A cat is walking: how to calm an animal during heat

It would seem that getting a cat, not a cat, is the best solution. After all, there are fewer problems with her: she doesn’t ask to go outside, she doesn’t mark corners. The main misconception that an owner may encounter when choosing a cat for himself. And if you still intend to get a cat, you should prepare from the very first days for the fact that at a certain age she will go into heat. This is a natural process in the animal’s body, however, you need to prepare for it in advance. In this article, we told you what to do if your cat is walking, how to calm it down at home, what medications and folk remedies are suitable. You will also learn what methods of calming without drugs are available.

At what age do cats start “walking”?

As a rule, the first heat in cats begins at 6-11 months of age. It is difficult to give more precise dates, because it depends on many factors:

• season - the first heat begins closer to spring;

March cats are no joke. Increasing the duration of daylight hours encourages the onset of estrus. If the cat is six months old in the spring, you should expect the onset of estrus soon. If the same age falls in October-December, then the onset of estrus is more likely only next spring.

• Heredity;

In mixed breeds, the onset of the first heat is difficult to predict in advance, but among purebreds, patterns have already been identified.

The fastest maturing are the short-haired “oriental” breeds - Thai, Siamese, Burmese, Abyssinians, Bengals, Cornish Rex. On the other hand, cats of long-haired breeds sometimes begin to walk at 10-12 months and later - Persian, Maine Coon, Siberian.

Bengal cat. The first heat occurs at the age of 5-6 months.

• Type of temperament;

Some cats are more temperamental than others, and some, on the contrary, are late maturing.

• Physical condition;

In weakened individuals suffering from chronic diseases, this period begins later. Exhausted cats lacking vitamins and fats do not go into heat.

• Interactions with other individuals;

The presence of another cat in heat or an unneutered cat provokes the onset of heat in young teenage cats.

The maturation cycle of a cat during estrus:

Veterinarians divide this period into 4 phases:

Proestrus (precursor). Lasts 1-4 days. At this time, the hormonal background changes, and the first deviations in the animal’s behavior appear. The cat begins to cuddle, constantly asks for attention from the owner, rubs herself, rolls on the floor, but does not yet allow cats to come near her.

Estrus. Lasts 1-1.5 weeks. This is the peak of hormonal activity when slight clear discharge appears. The animal becomes uncontrollable: constantly meows loudly, arches strongly while stroking. She presses her chest to the floor, and puts her back up, as if inviting the male to mate.

Metestrus (after-leak). Lasts 2-19 days. If the cat manages to mate, pregnancy already occurs during this period (sometimes it can be false). Interest in males at this time gives way to pronounced aggression.

Anestrus (interestrus). The cat calms down completely. Behavioral signs of sexual activity disappear. Appetite and daily routine return to normal.

If during a period of high hormonal activity the cat failed to mate and, accordingly, there was no pregnancy, after some time the estrus repeats.

A cat's heat period

It will be impossible not to notice that the cat is in heat. Each owner can easily determine the moment when a cat starts estrus:

• Loud scream and purring of a cat.
• The appearance of marks throughout the home, which the cat makes during estrus, when she begins to have copious discharge.
• While the cat is walking, she stands in certain positions, which indicates a desire to mate with the cat. So, she begins to lower herself onto her front paws, while her croup will be raised and her tail will be moved to the side.
• Poor appetite. The animal may not eat well or completely lose its appetite.
• Frequent urination, uncharacteristic of the usual condition.
• Excessive affection. She will constantly curl around her owner's feet, the legs of tables, chairs and other objects, and purr loudly. There are times when an animal expresses its desire through aggression.

If these signs are present, we can confidently say that the cat wants a cat.

Pros and cons of oral contraception for cats

Hormonal drugs have many side effects, which not all owners are aware of.

These drugs inhibit the course of hunting, but can cause serious complications:

• formation of cysts and neoplasms;
• pyometra;
• endometritis;
• breast cancer;
• infertility.

The advantages of using oral contraceptives include their low cost and availability. But this method also has disadvantages: risks of complications, the need to increase the dose to achieve the desired effect, and age restrictions.

How often does heat occur?

This period occurs 3-4 times a year. The most common option for a cat that has already bred at least once is a constant estrus once every 3 months. However, if the cat has not yet walked, then your pet may be bothered by frequent estrus: monthly or even once every 2 weeks. If the heat has passed and your pet has not taken a walk, after 2-3 weeks everything can happen again.

If your cat has stopped estrus for a long time (more than a year) or, conversely, has a long, protracted estrus (more than 15 days), this is a serious problem and you should contact your veterinarian.

How quickly does heat return after giving birth?

About 64 days pass from the date of first mating to birth. Then the cat feeds the kittens; the duration of this period largely depends on the owners. 10-14 days after the end of lactation, estrus resumes.

