they put it on only before the onset of estrus, strictly following the application regimen.

Even absolutely healthy animals are at risk when using injections, while weakened and mature (over five years old) animals should absolutely not be given them. The injection schedule is developed by a veterinarian, taking into account the age and individual characteristics of the pet. He gives the first injection.

Contacting a veterinarian

The dosage of even such seemingly safe drugs as Depo Provera for cats should be prescribed by a specialist.

Attention! It is recommended to feed the animal during estrus frequently, in small portions. Poor appetite or its complete absence is typical for a cat at this time.