A cat marks during heat - what to do and how to wean it off

Marking or urinating anywhere?

The cat leaves marks in the apartment using the odorous secretion of glands that are located on the face (cheeks, chin, around the eyes), paws, sides and anal area.
The cat also marks surrounding objects with its urine. This can happen during sexual hunting, when, if it is impossible to go in search of a sexual partner outside the home, the cat marks the territory with urine to attract him. If a cat suddenly starts leaving marks, it may be sick or unsure of the security of its personal boundaries. The pet shits everywhere to scare off strangers with a strong smell.

It’s easy to determine that a cat is not pooping in the wrong place, but is trying to mark territory in the apartment. During the process of urination, the animal sits down, lowering its tail. He chooses secluded corners for this, but can mark the carpet or bed. Cats usually leave scent marks on vertical surfaces.

Cats also leave marks, but more often with their claws. Nevertheless, sometimes they also use urine, although in the case of a female it is difficult to understand that these are marks and not puddles made in the wrong places.

Age at first estrus in cats

It is impossible to definitively answer the question at what age these animals begin to mark their territory. This depends on many factors: the breed, the personal qualities of the pet, the predisposition of its body, the speed of development. In 75% of felines, puberty occurs at 7–8 months. It is from this moment that they begin to mark the territory that they consider theirs.

If the cat begins to mark surrounding objects in the house, it means:

he experiences sexual desire and tries in this way to attract a partner for mating;
he lacks the attention of the owner;
the pet is in a state of fear or stress;
the animal is feeling unwell;
the cat is jealous of the owner;
The tailed inhabitant of the house is fighting for his territory.

For most cats, the first heat begins after the female reaches a weight of 2.5 kg. This rule does not apply to large breeds such as Maine Coon or British cats.

The age of puberty ranges from 4 months to 1.5 years. Most often, a cat first begins to ask for a cat at 6-9 months. This age depends on several factors:

Heredity.

Some cats are more temperamental than others, and some, on the contrary, are late maturing. In mixed breeds, the onset of the first heat is difficult to predict in advance, but among purebreds, patterns have already been identified.

The fastest maturing are the short-haired “oriental” breeds - Thai, Siamese, Burmese, Abyssinians, Bengals, Cornish Rex. On the other hand, cats of long-haired breeds sometimes begin to walk at 10-12 months and later - Persian, Maine Coon, Siberian.

Young cat of the Bengal breed

Daylight hours.

March cats are not a fiction. Increasing the duration of daylight hours encourages the onset of estrus. If the cat is six months old in the spring, you should expect the onset of estrus soon. If the same age falls in October-December, then the onset of estrus is more likely only next spring.

In an apartment, this dependence hardly manifests itself due to constant heat and constant artificial lighting.

Conditions of detention.

Exhausted cats lacking vitamins and fats do not go into heat. Therefore, street animals mature later than domestic animals, and their estrus occurs less frequently.

Communication with relatives.

The presence of another cat in heat or an unneutered cat provokes the onset of heat in young teenage cats.

To delay the onset of the first heat as much as possible, the owner needs to keep the cat isolated in the apartment and turn on the light for no more than 4-6 hours a day.

Cat's heat: how to stop marking

Unambiguously answer the question “When will a cat go into estrus?” impossible. This period depends on many factors:

breed;
season;
living conditions of the animal;
physiological characteristics;
hormonal background;
dimensions of the individual;
the presence of a permanent partner always nearby or temporary meetings with males;
cat color.

The first estrus begins between the ages of 6 months and 1 year. If it does not occur, you should show the animal to a doctor.

The first estrus lasts from 6 to 10 days, and subsequent estrus can last up to 20.

If for some reason you are unable to wean your animal from marking with blood during estrus, getting rid of the stimuli that provoke this action, approach the phenomenon from the other side:

carefully clean her favorite places of marks. Just never use ammonia - it smells like urine;
Spray places with your perfume - make your mark;
Apply lemon juice to the areas.

When an animal marks a bed or other furniture, it becomes more difficult. The main thing is to catch the cat and immediately scold it. The effect rarely occurs the first time, but you cannot ignore this behavior of your pet, no matter how kindly you treat her.

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How to understand that a cat is “walking”

The cat's behavior changes dramatically. The pet becomes annoyingly friendly, rubs against people and furniture, rolls around on the floor, and constantly demands attention.

Characteristic signs of estrus:

A prolonged inviting meow, a cat can scream for days;
Irregularities or complete lack of appetite;
In response to stroking the back or rump, the cat invitingly arches its back, raises its butt, moves its tail to the side and tramples with its hind legs;
Allows males to mate with her.

