When a cat is taken, they are not always aware of its physiological signs of growing up. A small fluffy lump quickly turns into a graceful beauty. And at one far from perfect moment the owners wake up at night from howls. It screams their favorite. She rolls on the floor, sticks out her butt and behaves as if she had lost her mind.
Do not be scared and call an ambulance. The girl started estrus.
About what heat in cats, we will tell in this article.
The concept
The estrus is a process of sexual arousal. His onset indicates that the pet is becoming sexually mature and ready to become a mother.
Estrus stages
There are four phases of this period:
Proestrus is the beginning. The cat behaves appropriately, but becomes more affectionate.
Estrus. The most difficult period for both the animal and the owner. The pet makes loud throat sounds. Neighbors can come running to her screams, they are so loud.
Metestrus - the attenuation phase. The cat gradually calms down. She no longer screams as if they were cutting her. Screams become quiet.
Anestrus is the final stage. Favorite, finally, ceases to pester others. Sex drive disappears, the animal calms down and becomes a normal cat.
Signs
What are the signs of estrus in a cat? Let's start from the very first stage - proestrus. As mentioned above, the cat during this period becomes more affectionate. Her appetite may increase. The genitals of the pet increase, transparent mucous secretions appear. The cat begins to lick the "lower floor" more often. Frequent urination is not excluded.
The second point is estrus itself or estrus. Here the owners will have to be patient. The animal refuses food, shouts in a uterine voice. Favorite rolls on the floor, rubs his head against it. He caresses furniture. It takes a characteristic posture: falls breasts to the floor, and takes the back. If at this moment you touch the sacrum of the animal, then the cat will begin to characteristically "sort out" with its hind legs and draw its tail to the side.
The third stage is characterized by calm. The pet still takes its tail to the side. But there are no more crazy screams.
And the anestrus will please the owners of the cat with silence. Favorite finally stops screaming. When touching the sacrum, it can react aggressively, trying to bite the owner.
Time intervals
What is a cat's estrus time? In other words, how long does it last? Experts talk about the duration from five days to 2 weeks, depending on the physical characteristics of a particular animal.
- The first phase - proestrus - can last from one to five days.
- Estrus - from three to ten. By the way, the best days for knitting are the third, fourth and fifth.
- Metestrus lasts from two to five days.
Animal age
At what age is cats estrus regular? Let's start by figuring out how old it starts.
A strange pattern, but in the "eastern" breeds, puberty begins earlier than in the rest. For example, Persian cats can "leak" at the age of 4 months.
The classic age of the beginning of puberty in animals ranges from six to ten months.
The estrus lasts for the rest of the cat's life. It is believed that at the age of 10-12 years, estrus ends. If this were so, then cats could hardly give birth to kittens before the age of 14 years.
The timing
How often is estrus in cats? Given the fact that these beauties are able to bring offspring 4-5 times a year, we can conclude that the heat process is monthly. In the event that the cat is not pregnant, of course. At the time of carrying kittens, the expectant mother "does not flow."
Possible problems
What is estrus in cats, we found out. Now let's talk about the problems associated with this period. It would seem, what are we talking about, what problems can be?
Firstly, with health. Constant estrus is stress for the cat's body. The pet starts to lose weight and looks, to put it mildly, not very beautiful. Okay, look isn’t the main thing. But she may have a hormonal malfunction. In which the pet can not get out of heat.
Plus, cancer has not been canceled. Most often, those cats that did not give birth, but were not sterilized, suffer from breast or uterine cancer.
Secondly, the behavior of the animal deteriorates. Other pets at the time of estrus become crazy. They can rush to the owners, bite and hiss.
How to help the animal?
When cats begin to estrus, we now know. And how to help a darling in this rather difficult period for her?
One option is to distract the pet from its condition. Often pick up, stroke, scratch under the neck, caress the cat. The second option is to arrange outdoor games for her. So that the cat had no time to think about reproduction. Having thrown off energy, she will stop screaming.
You can use various drugs that will help overcome the pet’s desire to "get married." We will discuss them further.
Hormones from estrus
Does a cat have bloody heat? This is a pathology in which a consultation with a veterinarian is necessary. As a rule, there is no bloody discharge during the oestrus period. There are viscous and viscous, white. They can inherit a cat, but not blood.
Now back to the anti-estrus drugs. There is one remedy called "Covinan." We warn you! This is not a drug advertisement. We make a strict reservation: you can not use this drug on your own! Only on the recommendation of a veterinarian.
"Covinan" is contraindicated in pets whose age limit has exceeded five years. During estrus, it cannot be used.
The drug is injected into the cat strictly according to the scheme. Only a veterinarian can prescribe it. Injections are done before the start of oestrus. “Covinan” helps to postpone the onset of estrus for six months, at least.
It must be borne in mind that this is a hormonal drug. And, as a result, the risk of developing cancer in an animal is high.
Drops and suspensions
We talked about bloody heat in a cat above. Now let's talk about how to reduce sexual hunting during the "standard".
