My unspayed cat is acting strange. Is she in heat? What to do?

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 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.

It could just be that Astro is happy. It could also be that Astro is getting ready to go into heat. Most cats who are in heat will exhibit a specific body posture called lordosis. Do not let Astro outside and call your vet to discuss getting her spayed. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

It could be that Ochan is in heat, and her behavior of being super affectionate when you pet her makes me suspect this is the case. Cats do not always have constant behavior each time they go into heat, and they can act aggressive. If you do not want to have to deal with this constant cycle of behavior (and it can get worse with constant vocalization), I would recommend having her spayed as soon as possible.

4 months of age is very young for a cat to be in heat but she certainly could be, especially since she is a Siamese. If you have any concern that there could be another reason for her behavior than have your vet take a look at her. If she is in heat than it will last on average about 7 days and she may go back into heat 1-3 weeks later. She is old enough to be spayed so talk to your vet about the best time to have her spayed. There really isn't much you can do to help her, just make sure she doesn't get outside or around any male cats.

Unspayed cats over 6 months of age will generally have a heat cycle every 1-6 weeks (on average every 3 weeks). This does not indicate cystic ovaries and pyometra (an pus filled uterus) is generally more of a concern in unspayed dogs and not generally a concern in cats. Unwanted litters and overpopulation is often a concern however, so having Hermionine spayed is recommended if she is in contact with male cats that you do not want her to breed with. Good luck!

Unfortunately, it's hard to know if this is pathological or if she is in heat? I recommend to look up information on heat cycles and watch videos. Also record the behavior on video. If this is not a heat cycle or if you are unsure if it is, I recommend to have her examined and have the doctor watch the video. The vet will palpate her spine and may check her urine for infection to look for a medical cause. I also recommend to discuss having her spayed as there are many health and behavioral benefits: https://www.petcoach.co/article/spaying-ovariohysterectomy-the-benefits-in-cats/ I hope this helps.