At What Age Do Cats Go Into Heat

Cat estrus begins as animals reach sexual maturity usually at about six months of age although some cats will go into heat as early as four months and others as late as 10 to 12 months.

With cats they do not shed their uterus lining as female humans do during the menstrual cycle. Your sweet leggy kitten could be in hormonal turmoil well before she hits the 6 month mark. Since cats are efficient reproducers their estrus or heat cycle can occur every 14 to 21 days at which point she can successfully mate with one or more healthy suitors. Siamese cats are notorious for coming into heat at an early age.

Unspayed cats that is female cats become sexually mature starting at 6 months and begin to experience the estrus cycle. Mating lasts only a few seconds for cats. This means that while feral cats have a breeding season with kittens born in the spring and early autumn your house cat can go into heat at any time and will probably do so every three to four weeks. Here s how you ll know when she s in heat.

Non spayed female cats can start going into heat or estrus as early as four months of age. For shorthaired cats that is generally around 6 months of age. Hormonal changes that prepare cats for breeding a process called estrus or oestrus begins around six to ten months of age. A cat s first heat usually occurs during puberty which is between six and ten months for a kitten.

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What does a cat in heat mean. Most female cats will go into heat by 6 months of age. Coping with a cat in heat is an experience most cat owners would sooner do without. While a cat in heat technically means that the cat is ready for mating it s not advised to breed a kitten or allow her to get pregnant during her first heat.

Short haired breeds will typically begin to cycle earlier while long haired or larger breeds may not show signs of heat until 18 months of age. Unspayed female cats will eventually reach a fertile period in life which extends well into old age. And certain breeds like siamese may go into heat as early as 4 months while for other breeds 10 months old is a more typical age for going into heat. This first heat cycle is associated with puberty and a cat can get pregnant during any of its heat cycles including the first one.

But as with humans cats can ovulate during the estrus period. If you plan on having your cat spayed and are just waiting until she s old enough you may want to adjust that timetable. But certain environmental factors can cause it to happen more quickly.