Cat in heat

Unpleasant manifestations of sexual heat include the desire to mark territory: the cat may begin to urinate in inappropriate places.

There is no point in examining a cat's genitals to determine estrus. The cat will not have any obvious changes to the vulva or any discharge.

Behavior during estrus is largely determined by the breed, and in the case of barn cats, by the temperament of the animal. There are cats that walk quietly and a little, meowing modestly and caressing. Others literally climb the wall, and their screams are heard by all the neighbors.

A Bengal in heat is desperately trying to get out of the house

What is estrus

Estrus is a period during which a cat experiences hormonal, physiological and behavioral changes. They are associated with the female’s readiness to mate and bear offspring.

The period of estrus is accompanied by severe stress for the animal. The cat becomes restless, loses its appetite, constantly screams and looks for a male. It is during this period that cats are most prone to escape. Due to the effects of hormones, they are not able to adequately assess the danger, and therefore can even jump out of an open window from a high floor.

The period of estrus often becomes a real test for both the cat and its owner. It is worth noting that empty heats (if the cat has not mated and become pregnant) are very dangerous for the health of the animal. They often lead to inflammation of the ovaries, pyometra (a deadly disease), mammary gland cancer, and other disorders in the animal’s body.

That is why veterinarians often advise sterilizing all cats that do not have breeding value and do not participate in breeding. This will protect both the owner’s nerves and the health of his pet, and no more stray kittens will appear on the street.

Why do cats ignore the litter box during heat?

During the period of heat, pets that roam freely on the street often disappear from home for some time. If a cat is unable to find a sexual partner outside the home, it leaves scent marks everywhere. This is a kind of signal that the cat is ready for mating and subsequent procreation.

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How to calm a walking cat? Read about this in my book “No Way”. No joke, the Internet is full of advice and recommendations, but they don’t work:

Stroke the cat and pay attention to it: tactile contact only increases sexual arousal;
Give herbal sedatives: the cat is not stressed and is not nervous. She wants to reproduce. Owners can drink Persen with Novopassit; no herbs will affect the cat’s behavior.
Use products with pheromones such as Feliway. They really help you survive the trip, get comfortable in a new place, and welcome a new family member. But they are expensive, and during estrus they are absolutely useless.

When a cat is in heat, she doesn't let anyone live

It is no secret that hormonal drugs against sexual heat in males and female cats are widely sold in pet stores - Stop-intim, Sex-barrier, Contrasex. But such drugs should not be used during the first heat or for more than 1.5 years in a row. Another important point: the use of hormonal drops in the midst of estrus leads to serious side effects.

There is one trick that allows you to distract your cat for about an hour in order to fall asleep peacefully. Wet the fur with water or smear it in something tasty (sour cream, canned cat sauce). The cat will inevitably begin to tidy up its fur, and it is impossible to lick itself and meow at the same time. Unfortunately, as soon as the fur coat dries, the cat will start singing calling songs again.

The only way to forget about the problem for a long time is mating and subsequent pregnancy. This option is only suitable for breeding animals with a successful exhibition career. If the owners are not interested in having offspring, then the best option would be surgery to remove the uterus and ovaries. It is optimal to carry out sterilization before the first heat. During the height of estrus, you should not take your cat to surgery.

A cat rolling on the floor is one of the signs of heat

It happens that a cat is planned for breeding, but it is impossible to breed during this particular heat (first early heat, rapid onset of heat after a cesarean section, lack of a suitable pair). Then the solution would be to artificially induce ovulation.

Simply put, the owner needs to simulate sexual intercourse. The cat is held firmly by the withers (the skin in the area of the shoulder blades is gathered into a fist), and with the other hand they press on the sacrum. When the cat moves its tail to the side, a suitable object is inserted into the vagina approximately 2 cm. This can be a thermometer with a soft tip lubricated with ointment or a cotton swab wrapped in the finger of a latex glove.

The onset of ovulation causes a false pregnancy, which in cats is not accompanied by changes in behavior or false lactation, as in dogs. The estrus stops and does not return for 1-1.5 months. This method should also not be used regularly, so as not to provoke inflammation of the uterus.

Why did a cat start shitting anywhere, what to do: shitting during heat, an adult cat shitting

Cats are by nature very clean animals. During most of their waking hours, they carefully lick their fur and paws and put themselves in order. Domestic representatives of the feline family will never sit where it is dirty; they will prefer to sit on a bed that has just been made with an ironed blanket or a freshly washed sweater.

If you pour food or water into a dirty bowl and offer it to your furry pet, she will certainly look at the owner with reproach. And she will refuse to eat, even if she is very hungry. It’s not for nothing that cats are called the aristocrats of the animal world. They value their person and choose only the best for themselves.

