- Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.
After decades of successful campaigns, spaying and neutering cats finally took off in the 1970s. Now it’s something we don’t have to think twice about doing. But if you wondered whether your cat is about to go into heat — or how long her heat cycle will last — you’re not alone.
The phrase “in heat” refers to the Estrus stage in a cat’s reproductive cycle, the period where she can become pregnant. On average, cats are in heat for four to seven days, but the range can last anywhere from 3–20 days, according to experts.
“If your female cat is in heat and you want to avoid pregnancy, she should be kept entirely indoors and not be allowed outside until she’s spayed,” Dr. Katie Merkatoris, DVM, a veterinarian expert with JustAnswer Veterinary says.
Here’s what to expect while a cat is experiencing her heat cycle and how to manage it.
When Does a Cat Get Their First Heat?
Female cats experience their first heat cycle when they reach sexual maturity. For many cats, that’s when they are still kittens.
“Cats go into heat around six months of age, but it can be as early as four months or as late as nine months,” says Dr. Merkatoris. Depending on your cat’s genetic makeup and breed, she may hit sexual maturity slightly earlier or later.
An unspayed female cat will experience her first heat and may be able to become pregnant with kittens before she turns one year old.
Signs of a Cat In Heat
“As an emergency veterinarian, I have evaluated a number of unspayed female cats when they go into heat because their owners think they are sick,” Dr. Merkatoris says.
While predicting exactly when a cat is going into heat is challenging, recognizing signs she’s currently in heat is significantly easier. Being aware of these behavioral signs can also help you schedule and prep for your cat’s spay appointment:
- Vocalizing at all hours of the day: When a cat is in heat, her vocalizations will increase. She’ll yowl, cry, and loudly meow to attract male cats.
- Increased affection: Cats in heat can be extra affectionate with their humans and love to be pet, stroked, and scratched on their back and their rear, above their tail.
- Rubbing: Cats have scent glands on their chins, cheeks, forehead, paws, tails, and other parts of their body. Cats in heat enthusiastically rub their face and body on things around them, like walls, furniture, and doorways to spread their scent to attract a mate.
- Rolling: Erratic and vigorous rolling around, especially if it’s accompanied by loud vocalizations, is a sign a cat is in heat and ready to mate, or she already has. Some feline biologists believe this rolling behavior might help the sperm quickly fertilize the eggs after a cat mated. Rolling around before mating is another way she spreads her scent to attract male cats.
- Urinary changes: Changes in litter box behavior such as urinating more than usual, vaginal discharge (sometimes with a little blood), and spraying urine, are all hallmark signs of heat.
- Raising her rear end: When mating, a male cat bites at his female partner’s neck and she raises her rear in the air, presenting it to him. If you pet her while she’s in heat, she might strike an “elevator butt” pose for you too.
Dr. Merkatoris says spaying your cat will get rid of these behaviors, but it can take about a month for her hormone levels to drop after surgery.
How Long Is a Heat Cycle?
The Estrus phase in their hormonal cycle lasts anywhere from one to twenty-one days. For most cats, however, the “in heat” phrase averages from four to seven days. Heat cycles for cats usually occur between early February to October.
During this time, female cats will experience a surge of the hormone estradiol and have some uncharacteristic and unusual behaviors. A cat may even start to try and attract male cats in the Proestrus phase, even when she’s not ready to mate.
“If the cat is not bred, she come out of heat for a similar length of time before starting another cycle,” Dr. Merkatoris says. Since some heat cycles can happen back to back, it’s possible for a litter of kittens to have multiple fathers.
What are the hormonal stages of a cat in heat?
Dr. Brenda Griffin, DVM, of the Scott-Ritchey Research Center says vets divide a cat’s hormonal cycle into five stages: Proestrus, Estrus, Interestrus, Diestrus, and Anestrus.
