How far away can a male cat in heat find a female cat?

Pheromones can compel male cats to do serious prowling for a female cat. It should be mentioned that pheromones are not only connected to sexual arousal, but also behaviors like territorial respect, and alarm. It also cements the bond which exists between a baby and its mother. No wonder many science journals describe pheromone as a chemical which gets produced by one animal so that it could change the behavior of another animal belonging to the same species.

Pheromones

For cats, pheromones are vital. Felines have a superb sense of smell, and the pheromones act as a road map. It plays a much more important role than attracting the male species of the cat to the female one. The body of the female cat sends out certain chemicals when it is in heat. The male cats get the signal that she is available for mating. If the female cat gets pregnant, she stops sending out signals. It means a spayed cat will never send out signals.

Pheromones of male and female cats are different. It is possible to know a cat's gender and also location by the pheromones that can be scented in that area. Male cats routinely spray to tell other male cats who is the boss in that location. This is the reason one male cat will have choice of almost all females while other males look on helplessly.

Pheromones play a significant role in mother-baby bonding. The chemical present in the milk of the mother cat does not calm the kittens, it also gives a nice map of where to find their mother if they get separated. Synthetic pheromones are available in the market to calm down frightened kitties. It is clear that pheromones are vital to any cat's life-especially those who live outdoors.

Heat and spaying

Female cats reach maturity at around six months, and the estrus or "heat" cycle begins at this stage. During every breeding season, a female cat may go into her estrus cycle multiple times. The heat period lasts from a minimum of a day to about seven days. In-case the mating did not happen, the process will halt for one to two weeks, and the cycle restarts again. Only during this time, many male cats will appear at your house trying to mate with your female cat. When it comes to distance traveled, it is observed that male cats can recognize a female cat is in heat from as much as two miles distant. If you do not want to see, male cats sitting around expectantly in front of your house, spay your cat. If you do not spay your cat, be prepared to search homes for the kittens!