What to do if your cat starts shitting anywhere

The owner's first reaction is shock or righteous anger. Outraged by such impudence and upset, the owner begins to show aggression and scold the pet.

But don't rush into punishment. The cat's action is not without reason. She is not doing this out of spite or a sense of revenge; something is probably bothering her. You need to try to understand the reasons that caused such strange behavior in your pet.

Violation of toilet “boundaries” can be caused by one or more factors. You should observe the animal for several days and analyze the situation in the house.

After all, this skill is not innate. If kittens live in the same room with their mother, then they quickly learn toilet “wisdom” from her. If the baby is about a month old and there is no example of “exemplary” behavior before your eyes, you will have to be patient and not rush your pet.

If the animal has appeared in the family recently, but it is already quite old, you should ask the previous owners whether it was

Source

Duration and frequency of sexual heat

Characteristic behavior lasts from 3 to 10 days. The period when a cat is in sexual heat and allows a cat to approach her is called estrus. At this time, the ovarian follicles produce the maximum amount of estrogens and sex hormones.

In the very first days of estrus (1-4 days), the cat demonstrates sexual arousal, but does not allow mating. This time is called proestrus, “forerunner”. Unlike dogs, cats do not have a clear boundary between estrus and proestrus, and it is difficult to determine these periods.

If sexual intercourse does not occur during estrus, then ovulation does not occur. In this case, sexual heat returns every 10-14 days. The period between estrus is called interestrus, this is a time of rest for the uterus and ovaries. In some cats, the concentration of estrogen in the blood does not decrease, and the animal walks constantly.

Prolonged heat is a sign of follicular ovarian cysts, which must be removed surgically.

Complete rest of the ovaries, which means the absence of the reproductive instinct, is called anestrus, the absence of estrus. In stray cats, this period occurs in late autumn or winter, due to short daylight hours and the action of the hormone melatonin. Anestrus does not occur in domestic cats due to constant light and nutritious food.

A distinctive feature of the breeding system in cats is induced ovulation. Simply put, an egg is released from the ovary only in response to vaginal stimulation. Natural ovulation occurs due to mating, but artificial ovulation is also possible - as a result of manipulations in the vagina.

Ovulation occurs 1-2 days after intercourse, and after another 1-2 days the estrus stops. The ovary forms the corpus luteum, which produces the hormone progesterone to maintain pregnancy.

If the egg is released and fertilization does not occur, progesterone will be produced “by inertia” for 1-1.5 months (less than a true pregnancy). Progesterone prevents the resumption of estrus.

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In cats, sexual function does not decline until death; even at 16-19 years of age, estrus is observed from time to time in non-sterilized animals.

I'm 14 years old, motherfucker, how old can you be?

What should you not do when trying to stop your pet from marking?

Many owners of these animals are faced with the acute question of how to wean a cat from marking its territory. This problem can be solved in several ways. In order for a cat to stop leaving marks throughout the house (on the bed, personal belongings of family members, vertical surfaces), you need to place an individual of the opposite sex with the pet or use deterrents.

Raising a pet should be done from early childhood. If this is the first time a small cat has left a mark, you should reconsider your attitude towards the baby. Perhaps he lacks affection and attention from the owner, and by leaving odorous traces, the kitten is trying to convey to him that he should be given more time.

If the pet begins to leave marks when alone in the apartment, when leaving home, it should be provided with a sufficient number of toys - then it will be able to occupy itself in the absence of the owner. A kitten should not grow up in permissive conditions. On the first day a new member arrives in the family, you need to show him who is in charge. The animal should not be afraid of the owner, but must respect and obey him. He should be prohibited from climbing on the bed and damaging the personal belongings of family members.

It has long been known that cats feel like masters of the house. To show your pet that the territory is not assigned to him at all, you should resort to such an effective technique as leaving your own marks. To do this, you need to irrigate the places chosen by the tailed prankster with eau de toilette, deodorant or laundry fragrance. You can also wipe the surfaces marked by the cat with stale laundry.

Psychological techniques can also be used:

Having caught the cat at the moment of leaving the mark, you need to take it by the scruff of the neck and hold it in this state for several minutes. An adult animal will feel its vulnerability and understand who is in charge.
While leaving marks, you should approach the cat and start hissing at him, pretending to be an aggressive relative. The tailed prankster retreats, deciding that this territory is already occupied by a formidable fellow.
Having seized the moment when the pet is ready to mark the object, you need to sharply click it on the nose, simulating a fight between animals. This must be done unexpectedly, but without causing pain to the animal. After such manipulation, the cat will no longer feel like the boss in the house and will stop marking.

