The very short answer to this often asked question is no. However, male cats can display some loud and wacky behavior when a female cat is in heat nearby.
The male or tomcat (meaning he is not neutered) will react to the female or queen (meaning a non-spayed female) with loud vocalization to attract her to him.
What Causes Male Cats to Act Like They Are in Heat?
Your male cat smells secretions at a certain time in the cycle of a female cat and his reaction is to vocalize loudly in hopes of attracting her for a mate.
Just as animals in the wild attract mates by bird dancing and stomping, deer that snort and fight, and other animals that fight with the winner securing the mate.
The wild female will accept the winner of a fight as her mate as she sees him as the stronger and more suitable to have babies with, therefore creating stronger offspring. Cats react pretty much in the same manner.
When Does a Male Cat Start Acting Like This?
A male feline will start acting out when a female is in heat when he reaches maturity and is able to sire offspring.
This time varies in cats, as it does in humans. It is usually around six months of age when he will start to notice the queens around him.
What Are Signs Of a Male Cat During Heat?
Male and female cats act very differently when the female is in heat. If you have an indoor cat, you will definitely notice the signs when a female is in heat.
If you have both a male and female cat inside that are sexually intact, you will really notice a lot of activity from both cats.
Male cats vocalize a LOT when a female is in heat. They make yowling and hissing noises to attract a mate, but it can be extremely annoying inside of your home as well as outside.
With a male and female inside your home, it can start to drive you batty, to say the least, but this period doesn’t last very long.
Males also scent marks both inside and outside of the home.
They will spray urine to mark areas as their own and to ward off other cats.
When another male cat smells your male cat’s urine marks, he knows that he is trespassing, but that doesn’t indicate that the other male cat will leave if it’s outside.
If you have a litter box inside for your male cat, he will likely start urinating outside of the litter box at this time.
If there are numerous male cats around a female in heat, your male will become aggressive in order to win her affection.
Males fight for female attention and it’s never advised to have more than one intact male cat inside your home. When a male is aggressive, he may also lash out at his human family, so beware when he shows signs of aggression and aggravation.
Male cats will also scratch a lot more when a female nearby is in heat. They may use the scratching post for an inside kitty or they may be quicker at scratching a family member as well as your furniture and carpet.
When Do Male Cats Act Out as if in Heat?
A male cat will act out in this manner when a female is nearby and is in heat. Female cats may have their first heat anywhere from 5 to 10 months of age. Female cats have repeated heat cycles for over a years time.
Their hormones are stimulated by longer hours of daylight of at least 12 hours for outdoor cats, making the female begin her oestrus cycle.
In the northern hemisphere, this equates to the mating season as being from March to September. Indoor cats that are in artificial light may come into heat all year round.
How Long Does a Feline Heat Cycle Last?
If a female cat in heat mates, her signs of heat will only last from 1 to 2 days of ovulation afterward.
If she doesn’t mate, she will be in heat for about 7 days, but this can also last anywhere from 2 to 19 days.
The heat cycle can then be reset every 2 to 3 months. This can be quite a few times a year when a female is in heat and can make your male cat very loud and aggressive.
What are Cat Heat Phases?
A cat has five phases during a heat cycle. The first phase is proestrus which only lasts 1 to 2 days and it makes no changes in behavior for her or the male cat. Estrus is the heat stage which averages 7 days.
This is when the male cat smells the female cat and starts his behavior as if he is in heat. The female may be very receptive to males at this time and she can get pregnant.
Interestrus lasts 13 to 18 days and this is only a phase if the cat doesn’t get pregnant while in heat.
Diestrus is when a cat has produced eggs while mating with a male cat. Anestrus is the absence of any type of heat cycle and then the cycle will repeat itself again.
What are The Signs of Females in Heat and Males’ Actions?
The queen displays several signs that she is in heat, as does the male when he smells her. A female feline will constantly vocalize loudly.
She will also roll around a lot, and show increased affection for humans. She may spray urine and scratch at doors and windows to go outside. When she’s receptive to breeding, she will lift her hindquarters upward and flag her tail.
Tomcats have some of the same signs of being in the heat too. They vocalize loudly and often, spray urine and try to escape out of the house in any way they can to reach a queen by her scent that is outside.
Males are very aggressive at this point in time and this is the main difference between males and females in heat-related actions.
Can I Control The Male Cat’s Behavior?
The best way to control this crazy and whacko behavior in a male cat is to get him neutered. You should make an appointment with your vet to have him neutered as soon as it’s possible.
First, he needs to be old enough at about 6 months old when he reaches puberty. Waiting too long afterward may not help much with the symptoms.
A neutered cat won’t pay attention to females in heat and you won’t hear all the vocalizing, see aggression and have your home destroyed in the meantime. It also helps cats to be more healthy and have less chance of becoming ill from diseases if they are neutered.
How to Keep My Sanity at This Point in Time
If you have both a male and a female in the home and both are intact, you can separate the two into different areas of the home so they can’t reach each other if you don’t want them to breed. This will, however, not cut down on their behaviors. It will only keep them from breeding.
If you have a male cat inside, you can add many layers of newspaper or paper bags around the litter box to catch the extra urine spray. There are also cat deterrents to spray on your nice furniture so your male cat doesn’t shred your seating.
If you only have a female cat inside that is in heat, you can surround the litter box with extra newspapers or paper bags as well to help with cleanup. You will actually find your female to be very loving and affectionate when she is in heat.
No matter if your inside cat is a male or a female, you should take the greatest care not to let them outside when a female is in heat. Some males can injure the females when breeding and other males can seriously injure your male when a female nearby is in heat.
If you don’t want kittens, you should spay your females and neuter your male cats. It’s a proven fact that this will reduce the risk of cancer, tumors, and life-threatening diseases. Your cats will also be less likely to escape the house and roam around while possibly being injured outdoors.
Spayed and neutered felines live a much longer and happier life as well, so your furry friend will be part of your family for years to come.
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