You can use drops such as Bars, Sex Barrier, Contra Sex. Just do not use them often. They contain hormones, although not in such quantities as in Covinan. Any veterinarian will say that the frequent use of such drugs leads to the destruction of the animal's body. From one or two times nothing will happen, but not more often.
"Suprastin"
What is estrus in cats, and how to deal with it, we find out. We have already talked about drugs that can stop estrus, and what to give to reduce sexual desire.
One such remedy is Suprastin. Which is sold in an ordinary pharmacy. Mandatory strict adherence to dosage. For five kilograms of cat weight give 1/4 tablets. The term of "drinking" is three days, no more.
The best option is sterilization
What is estrus in cats, what are its symptoms, and how the owner is tormented, we found out. Why is the owner tormented? Yes, because the pet howls so that it is impossible to sleep. Especially “nice” to listen to her screams at night.
If the animal does not bear breeding value, is not purebred, and the owners do not plan to breed, the best option is sterilization. More precisely, castration.
Just do not be surprised. We know that veterinary clinics offer cat sterilization and cat castration services. In fact, sterilization refers only to tubal ligation. The animal will not be able to have kittens, but sexual hunting will not go anywhere. Castration is the complete removal of the uterus and ovaries.
By the way, the question immediately arises: is there a heat in a sterilized cat? Of course, because her ovaries are not removed. And the desire to "get married" has not been canceled. The owner, who decided simply to sterilize the pet, will have to listen to her chants.
That is why we propose castration. Just note that this operation is more expensive than sterilization. But much more problems are solved in one fell swoop.
False pregnancy
Can a cat have a false heat? There can be no leakage, and pregnancy is easy.
In the event that you have tied the pet, it may have a false pregnancy. Her symptoms are the same as with the usual. The cat’s stomach grows, colostrum stands out. She behaves unusually, looking for a place for childbirth. Becomes more affectionate.
Only sixty days later, when the time is right to give birth, nothing comes. Pregnancy disappears somewhere. No need to be scared, it was an ordinary “rogue”. This happens with pets of all ages. Most often, elderly cats undergo false pregnancy.
Oncology
What is estrus in cats, we figured out. And what problems are possible during the oestrus period - too.
One of the worst problems is cancer. Both the uterus and the ovaries. Often, tumors appear on the nipples. And the veterinarian makes a disappointing diagnosis - a malignant tumor.
Is treatment possible? Yes it is possible. But rarely when it leads to a positive result. Most often, the animal dies.
Normal pregnancy
When purchasing an exhibition cat, the owners think about obtaining offspring from it. Especially if the pet received an appropriate rating at the exhibition, and the breeders do not mind helping the owner with the viscous.
As we said, the ideal time for mating is the third, fourth and fifth days of estrus. If the cat behaves aggressively towards the cat, you will have to endure another day with a viscous one.
Pregnancy in a pet lasts from 59 to 65 days. If the terms exceed the declared 65 days, you will have to contact the veterinarian for help. As a rule, problems with pregnancy occur in Persian cats. The future mom needs clear control and supervision.
A week before delivery, the owner will notice that his pet is behaving unusually. She fusses, looking for a secluded place. It is necessary to prepare it for the pet in advance and show it.
By the way, in the second half of pregnancy, the expectant mother needs more food. The cat is fed four times a day. Choose foods that contain calcium and protein. Meat, seafood, cottage cheese, kefir - the basis of the future mother’s diet. Add vegetables to the meat. Do not forget about the fish.
The first half of pregnancy does not affect the behavior of the pet. She has no estrus - this is the only change, perhaps. Although some individuals become more calm and lazy.
Starting from the thirtieth day, the cat’s stomach gradually grows. During this period, you must not let her jump high. A darling may not calculate her strength when jumping on a cabinet, for example. The stomach will pull and it will fall down.
It is interesting to know.
What estrus a cat has in color, we found out. The secretions of the animal are invisible, they do not pollute the floor and furniture.
During oestrus, the pet often goes to the tray. He rustles for a long time, burying his consequences. And often sniffs at them.
If a pet, always sociable and affectionate, behaves maliciously, the onset of estrus is not ruled out.
In Siamese cats, as well as in Canadian sphinxes, puberty begins later than in other breeds. The first estrus can occur at the age of 1.5 years.
When a cat comes too early estrus (4-5 months), no matter how elite it is, good breeders will not allow such a pet to be bred.
The same thing with a pet whose first estrus occurs later than 14 months. The exception is Siamese and Sphinxes.
We decided to tie a pet, but she actively drives the groom away from her? Take your time with the viscous, the darling is not ready for her yet.
Speaking of castration. If you decide to have an operation, be sure to specify what exactly was cut out from the cat. So that it doesn’t happen that you paid for castration, but received the usual sterilization.
Conclusion
We found out what cats have in heat. We talked about how it manifests. We discussed the issue with drugs that block estrus or reduce the sexual desire of an animal.
They talked about the potential for permanent estrus without mating. The article also describes the symptoms of false pregnancy and talks about the present. Highlighted the most necessary moments that a novice owner needs to know.