When a cat reaches sexual maturity, something that usually happens at the early age of 5-6 months, sometimes even earlier, it will continue to behave like a puppy most of the time, but especially at nightfall it will ask us to Let's open the door for you so you can go find a partner.
Once you leave the house, you can go a long way to find a mate. If we want to avoid it, it is very important that we know how to control a cat's heat.
Neutering your cat so that it does not have heat
Is the best option. Having your sex glands removed (uterus and ovaries in cats, and testicles in cats) jealousy and associated behaviors are completely eliminated. This means that, after the operation, he will not want to go out (or not to go looking for a partner 😉) and, if we let him go, he will not be far from home. In addition, both males and females will be able to rest whenever they want, as they will not spend time desperately meowing or fighting with other cats.
Don't let it go out on the street
A cat that is in heat is a cat that should not go outside. The risk of having an accident, getting lost and not knowing how to return, and even of having his own life threatened is very high, much more than in the case of a cat that has been neutered. For this reason, if you see that your cat has suddenly become much more affectionate than normal and has begun to rub against everything when she did not before, or if your cat does everything possible to want to go out, it is a good time to consider castration.
Contraceptive drugs for cats
If you have a cat, you've probably heard of birth control pills or injections. These are made based on progestin, which is a synthetic drug that prevents the appearance of heat, and therefore also ovulation. They must be prescribed by a veterinarian, who will tell you the days and how long the treatment should last. It is extremely important that you follow their instructions to the letter, since these drugs have side effects that can be very serious for the cat, as they are, among others:
- Increases the risk of breast and uterine cancer
- Loss of hair
- Increased appetite
- Increased risk of uterine infections or pyometra
- Possible diabetes
Because of that, they are not a definitive solution.
Zeal, if we do not want to raise our cat, is not something that is necessary. As we have seen, it can have very serious consequences if we let it go outside. Let's avoid them.