Expert: Jessica - 1/12/2010

Question
Our cat is 8 months and has been mostly an indoor cat.  She is not fixed yet.  My daughter noticed her yesterday, and I noticed her today meowing quietly, almost constantly.  She is standing on all fours but looks like she is squatting down on all fours.  Her belly (which does not look pregnant) is pressed to the floor and her butt is in the air. She does not sound like she is in pain, she is just making purr like meowing noises.  I have not noticed her ever in heat, I don't know what a cat acts like when they are in heat.  she has never done this before yesterday.  Hopefully you can help us understand her.  Thanks, Jeri

Answer
Hi Jeri.  You now know what a cat acts like when they are in heat!  Excessive meowing and squatting/raising her butt in the air are two major signs, and she is just the right age.  Some cats also will spray or urinate on things around the house, and they may roll around on the floor and be extra affectionate.  They may even lose appetite.  This lasts about 1-2 weeks.  Be sure to keep her away from any males!

Going into heat will increase your kitty's chances of developing mammary cancer later in life.  If you get her spayed before her next heat, you can greatly reduce this risk.  If she goes into heat again, her risk will triple, and if she goes into heat a third time, she will be almost 10 times as likely to develop mammary cancer than if she had been spayed before her first heat.  So ideally, call your vet and schedule an appointment for her to be spayed right away.  Since cats can go in and out of heat so frequently, vets will generally spay cats at any time, whether in heat or not.

Best wishes to you all!

Jessica