Your pet’s health

Why is my cat behaving so strangely?

Reader’s letter: "My young female cat, Jess, has started to behave very strangely in the last week. Up to this, she has been a normal, friendly kitten, but she is now almost constantly howling and she seems very restless. I have kept her indoors since we first got her, which was last August, as I thought she was too young to be out with the risks of traffic, other cats, dogs etc. Now, she is always trying to get outdoors and is scratching at windows/doors. Is she just sick of being in the house constantly and should I let her go outside? Is there any other explanation or solution to my problem?" from T.G. by e-mail.

Dear T.G.,you did not mention in your e-mail what age your cat is, but by deduction and the sudden, abnormal behavioural changes you describe, a simple explanation is that your cat has gone into heat, also called oestrus, meaning she is now showing signs of reproductive behaviour and is trying to attract a male to mate with. This usually happens for the first time between the age of 6 to 8 months, but can occur as early as 4 months old in some cases. It would also coincide with the time of year, as cats are long day breeders, meaning that they won’t go into heat when the days are getting shorter (i.e. September to December). Now that the days are getting longer, and "Jess" has gone into heat, she will have an oestrus cycle every 2 to 3 weeks, which will last for 5-7 days, on average.

When a female cat is in heat, she will be restless and agitated, and show continual squirming and rubbing herself against floors, objects, other cats and her owners. She will be unusually sociable and overly affectionate. The constant howling you described is known as "calling", a long, loud, plaintive howl, very different to normal vocalisation and purring. "Calling" lets male cats know she is in heat and will continue until she mates, or is neutered. There is a characteristic mating posture that she adopts, where she crouches on her front legs with her rear end raised, holding the tail to one side, and paddling her hindlegs.

There is considerable individual variation in the extent of the oestrus display. Some cats may spray urine on the floor, doors, wall etc., which attracts males through the scent hormones. If you let your cat go out when she is in heat, there is a very high chance she will mate and become pregnant. I would advise you to contact your vet to arrange for Jess to be neutered (spayed), after which she will not come into heat. Neutering also prevents health problems such as womb infections and malignant cancer of the mammary glands. Cats involved in reproductive behaviour run the risk of contracting serious diseases as tom cats will often bite the female, and transmit infections while doing so.