Yes, even though male cats do not experience a ‘heat cycle,’ the question of how to calm “a male cat in heat” is one are asked in our veterinarian practice and we answer it frequently. The truth, this is actually a misuse of the term ‘in heat’, since only female cats go into heat. Male cats are ready to mate at all times. But fair enough, the language is okay for everyday conversation. A better question than “do male cats go into heat” is why is my male cat going crazy?
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How to calm a male cat during mating season
Do male cats go into heat? Despite your male cat acting crazy like he is in heat, the short answer is, Despite your male cat acting crazy like he is in a heat cycle, the short answer is, male cats do not go into heat cycles like their female cat counterparts. That’s the good news. However, your boy cat’s behavior can make him seem like an insatiable maniac. When “Mr. Fluffy” loses his cool, it is because a nearby female cat is in her heat cycle.
In this article you will find out how can you deal with a male cat when females around are in heat and his sexual arousal becomes more than you can stand.
Table of contents
- 7 Steps to calm a male cat in heat
- Step 1. Neutering your male cat
- Step 2. Modify your cat’s daily regimen
- Step 3. Exercise your cat during the day
- Step 4. Enrich your cats environment
- Step 5. Implement scheduled feeding times
- Step 6. Get a treat ball for your cat
- Step 7. Visit your veterinarian
When we consult with our patients, the first thing we want to do is eliminate other medical conditions that could be affecting your male cats behavior. Please make sure you are not mistaking something else for ‘heat’ symptoms;
- Excessive vocalization.
- Begging to go out.
- Expressing more affection than usual toward humans and other pets.
- Mounting behavior. As this is not always associated with sexual arousal in an unneutered male cat..
Other explanations include illness, feelings of stress, or insecurity. If your male cat is engaging in such behaviors, then you should definitely take him to your Veterinarian to rule out illness, stress, or other medical conditions.
7 Steps to Calm a Male Cat in Heat
So let’s say your male cat (who acts like being ‘in heat’) is sexually excited because it’s spring. Spring is mating season and the neighborhood’s full of female cats that have reached sexual maturity. Or you have one or more female cats in your home. What is a cat lover to do?
Step 1. Neutering your male cat.
This is the best way to ensure your male four legged fur baby won’t be driven crazy by the calls made by females in heat. If limiting the number of “cat calls” from the feline girls is out of your control (e.g., your neighbor refuses to spay their female cat or female cats just happen to be everywhere), your little boy is likely to be restless much of the time. This is because a female cat can have an estrus cycle every 2 to 3 weeks.
Step 2. Modify your cat’s daily regimen.
If neutering is out of the question and you can’t stop females from exciting your carpet tiger, your best bet is to learn to live with his behavior. If you find this is simply impossible, below are a few minor changes you can make to your tom’s daily activities that might curb his “enthusiasm”.
Breeding season thankfully is limited to certain times of the year. That is because domestic cats do not have an estrous cycle during the winter. That’s because they need at least 12 hours of daylight for this an estrus cycle to occur. For more information, please see our recent post on Why cats don’t go in heat during winter.
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Step 3. Exercise your cat during the day.
Cats aren’t that different from us humans. One of the best ways not to think about sex is to do something else so fun and exhausting you’re simply too tired even to contemplate “doing the naughty.” Playing is like hunting for cats, and in nature cats devote a significant amount of time to it. If you are able to devote even a fraction of that time to playing with your indoor cat, he’ll be much, much calmer during heat season. You can learn more about the benefits of playing from our page on the positive effect that playing has on cats. Give your male cat something that lets them release their sexual energy while calming them with a scratch pad with catnip. We have found this Catti Cat Scratcher Board with Catnip worked very well with our male.
Step 4. Enrich your cat’s environment.
Create elevated space (cat trees, perches, shelves) and hiding spots (boxes, curtains, plants, gaps between sofas and walls) and provide play opportunities (bouncy balls, fake mice, toys hung in doorways). Providing you cat with a rich, stimulating environment will allow him to express his natural cat urges in appropriate times and places, and this, in turn, will reduce restlessness and inappropriate behavior. You can learn more about environment enrichment for cats here
Step 5. Implement scheduled feeding times.
What does food have to do with Don Gato’s longing for Miss Fluffy White? Well, as they say, the fastest way to a man’s (or cat’s) heart is through his stomach. But seriously, if your cat always wakes up to a full bowl, he’s spending zero energy on feeding himself and can use that unspent energy for reproduction and mating purposes (even if the object of his affections is your leg or favorite blanket). This is a dilemma wild animals face every day; they can’t focus on both food and reproduction, so it’s a split of energy between the two (there is also stayin’ alive procedures to focus on, but we’re not suggesting your cat needs those). If your cat’s food comes at zero cost of energy, he has 100% of energy to spend on mating behaviors-and you do not want that. Especially when females around are in heat.
Step 6. Get a treat ball for your cat.
Combine play and feeding by giving your cat one meal (or all of them) using a treat ball. These devices, which can be filled with your cat’s favorite treats or regular food, offer a great way to tucker out your feline friend because food pieces are only delivered one by one as long as the cat keeps playing. Not only does this take time away from responding to female cats’ calls, then; it can also help turn a tubby kitty into the picture of health.
Step 7. Visit your veterinarian.
There are medicines available to calm excessively restless cats, though this shouldn’t be considered a panacea for mating-season kitty calming, and no medication should ever be used without a veterinarian’s guidance. Remember, heat usually last a long time, and, if your neighborhood has many cats, you can expect at least one female nearby to be in heat for the whole summer.
The above tips should help you get a handle on kitty’s untoward behavior, but as a final note, if you have both male and female cats living in your home, you should physically separate your male and female cats immediately. In fact, if you have a female cat in heat under the same roof as a male cat you should physically separate your cats as soon as you notice the first signs that your cat is in heat. This is the most effective way to avoid unwanted kittens.
The above tips should help you get a handle on kitty’s untoward behavior, but as a final note, if you have both male and female cats living in your home, you should physically separate your male and female cats immediately. In fact, if you have a female cat in heat under the same roof as a male cat you should physically separate your cats as soon as you notice the first signs that your cat is in heat. This is the most effective way to avoid unwanted kittens.
If you plan to breed your female, arrange the mating as soon as you can, but if you don’t plan to do so, you should either spay her or ask your vet for medication to temporarily end her heat cycle. If even this is out of the question, your only option is to take one of the cats to another house until the female is no longer in heat. Consequently, spaying or neutering your pet(s) is highly recommended.
This article is part of our series on cats in heat.