But some lactating cats go into heat as early as two weeks after giving birth. If mating with the cat does not occur at this moment, then the cat begins to walk, as before, every 10-20 days.

Pregnant cat

Contraindications

• The drug is not used by immature, pregnant or lactating animals.
• Contraindicated in animals with diseases of the reproductive system, mammary tumors, hormonal disorders, diabetes mellitus, lymphoma, autoimmune diseases, lymphogranulomatosis, leukemia, myeloma, epilepsy, chronic renal failure.
• Individual sensitivity is possible.

Attention!

If a hormonal contraceptive is prescribed by a doctor according to a special dosage regimen, for example, for the treatment of a hormone-dependent pathological condition, you should adhere to the regimen recommended by the doctor.

Medicines

Spring, time for love. This is where the sleepless nights of cat owners begin. Exhausted owners, tired of the cat’s constant, heart-rending screams, are looking for ways to calm the animal. What to do if your domestic cat goes on a spree?

The first thing that comes to mind is to calm the pet in a natural way and call the cat for help.

But, if you still don’t need offspring, and you need to calm the cat down, medications will help you. Before giving your pet medications, it is best to consult your veterinarian. Since each cat may have various contraindications.

Giving pills, giving injections or buying drops if the cat starts to go on a spree is a temporary measure that is under no circumstances recommended to be used on an ongoing basis.

There are two types of medications for cats during estrus:

1. Hormonal. They can interrupt estrus, or significantly reduce its active phase and even delay the onset. Hormones are also used in case of unwanted pregnancy. They may well rip it off.

Among the hormonal drugs, the most famous are:

• Contra-Sex
• Sex barrier
• Cowinan
• Stop-Intimate.

They come in the form of injections, tablets, and suspensions. It cannot be used independently or systematically.

Hormonal agents

With the constant use of hormones, 70% of animals endure forced sterilization for medical reasons. It is much safer to deprive your pet of reproductive function soon after puberty.

1. Sedatives. They do not affect estrus, they only correct behavior. With their help, you can quickly achieve inhibition of reactions and calm the nervous system. Often prepared from herbs.

• Kot-Bayun (extracts from plant materials: herbs oregano, sweet clover, motherwort, St. John's wort, ivy bud, catnip, thyme, marshweed, hill solyanka and lemon balm, rhizomes with valerian roots, hawthorn, hop cones, peppermint leaves);
• FITEX (valerian officinalis extract, motherwort extract, common hop extract, Baikal skullcap extract, glycerin and water);
• Stop stress (phenibut, complex of medicinal plant extracts: valerian rhizomes, catnip, motherwort, hops, Baikal skullcap).

Sedatives

Medications

Specialized medications provide quick results and a high-quality effect to calm a cat in heat. But you should not abuse them regularly. Such drugs negatively affect not only the reproductive and hormonal systems, but also the entire body. Subsequently, they can cause severe illness in the animal, including the development of cancer.

If you resort to traditional medicinal methods of calming your pet, then preference should be given to the safest of them. Veterinarians recommend using a medicine called Kot Bayun during the period of estrus. Its main components are sedative herbs.

Products based on natural ingredients such as Fitex and Relax Easy Travel are also preferred. The disadvantage of herbal sedatives is that they are not equally suitable for everyone, so owners often have to buy and try several different drugs before finding an effective one.

There are also means to calm a cat during heat, such as a collar with pheromones. Such collars are somewhat more expensive than tablets or drops, but their effectiveness is much greater.

Traditional methods of calming down during estrus

A cat is walking: how to calm it down at home? If you still don’t have any medicines at home, another way to calm the cat will help - traditional medicine.

Methods to help cope with “cat walking”:

• When the cat begins to have another attack of strong screaming, you can dip its butt in cool water and hold it in it for several minutes. Albeit not for long, but this measure will help calm down the wandering murka. You can do this every time the cat starts screaming loudly.
• To distract your cat from her heat, you can apply a small amount of butter to her face. As with the shower, the animal will be busy cleaning itself up for a long time afterward.

Behavior during estrus

• If a cat keeps you awake all night with its heart-rending screams, it is recommended that you forcefully pour 50 g of vodka into its mouth in the evening. An intoxicated and calm animal will sleep all night.
• For a day, a walking animal will be calmed by this recipe - crush ¼ tablet of Diphenhydramine and a whole tablet of valerian, mix the powders together and give to the cat. You can add a mixture of crushed drugs to food.
• Give your pet a decoction based on medicinal herbs that have a sedative effect. To prepare a decoction, you can use chamomile, mint or linden.
• A weak solution of vinegar is an effective, proven way to calm a walking cat to rest for a while. Dilute the vinegar with water to make a slightly sour-tasting liquid, and pour a small amount into the animal’s mouth.