Here’s a closer look at a full hormonal cycle for cats:
| Hormone Cycle Stage | Time span | Signs |
| Proestrus | 12 hours to 3 days | Female cats will begin attracting, but not breeding with, neighborhood unneutered (tom) cats with vocalization and body language cues like rolling around, exposing her belly, and sticking her hindquarters in the air. |
| Estrus (heat) | 1 day to 21 days | Her genitals will enlarge and she may have some vaginal discharge, but often not enough to be noticed by human caregivers. She’ll continue the behaviors from stage one, while additionally rubbing against people, objects, and other cats, and possibly urine spray and mark. |
| Interestrus (between heat) | 1 week to 3 weeks | If she didn’t breed or doesn’t get pregnant during her estrus phase, she’ll enter the interestus phase. This is the period of hormonal rest. As estradiol drops, her hormone-driven behaviors stop until her next heat cycle. |
| Diestrus | 61 to 72 days | If she bred and was impregnated during the estrus phase, then she’ll start producing more hormones, like progesterone. Body changes like her nipples turning pinker and getting larger and weight gain in her stomach area are indications she might be pregnant. |
| Anestrus | October to January | During the anestrus phase, cats won’t be in heat. In free-roaming cats based in the Northern hemisphere, the anestrus phase typically occurs from late fall to late winter. |
You’ll know when a cat’s heat is over when she stops hormonal behaviors, such as vocalizations, rubbing, and spraying.
How Often Do Cats Go Into Heat Each Year?
There’s no universal length or frequency to a cat’s heat period, and a lot of variation in time that passes in between heat cycles. As a result, it’s better to think about heat cycles through the lens of a cat’s breeding season, which is typically 9 months long.
As a whole, Dr. Merkatoris says it’s possible for unspayed female cats to have twelve or more heat cycles during their breeding season. This averages to one heat cycle every 2 to 3 weeks.
In The Northern Hemisphere (North America, Europe, and parts of South America, Africa, and Asia), a breeding season, or “kitten season”, usually lasts from late January to October. However, indoor cats or those in environments where light is consistent year-round, can go into heat anytime.
Cats can go into heat after giving birth
“Cats are seasonally polyestrous, meaning they can have several heat cycles during their breeding season, Dr. Merkatoris says. If her heat cycle is on the shorter end and she had an unplanned pregnancy, watch out because she can go into heat in as little as two weeks after giving birth to her litter and get pregnant again.
Female cats can get pregnant at any time while they’re in the estrus phase of their heat cycle because they’re considered an “induced ovulator.”
Warmer environments are correlated to more heat cycles
Dr. Merkatoris says indoor cats who experience less drastic shifts in temperatures and a consistently high amount of “daylight hours” thanks to artificial lighting, can also go into heat at any time of the year. Sometimes, seemingly without warning!
iStock/ablokhin
How to Stop a Cat From Going Into Heat
Spaying your female cat is the best, and only, way to prevent her from going into heat. Cats don’t experience menopause, so if she’s unspayed, she’ll experience lifelong heat cycles and potential pregnancies.
Why spaying a cat is important
When a vet removes a female cat’s ovaries and uterus in a routine spay surgery, the impact has many health and behavioral benefits, such as:
- Reducing the likelihood of hormone-driven behaviors like spraying and urine marking
- Extending her lifespan by lessening her risk of developing infectious diseases
- Reducing risk of life-threatening reproductive system diseases and illnesses, like mammary gland tumors, and inflammation and infections such as mastitis
- Preventing pyometra, a bacterial infection that only appears in an unspayed female cat’s uterus due to her hormonal changes
If you live in the United States, many states have low cost spay and neuter brick-and-mortar clinics or traveling mobile units. The non-profit organization Pet Help Finder has a free search tool for financially friendly vet care, including spaying and neutering, and the United States Humane Society also has affordable vet care resources and suggestions.
How to Handle a Cat In Heat
Spaying a kitten before her first heat cycle is the most responsible and compassionate choice. The only way to stop a cat’s hormonal behaviors, such as excessive meowing, is through a spay surgery.
However, if your cat is already in heat and you are waiting for your appointment, there are ways to help provide comfort:
- Keep them indoors to prevent pregnancy.
- Spend extra time playing with them. Cat nip is your friend!
- Minimize stress by keeping up with their routine and cleaning their litter box frequently.
- Create a calming environment to help with stress and anxiety.
- Keep your female cats away from your male cats, if you’re in a multi-cat household.
- Provide a heated bed or pad for extra comfort.
And beyond individual benefits for your female kitty alone, spaying her also has a huge impact on shelter and rescue programs. A spayed female cat won’t contribute to the millions of cats and kittens seeking forever homes in shelters and rescues.
