Cats basically begin to show estrus for the first time when they grow between 5 months to 12 months old. Different breeds of cats have some differences in their estrus behavior. In comparison, male cats reach their first estrus age slightly later than female cats. Cats usually mate during spring and autumn. A cat will roughly go into heat 3 to 4 times a year, each lasting about one week to ten days. What are the signs of a cat in heat?

The most obvious sign of a male cat in heat is its strong body odor, and it will start urinating everywhere. Even if it is usually well-trained for urination, during estrus it will pee all over the place. At the same time, its appetite will decline, not wanting to eat. Even if you prepare many delicious foods for it, it may only taste a few bites. After a few days, it will become much thinner. Male cats during estrus will often want to run outside to play, actually going out to look for mates. If a cat doesn't find a mate during this estrus period, it will soon come into heat again, with an interval of roughly less than a month. Another obvious sign of male cat estrus is that its temperament will become very irritable. Even if it is usually a gentle and obedient kitten, during estrus, no matter who you are, if you upset it, it will scratch and even bite you. So, during a cat's heat, owners need to be careful not to get scratched.

Concerning a cat in heat, cat owners can do the following:

During a cat's estrus period, owners can spend more time playing with it, take it to do games, give it some favorite snacks to distract its attention, and also pet it more to help it calm down as much as possible. It is generally not recommended to neuter a cat immediately during its first estrus. At this time, other methods can be used to control the cat's mood during heat. There is a feline estrus suppressing powder that works to inhibit cats' estrus. Some owners who want to breed their cats but still want them to mate freely outside and have kittens can stop using the suppressing powder when the cat needs to reproduce, and fertility will be restored.

If owners choose to neuter, they need to take good care of the cat's health and regulate its digestive system regularly, so it can recover quickly after surgery.

During a cat's estrus period, owners need to pay close attention and take timely countermeasures to help the cat get through the period. If you miss it once, male cats are fine since they won't give birth to lots of kittens, but if a female cat's estrus is not controlled well, ending up with a bunch of kittens can be troublesome.