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First-time cat owners are often alarmed when they hear their female cats in heat howling loudly. If you have a female cat and wonder if she’s in pain when in heat, the answer is no. Cats do not feel pain when in heat, but they may feel some slight discomfort and agitation.
The howling noise a cat makes while in the heat cycle is not done out of pain but to attract a potential suitor. On top of being more vocal than usual, a cat in heat may be more affectionate, too. You may notice your female cat in heat wants to be on your lap a lot or is spending a lot of time rubbing up against your leg. Other behaviors you may see in a cat in heat include:
- Restlessness
- Crawling along the ground while howling
- Frequent cleaning of her private areas
- Trying to escape the house to get outside
- Urinating to mark her territory
These are all normal behaviors during the heat cycle. Some cats refuse to eat, so don’t worry if your cat loses her appetite while in heat.
The Basics of the Cat Heat Cycle
Female cats have a heat cycle that’s also called estrus. Unlike a female human who sheds the uterine lining during her period, a cat reabsorbs the old uterine lining rather than bleeding it out. You may see a small amount of blood during a cat’s heat cycle, so don’t panic if you do because it is normal. What you’re more likely to see are the behaviors discussed above.
A cat’s heat cycle lasts about three weeks. During this time, she is receptive to mating for about one week. During that week, she works hard to gain the attention of male cats, displaying the behaviors above.
A female cat can mate several times during estrus and have kittens from different fathers. Maybe you’ve seen a litter of kittens that don’t look anything alike. Perhaps they had different coat colors and different hair lengths. The mother of those kittens likely mated with more than one male during her heat cycle, resulting in the vast differences between her babies.
Dealing With a Female Cat in Heat
Even though the heat cycle is perfectly normal and something you should expect if you don’t have your female cat spayed, estrus can be a difficult time for you.
Surely, you don’t want to listen to nonstop howling or watch behavior you don’t find particularly appealing like your cat constantly cleaning her genitals. Here are a few ways to distract or calm your cat to make the heat cycle more tolerable for you and your feline friend.
- Keep your female away from male cats
- Give your cat some catnip
- Play with your cat
- Hold your cat and pet her
- Give your cat synthetic cat pheromones
Consider Spaying Your Female Cat
Spaying is a common term for the surgery involved in sterilizing a female cat. If you don’t plan on mating your female cat and want to get her spayed, that’s great! Spaying reduces the risk of ovarian and uterine cancers and prevents unplanned pregnancies.
What Are the Signs of Pain in Cats?
Now that you know cats are not in pain when in heat, you may be interested in learning some signs indicating that your cat is in pain. Cats that are sick or injured often display telltale behaviors that indicate they’re feeling pain. Some of these behaviors include:
- Lack of appetite
- Lethargy
- Disinterest in playing or being social
- Hiding
- Sensitivity to touch
- Reduction in movement
- Increased irritability
- Urgent-sounding meowing, groaning, hissing, or growling
- Decreased amount of self-grooming
If you suspect your cat is in pain, contact your veterinarian immediately. Tell your vet why you think your cat is feeling pain, and explain the behaviors you’re observing. Your vet will likely want to see your cat to conduct a thorough examination.
Conclusion
Even though your female cat may seem to be in pain during estrus by howling loudly, it is not the pain causing her to make that noise. Cats howl while they’re in heat to attract males. Cats go into heat several times a year, and if you can’t stand the noise and don’t want kittens, get your cat spayed as soon as possible.
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Featured Image Credit: rihaij, Pixabay
