Do female cats bleed when they are in heat or have a period?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Paro. Cats are animals that are seasonally polyestrus. This means they can have multiple heat cycles during the breeding season. Signs of heat are excessive vocalizations, being more affectionate and many cats will roll around on the floor. Most will not have evidence of vaginal bleeding, but they can lick their genitals more frequently. They will also attract tom cats. I hope this information helps!

Cats do not bleed during their heat cycle which makes me thing the bleeding is unrelated to her being in heat. it could be due to a urinary infection for example, i would recommend taking her to your vet in order to get it checked and treated.

It is likely blood from her going into her first heat cycle, which will not hurt her. Around 6 months of age is when cats can go into their first heat cycle. I would recommend having her spayed soon as the risk of mammary cancer increases with unspayed females.

Hi and thanks again for your question. I think in this case there are basically two possibilities: either she did not go into heat (that can happen anytime up to the 18th month or she went and she showed few signs. It is not common to observe vaginal bleeding from a cat in heat. The most notable signs of estrus in cats are behavioral. Most cats become very affectionate, even demanding; they persistently rub against their owners (or objects such as furniture), constantly wanting attention. They roll on the floor. When stroked along the back or spine, they raise their rear quarters into the air and tread with the back legs. They also become very vocal. These behavior changes often become annoying to owners, and sometimes owners think their cat has some unusual illness.

If she’s coming into heat she will be acting differently. Lots of meowing, rolling around and acting wild. She may try to go out to get bred. If you don’t see that behavior I would check her all over to see if you can find a wound. I’m not overly concerned about this as long as it was only a few drops and it doesn’t continue. If you see more blood or if she seems sick or injured please take her in for an exam and treatment. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Kiara.

We do not normally see a bloody discharge in cats with heat cycles like we do in dogs. For this reason I would recommend an exam by your veterinarian. We could have blood coming from the reproductive tract from infection or a tumor, or we could have blood from the urinary tract which could be due to infection, inflammation, bladder stones, bladder tumors. The vet will do an exam and may recommend a urine test and an x-ray or ultrasound of the abdomen to help determine the cause of the blood.

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!