To prevent a pet from leaving marks, it needs to find a mate to satisfy its physiological needs. If a sterilized cat is marking her territory, introducing a male to her will not entail any consequences. If we are talking about an animal that has not been sterilized and castrated, when using this method it is necessary to take care of the offspring in advance, which will be the logical result of pets of different sexes living in the same territory.

You can stop your pet from marking objects in the home using foil. Having realized which places the tailed hooligan has chosen, you should cover the floor near them with foil. Cats do not like the touch of this material and the sound it makes.

If you don’t want to waste time and try different methods that can get rid of this problem, you need to use special tools. They are produced in the form of sprays containing cat pheromones that normalize the psychological state of the animal, and are sold in pet stores. You can’t do without improvised means.

It is not always possible to solve this problem immediately. It is difficult to say how long it will take to wean your pet from leaving marks. It happens that, despite all efforts, the animal still continues to do this. If after using all available methods the problem is not solved, the only way out is castration or sterilization.

It is advisable to castrate a male cat before puberty. A castrated cat continues to mark objects in the home for some time after surgery. This is normal. He will do this during the first 1–3 months. Unlike a neutered pet, leaving the marks spayed is more likely because...

When trying to wean an animal from leaving marks, you cannot:

poke your pet into a puddle with its muzzle;
forcefully place the offending creature in a tray and hold it in it;
yell at the cat;
use physical force.

The listed methods can cause a backlash, and the animal will begin to mark surrounding objects even more actively, especially the personal belongings of the offender. The cat simply does not understand what they want from him. Cats are very vulnerable creatures. Raising your voice and using physical force against them can cause them severe stress, which will negatively affect both their well-being and behavior.

In addition to the main and common reasons, there are many prerequisites for a cat to start marking your home:

Moving. Instinctively, a cat explores and marks a previously unknown territory as a cat, thus protecting it from the encroachments of other animals. In such a situation, it is worth being patient. Over time, she will calm down and the desire to mark will disappear.
Other cats leave marks on the front door. The problem often arises among owners of private houses. Foreign odors cause stress for your pet, prompting you to mark the furniture.
Crowded housing of a large number of animals in a cramped room. Cats are by nature territorial creatures: just as street fighters take their places in the hierarchy, so a pet will strive to win a place in the sun by marking the boundaries of its territory. The more living creatures per square meter of an apartment, the higher the likelihood of marks occurring.
Physical violence - when a cat is squeezed against its will, or, even worse, harsh methods of punishment are used for misdeeds. She is under constant stress, which prompts her to mark for self-soothing purposes. Owners are advised to reconsider their attitude and parenting methods.
Excessive spoiling of a pet is the other side of violence, when the cat’s misdeeds get away with it. Over time, the owners realize that it is time to start raising their pet. Punishment or refusal to do something, such as giving food from the table, can cause protest. She begins to aim to harm her owners.

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If a cat systematically marks, this should not go unnoticed. First of all, it is necessary to identify the reason for this behavior.

If your cat marks during heat, you should consult your veterinarian, he will suggest medications to suppress hormonal levels. It is strictly prohibited to abuse such substances; they have many side effects.
For preventive purposes, if the pet does not have breeding value, it is strongly recommended to sterilize it during puberty. The sooner this procedure is carried out, the greater the likelihood that the cat will stop marking after sterilization, but do not delude yourself, there are no guarantees.
The use of violence is highly discouraged. The best way to stop a cat from marking is to shout loudly, clap, or use a spray bottle inconspicuously. Punishments should be systematic and immediately after she has done something dirty. Otherwise they have no effect.

If a fresh tag is detected, it must be removed quickly and effectively. Rinse off the discharge with clean water, then wipe the area with a cloth and vinegar.

Acetic acid will help remove unpleasant odors, and its aroma will be irritating to the animal. You can secure the result with a veterinary spray to eliminate odors, or repellents such as antigadin.

In places where the cat has begun to mark, you can place cotton wool soaked in vinegar. However, many people do not like this smell, and it can be replaced with citrus or clove essential oil.

Such measures will help discourage the desire to label interior items in the apartment. The most important thing is to be patient, and the result will not keep you waiting.

Why does a cat mark territory?

There are several reasons why cats mark territory. And before moving directly to weaning, it is worth finding out why cats mark and eliminating this reason. Perhaps after this the problem will disappear by itself.

