My cat meows loudly at night and chews her paws. Is she in heat?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Starting her heat cycle in a unspayed female cat is the most common reason for increased vocalization. Other possible causes are: she sees other cats outside (territorial), anxiety (cats outside, starting heat, changes to house hold), attention seeking, or medical issue. I would close the blinds temporarily, provide environmental enrichment (cat trees, interactive cat toys, lazer pointer, play with her) and consider spaying her. You can also consider a Vet exam to be sure it isn't a medical condition. If she is otherwise fine, I hope that is improves with time and some of the above. Have a great day!

Since Pusen is not spayed yet, I'm wondering if she may be in heat - this is a very common cause of excessive vocalization in female cats, especially if she is also rolling around on the ground and yowling. Female cats stay in season almost constantly unless they are pregnant, so if you think this may be the problem, I would recommend having her spayed as soon as you are able to - this should resolve the excessive meowing if it is related to her heat cycle :)

Since your cat has not been spayed she may be increasing her vocalizations because she is in heat. You may want to try and have her spayed and see if that helps the behavior. Best of luck. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I see that Honey isn't spayed. I suspect she is in heat, and that is causing this behavior. Cats in heat are extremely annoying. If you want this behavior to stop, I would have her spayed. Best of luck.

Tempest probably is lonely, and she wants you to keep her company in the middle of the night when she wants to be active! I think the easiest thing to do in a situation like this is to keep her out of the room at night - she may yowl outside the door or scratch to get in but if you ignore her she'll learn that she's not going to entice you to get up. It would also be helpful to put some interactive toys out at night to keep her occupied. I'm also guessing that she's a young adult cat based on your picture, but if she is over 8 years old I would also recommend taking her to see your vet - some diseases like hyperthyroidism can cause cats to become more vocal and irritable.

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.

This is a common behavior in intact females (not spayed). The fact that it has become more frequent makes me wonder if anything has changed with her hormonally like an ovarian tumor. I would have your vet take a look at her when you can to ensure everything looks ok. You can also have her spayed to stop these episodes. I hope this helps!