A queen's cycle is short enough that memory fails: 4 to 7 days of estrus, then 7 to 21 days of quiet, then another heat, on a 14 to 21 day loop for 6 to 9 months of the year. Four fields, filled in for 60 seconds a day, turn that loop into a chart you can read at a glance and hand to a vet. Without the chart, every conversation starts with about 3 weeks, I think.
The 4 fields are dates and duration, behavior score, weight, and vulvar discharge. Each one catches a different failure: a cycle that runs long, a heat that is silent, a queen that is losing weight while cycling, or an infection that looks like heat. Breeding plans built on these numbers still need professional assessment from a vet who has examined the queen.
Four numbers that define the cycle
A queen is seasonally polyestrous and responds to day length, so in the northern hemisphere heats cluster between February and September and stop for 4 to 5 months in late autumn. Within the season, estrus lasts 4 to 7 days, with 5 to 6 as the common figure. Interestrus is 7 to 21 days, usually 9 to 14. That makes a full loop 14 to 21 days, and a queen can run 3 to 5 loops before the season ends.
Two consequences follow. First, a gap of 30 days in the log is a real finding, not a quiet month. Second, because ovulation needs a stimulus, a queen that is never mated can cycle repeatedly without a luteal phase, which is why the log has to run for at least 8 weeks before any pattern is called. Pair it with vaccination timing so the 2 schedules line up.
The 4 fields, with the unit and the threshold
Record in a fixed order at a fixed time. The 06:00 slot works because behavior is at its most obvious after the night, and the queen is awake before the household.
| Field | Unit or format | Frequency | Read it as |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Dates | Day 0 = first day of calling; end date; duration in days | Once per cycle | Under 4 or over 10 days is a flag |
| 2. Behavior score | 0 to 3, from 5 fixed actions | Daily, 60 seconds | 2 or more for 2 days = estrus |
| 3. Weight | Grams, same scale, before first feed | Every 7 days | 5 percent drop in 14 days is a flag |
| 4. Discharge | Clear, cloudy, yellow, or blood; 1 to 3 volume score | Daily during heat | Yellow or cloudy past day 3 needs a vet |
Scoring behavior 0 to 3 in 60 seconds
Use 5 fixed actions rather than a general impression: vocal calling, rolling on the floor, treading with the back legs, holding the tail aside, and accepting pressure on the lower back. Score 0 if none appear, 1 for 1 to 2 actions, 2 for 3 actions, 3 for 4 to 5 actions plus a raised tail on approach. Two consecutive days at 2 or above is estrus; a single day at 1 is noise from a household event, a new cat, or a late meal.
The score matters more than the date, because a queen can be in estrus with no calling at all. Silent heats are common in long-haired queens and in cats living with other females, and they show up as a score of 2 with a normal interestrus gap of 14 to 18 days.
Why weight goes in the same row
Weigh weekly at 06:00, before food, on a 1 g scale. Normal fluctuation across a cycle is 50 to 100 g, so anything past 150 g in 7 days deserves a second weigh 3 days later. A queen that loses 5 percent of body weight over 14 days while still cycling is not a good candidate for any plan, and that single number is often the first sign of a problem that has nothing to do with reproduction. A weekly sheet for it is on the weight gain tracker.
Add one appetite cell next to the weight: grams of food eaten per day, estimated from a measured scoop. A drop from 60 g to 30 g with a score of 3 at the same time is a different picture from the same drop with a score of 0.
What the sheet looks like on paper
One row per day, 7 columns: date, behavior score, discharge score, food in grams, weight in grams, estrus day number, and a 1-line note. Print 8 weeks at a time, because a sheet that runs out on day 56 gets abandoned. On the wall next to the food bin beats an app that needs 3 taps at 06:00.
Mark day 0 in red. Day 0 is the first day of calling, not the first day you noticed, and not the first day of the previous cycle. Most counting errors in a log come from this one cell, and a 2-day error shifts every downstream interval.
Values that mean call the vet
Book an appointment, not another row, for: estrus lasting more than 10 days; a discharge that is yellow, cloudy, or bloody past day 3; a cycle shorter than 10 days, repeated twice; no heat for 60 days inside the season in a queen that previously cycled; weight loss of 5 percent or more in 14 days; or any fever above 39.5 C with a swollen abdomen. These are the entries where the log stops being a breeding tool and becomes a medical record.
Three mistakes that ruin the log
First, starting at day 1 instead of day 0, which throws every interval off by 1. Second, recording only dates and not the behavior score, which makes a silent heat invisible. Third, judging a pattern after 2 cycles: with a 14 to 21 day loop, 2 cycles is 4 to 6 weeks and cannot separate a normal pattern from a shortening one. Give it 8 weeks and 3 to 4 loops before drawing a conclusion.
Five steps to start today
- Print a 56-day sheet with the 7 columns above and put it where the food is kept.
- Fix the reading time at 06:00 and take 60 seconds for the 5-action score.
- Weigh every 7 days on the same 1 g scale, before the first meal.
- Mark day 0 in red and count estrus days from it, not from day 1.
- Review the sheet every 14 days and bring 8 weeks of it to any vet visit.
The log does not replace an exam or a diagnosis. It shortens the conversation, and in a species that hides reproductive disease well, 8 weeks of 1 line a day is the cheapest evidence you can collect.
Frequently asked
How long is a queen in heat, and how often does it repeat?
Estrus runs 4 to 7 days, most often 5 to 6, and interestrus runs 7 to 21 days, usually 9 to 14. That makes a full loop of 14 to 21 days, and a queen can complete 3 to 5 loops between February and September before the season ends.
What if my queen shows no calling at all?
Silent heats are common in long-haired queens and in cats housed with other females. Score the 5 fixed actions instead of listening for noise: rolling, treading, tail aside, back pressure, and vocalizing. A score of 2 or more for 2 days is estrus even in a quiet cat.
Which log entries mean I should see a vet?
Estrus longer than 10 days, discharge that stays yellow or cloudy past day 3, cycles shorter than 10 days twice in a row, 60 days without heat inside the season, or a 5 percent weight loss in 14 days. Those entries turn the sheet into a medical record.