Summer may be over, but the weather is still warm and all the cute kittens born since spring are at risk of making more kittens before you know it!
Did you know that cats can go on heat as early as four months old? They can also continue to cycle in and out of heat every two to three weeks. Signs your cat is on heat include:
- Vocalisation – this is loud!
- Spraying urine
- Excessive grooming
- Overly affectionate
- Loss of appetite
- Lordosis (taking up the mating position)
- Restlessness
- Wanting to go outdoors
- Crawling lowly on the ground.
Vocalisation may actually be enough to prompt many owners to seek veterinary advice as it is loud and incessant. However, the most important reason to get your cat desexed isn’t for the inconvenience – it’s to prevent more kittens!
When we have unseasonably warmer weather kittens go into heat younger and their little bodies cannot handle pregnancy well. This is harmful for both your kitten and any offspring she may have. Older cats may be physically capable of carrying a pregnancy well, but breeding cats for the sake of breeding them is irresponsible to the environment and can become very costly. RSPCA Victoria recommends that breeding cats is best left to registered breeders to prevent a feline population explosion and unwanted kittens.
