My cat is in heat and acting weird. How long will it last? What to do?

Hi and thanks for your post on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes this can be normal. If she doesn't mate while in heat, then she may go out of heat for and come back into heat 1-2 weeks later. She may continue to come back into heat every couple of weeks during the breeding season (January-September) until she is bred. I hope this helps!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Finney. Sounds like she is in heat. These are typical in heat behaviors and cats respond to the increased daylight that starts in late December and January. Female cats will go into heat and cycle out of heat a lot during this time unless they are spayed. Each heat generally lasts several days - it can be as short as 1 day or as long as 7 days. If the cat is not mated during estrus, she will "go out of heat" for a short period of time, usually 1-2 weeks. Thus, the average complete estrus cycle of a cat is 1-3 weeks. Cats are induced ovulators meaning that they don't ovulate an egg from their ovary unless they are bred. This is why Finney will continue to cycle in and out of heat as described above. I would advise getting her spayed as soon as you can unless you plan on breeding her someday. Good luck with Finney.

They usually go into heat every few weeks if they aren't mated so this is definitely possible. If you don't want her to have another heat cycle, you could talk to your vet about inducing ovulation to help her go out of heat but this isn't always recommend depending on the patient, or you could have her spayed if you don't plan to breed her. I hope this helps!

It does sound and look like Eevee is in heat. Increased vocalization, ‘presenting’ her genitalia /arching her back, and often increased affection are typical signs of estrus/heat in cats which typically first starts after 6 months of age. Each heat cycle lasts around 5-6 days and unspayed cats typically come back into heat every 2-3 weeks. The ASPCA and many shelters offer low cost spay options such as mobile spay/neuter clinics that may be an option. If not, there is nothing that you need to do other than keep her away from intact male cats unless you want kittens in about 2 months’ time! Good luck!

The hormones would still be present in the blood stream for some time after surgery so it would be usual for the behaviors to continue for up to 3-5days after surgery. If it has continued longer than this you should contact your vet for a post-surgery recheck to ensure verything is healing well and there is no discomfort causing her behavior

Hello! That behavior does sound like classic in heat, or estrus, behavior for cats. If Bean bean is acting otherwise normally but overly affectionate and vocal, it is likely only due to her heat cycle. I do caution that keeping cats intact without breeding them can cause a serious uterine infection called pyometra. If Bean bean becomes lethargic, reclusive, uninterested in food, or showing any general signs of illness, such as vomiting or diarrhea, I would recommend taking her into a vet to be seen. She is at a high risk for developing the infection until she is spayed. I hope this is helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! :)

Hi there, Pringles is so cute and I love her name! My first thought is quite honestly that calico cats have a reputation for being chatty or vocal, and she may just be developing part of her personality at her age. The next thought is that she could have an uncommon condition that is causing her to go into heat despite her spay. Ectopic ovarian tissue (reproductive tissue that grows in an abnormal place) can cause this, as well as exposure to estrogen containing creams for humans. The easiest test to confirm this is a swab of vaginal tissue. Here is a ink to learn more from a website I like: https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&catId=102899&id=5998538 If she is showing other signs of in heat behavior, I'd recommend contacting her veterinarian that spayed her. They will be able to guide you through testing and confirming if there is any additional reproductive tissue. If there is, she will need a second spay-like procedure to have that tissue removed as well. This is uncommon, but pets with this condition tend to recover and do well in the long term. I hope this is helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.