Heat, phase I

Before the female cat is fully in heat, she is in a stage called proestrus, or “preheat” you might say. During this time her owners might notice that she is more affectionate than usual, wanting to be petted more.

On the other hand, she may be more aggressive than usual, more inclined to bite or pounce. If there is a tomcat about, the female isn’t quite yet ready for mating, but she is willing to seriously flirt, rolling on the floor in front of the tom. Proestrus is brief, usually no more than a couple of days.