The cat sees some kind of threat to its territory. The culprit for this may be a new tenant - a person or an animal. Can a cat immediately understand how he will behave and whether he will conquer her favorite places? Of course not, so he marks them in advance. The problem can be solved simply - if you are planning to get a new pet, give it its place in the house in advance. And if you don’t get anyone, but the cat begins to mark, perhaps near your door or in another place, but so close that the cat felt it, a strange animal leaves marks. There is only one way out - drive away the “invader” and erase the marks.

Change of environment or other stress. If you moved or made repairs, or were absent for a long time (along with the cat), and then returned home, then she, of course, will begin to mark a new or well-forgotten old place for her. Stress is also the reason why a cat marks after sterilization. A trip to the veterinarian, the operation itself, then recovery - all this does not pass without leaving a mark on the nervous system, and in order to assert itself, to remind itself who is boss, the cat may begin to mark. Various animal sedatives can help here, or you can simply wait until the cat gets used to the new environment or condition.

The period of estrus or sexual heat, as well as simply if there is a sexually mature animal of the opposite sex somewhere nearby. In this situation, even cats are marked after sterilization or castration. It is a mistake to think that if you had an actively marking cat, after castration he will stop doing so; other measures will be required. It's the same with cats, usually they can make fairly weak marks and you may not even notice it, but during heat the cat marks especially strongly. Especially if, at this time, relatives are shouting invitingly under the window, and the cat not only hears them, but also feels how they feel her condition. At the same time, she is afraid that cats will lay claim to her territory, so she marks like a cat, marking her boundaries. The solution is to wean the animal off the bad habit when there are no possible sexual partners nearby.

If you are engaged in breeding and you have a stud cat, then the likelihood that he will mark the territory increases sharply, so these cats are often kept separately. But it is also likely that in the absence of competitors nearby and constant matings, the animal will not need marks at all.

How quickly does estrus return after childbirth?

About 64 days pass from the date of first mating to birth. Then the cat feeds the kittens; the duration of this period largely depends on the owners. 10-14 days after the end of lactation, estrus resumes.

Cat feeding kittens

The problem is that some lactating cats go into heat as early as 2 weeks after giving birth. If mating with the cat does not occur at this moment, then the cat begins to walk, as before, every 10-20 days.

If mating occurs, fertilization is unlikely due to the fact that the uterus has not yet recovered from childbirth. But mating during the next heat can be effective, so you can often see a nursing cat already pregnant with a new litter.

How to stop a cat from marking in the apartment

Instinct should be contrasted with a conditioned reflex, which is developed in the following ways:

punishment at the time of commission of the offense;
the leader puts his marks: sprays with a special Antigadin spray, a solution of citric acid, or perfume;
The owner distracts the pet with active games.

A reasonable solution is the use of phytoestrogens. Some felinologists believe that Kot Bayun or its analogues do not provide an immediate sedative effect. Plant steroids are structurally reminiscent of animal sex hormones, indicating that conception has supposedly occurred.

The cat experiences happy moments, it has the impression that mating has occurred, you can calm down and wait for the development of the pods.

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A cat drags kittens, hides them and moves them to another place: reasons, what to do, what can happen

The intensity of passions subsides and the heat comes to a happy end. And the owner gains experience in fighting the pet’s instincts.

Why doesn't castration or sterilization always solve the problem?

Sometimes a neutered cat marks its territory even after a long time after surgery. It continues to do this if:

was castrated in old age and leaving marks became his habit;
has such a feature as cryptorchidism, when one or both testicles are located not in the scrotum, as it should be normally, but in the groin area or abdominal cavity, and during the operation an inexperienced surgeon did not take this point into account;
there are other relatives in the home - a castrated animal still has to protect its personal boundaries.

Brief abstracts about estrus in cats: everything you need to know

A reminder for anyone who adopts a female kitten:

Features of behavior

Females start asking for a cat at around 6-9 months of age , this will also depend on the breed. If during the period of heat the cat asks for a male, and you plan to breed kittens, it is better to postpone mating until at least one and a half years. At too early an age, up to a year, cats do not always manage to produce healthy offspring.

Those owners who have not had cats before should know some of the peculiarities of the onset of estrus. During this period, not only physical but also psychological changes occur in the animal. Characteristic features include the following:

The animal's behavior changes suspiciously. The pet can be overly affectionate or overly aggressive.
“Cat songs” last a very long time and do not stop even at night. All this is accompanied by a loud, inviting meow.
Urination becomes more frequent.
The gait becomes unnatural: paws are bent and the tail is raised up.
Appetite decreases.
The pet begins to lick the genitals more often (due to discharge).
The animal may begin to mark its territory; sometimes the cat shits during heat, including on the bed.

It is worth noting that during heat, one or more of these signs may appear. This period rarely occurs without symptoms.