Alternative Methods

If a cat constantly screams during estrus, and neither folk methods nor specialized remedies help her, in such cases you cannot do without hormonal drugs. You can purchase them in specialized pet stores and from a veterinarian. The form of release of hormonal drugs is drops, tablets and solutions for injections.

Despite the high efficiency and quick results of hormonal drugs, when used regularly they can have an extremely negative impact on the health of the animal. Therefore, the owner should think carefully about whether he is ready to risk the health and life of his pet.

If, nevertheless, the choice fell on hormonal drugs, their negative impact on the body can be minimized only by choosing the right drug. Before buying such a product, it is imperative to consult with a veterinarian who, based on the results of a blood test for hormones, will select the most optimal drug for the animal.

There is another fairly simple way to temporarily calm the animal - to organize a thermal bed for the cat, the role of which is played by a simple heating pad filled with water. It is enough to place the cat on a warm heating pad and cover it with a warm blanket; this measure will calm it down a little.

How to calm a cat without drugs

The best solution is to distract your pet with music, toys, crumpled newspaper (anything that rustles or rattles will do), pay more attention to her, and also change her diet. Let's look at each method.

Music therapy

Classics (Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, etc.) are suitable as a sedative. The sound of a piano or violin has a beneficial effect on the animal's nervous system.

Changing your diet

During the entire period of estrus, you need to control your diet - if the cat refuses to eat, you cannot force feed it. Food should be served in small portions, the menu should be varied and healthy. In order to somehow interest the cat and at the same time distract her from the torment of estrus, you can pamper her with various delicacies and goodies.

Insulation

There are cases when the proximity of people only aggravates all the problems that exist during estrus. Then it would be advisable to temporarily isolate the pet in a separate room, where it will be left to its own devices.

Isolating a cat in a dark room without access to daylight leads to the production of melatonin, which will lead to the cessation of estrus.

Mixing with a cat

The first mating is carried out on the third menstruation, when the pet has reached physiological maturity. This reduces the risk of miscarriages, infertility and other complications.

Before meeting her partner, the “bride” is vaccinated and dewormed. Her nails are trimmed and a set of personal items is collected that she will need while away from home. Mating is carried out on the male's territory to reduce his excitement.

The animals are left alone for several days to repeat cages many times. This consolidates the result, increasing the chances of successful fertilization. Help from the owners is required only in cases of aggressive behavior, discrepancies in the size of the partners, and the cat falling on its side.

Mating of purebred cats

If you are breeding purebred cats, you need to know exactly the time and period of mating. For example, the period of puberty in the British and exotic folds begins in the period from 7 to 9 months. If mating is carried out earlier, pregnancy for a cat can result in many complications.

British mating

What is estrus

Every individual experiences delight at the sight of small and cute animals. But life is designed in such a way that every living creature grows up, declaring such needs as procreation.

• A cat is not only a four-legged friend for the little inhabitants of the house.
• She also wants to be a mother and share love with her fur babies.
• Before a purr is ready to breed, a natural process called estrus or estrus occurs in her body.
• This indicates her puberty. After which she is able to bear and give birth to kittens.

Estrus is easily determined. This article will help even a beginner in cat breeding to understand the entire structure of the animal’s physiology.

Does a cat walk after sterilization?

The most radical and effective way to calm a cat is to sterilize it. Doctors recommend that the procedure be carried out as early as possible for the health of the pet. A cat at a young age tolerates anesthesia more easily. The recovery period is short - within a few weeks you will forget about a trip to the veterinary clinic.

There are two types of operations:

• Sterilization. It involves limiting reproductive functions by simply ligating the fallopian tubes. It is important to understand that the ovaries remain in place and continue to produce hormones. This means that the cat will come into heat at a natural time. The symptoms will be the same as before the operation. The only plus is that she will no longer bring kittens.
• Castration. As a result, the animal is left without reproductive organs. It can be partial, when only the ovaries are cut out, and complete, when the uterus is also deprived. The latter option guarantees the absence of possible complications in the future. In general, this is the surest calming method for cats.

The main advantage of the operation is a 100% guarantee of no relapse. If you decide to castrate, you can be sure that your cat will never lose her head in love again in her life.

Cat after sterilization

To be or not to be offspring?

The owner of a grown-up cat recently began to complain: “How can you not go crazy, get enough sleep at night and not harm your pet?”
These three questions in one force cat owners to look for answers on the websites and forums of breeders and veterinarians.

Discussions on social networks recommend that the owner decide on the main question: whether to get children from his pet or whether kittens are not included in the family’s life plans. There is no third option.

Felinologists advise sterilizing an animal if:

• there is no desire, time and opportunity to breed cat offspring;
• The cat is not suitable for breeding work.

After all, after sterilization, the mental health of the furry beauty will be fine, and the age-related risk of oncology of the reproductive system will be reduced to zero.