February is the cheapest month to learn something about a cat, because nothing is acute yet. Queens are 4 to 8 weeks from the first full heat, flea eggs that survived winter wait for soil at 10 C, and calculus formed at age 2 is still 1 mm and still reversible. Three records kept for 4 weeks replace most of what a March visit would have to reconstruct.
Before the Heat Season: 3 Numbers to Record
A queen's first estrous cycle usually arrives between 4 and 12 months of age, and in the northern hemisphere the season runs from February or March to September, driven by day length past roughly 12 hours of light. Cycles repeat every 14 to 21 days, with 5 to 7 receptive days in each, and a queen that is calling for 10 days out of 21 is normal, not broken. Record 3 things daily: vulval swelling on a 0 to 3 scale, hours of calling, and food intake in grams. Those 3 numbers turn a vague "she has been yowling for weeks" into a dated curve a vet can read in 30 seconds.
Weight belongs in the same log, to 0.1 kg, because a queen should be at least 3 kg and in steady weight before any mating. If a litter is planned, the FeLV and FIV test goes 2 to 4 weeks before mating, vaccines 2 to 4 weeks before as well so immunity is rising but the cat is not sore, and a fecal check covers the 3 parasites that pass to kittens. If no litter is planned, the record still matters: a queen that cycles every 14 days without a break for 3 cycles is a candidate for spaying sooner rather than later, and each silent cycle raises the risk of mammary tumors later in life.
Flea Eggs: 95 Percent Are Not on the Cat
Only about 5 percent of a flea population is on the cat as adults; the other 95 percent is egg, larva and pupa in bedding, carpet edges and floor cracks. A female lays 20 to 50 eggs a day, each about 0.5 mm, and they fall off within 8 hours, which is why the cat can look clean while the floor is loaded. At 24 C and 70 percent humidity eggs hatch in 2 to 6 days; below 10 C development stops, which is exactly what February is doing — pausing the cycle, not ending it.
Pupae are the hard part: they survive 6 to 12 months in a cocoon and hatch when vibration and warmth announce a host, which is why a quiet room explodes with fleas the week a visitor arrives. Test the environment rather than the cat. Comb 3 passes along the spine onto white paper: 2 or more dark specks that turn red-brown when wet with a drop of water are flea dirt. Repeat weekly through February, and treat the floor, not just the cat, if the count rises. The month-by-month calendar at /seasonal/spring-flea-tick-calendar/ sets the treatment start date by soil temperature.
Calculus at 1 mm: The Weekly 6-Point Check
Calculus starts as plaque at the gum line within 24 to 48 hours of a meal and mineralises in 2 to 3 days; by age 3, most cats have some. The check takes 60 seconds and covers 6 points: both upper carnassials, both lower carnassials, and both canines, lifting the lip rather than prying the mouth. A 1 mm yellow line at the gum margin is early and reversible. A red line along the gum, a 1 mm gum recession, or a bad smell means gingivitis is already established and a dental visit is due, not a new toothbrush.
Brushing works at 3 sessions a week as a minimum and daily as the target, with a brush small enough for a cat's mouth and paste that does not need rinsing. Dental treats and water additives are supplements, not substitutes: they cut plaque maybe 20 to 30 percent, while brushing cuts it 60 to 70 percent. A cleaning under anaesthetic every 6 to 12 months is the usual interval for a cat with calculus, and pre-anaesthetic bloodwork adds 1 visit.
Cold Snap and Stiff Joints
February is also the month arthritis shows up as behaviour rather than limping. Below about 15 C, a cat with arthritic elbows or hips spends 1 to 2 more hours a day curled and stops using the high shelf it used in October. Watch 5 minutes a day at floor level: a cat that sits before lying down, lands heavily off a 40 cm chair, or misses the litter box by 10 cm is showing joint pain, not laziness. Warm bedding at 3 cm thick, a ramp to the favourite window, and a litter tray with a 5 cm low entry cover most of it; the flare protocol at /seasonal/seasonal-winter-arthritis-flare/ adds the 20-minute warm compress and the 15 C room rule.
February Weekly Checklist
| Item | Threshold | Frequency | See a vet when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estrous log, 3 values | cycle 14 to 21 days | daily, review every 7 days | calling over 21 days, pus on the vulva |
| Flea comb, 3 passes | 0 live fleas, under 2 specks | 2 times a week | pale gums, 3 or more fleas per pass |
| Teeth, 6 points | calculus under 1 mm | weekly, 60 seconds | red gum line, 1 mm recession, drooling |
| Weight | within 3 percent of baseline | every 14 days | 5 percent loss in 30 days |
| Joint watch, 5 minutes | jumps 40 cm without pause | daily at floor level | limping 48 hours, box misses |
| Litter and bedding wash | 60 C, full tray change | every 7 days | flea dirt returns within 3 days |
What February Saves and Costs
A spay at a low-cost clinic runs 60 to 150 USD; an emergency caesarean or a pyometra surgery runs 800 to 2,500 USD, and pyometra is the reason an unspayed queen's irregular cycle is a medical question, not a scheduling one. A dental cleaning with bloodwork is 300 to 700 USD, and an extraction adds 150 to 400 USD per tooth. A 3-month flea product for 1 cat is 45 to 90 USD, while treating a house infestation with sprays and repeat vacuuming lands at 200 to 500 USD. The February exam itself, at 60 to 90 USD, is the cheapest line in that list, and the numbers are collected at /tools/cost/.
Four Moves for the First Week
- Start the 3-value log tonight: swelling score, calling hours, grams eaten.
- Comb 3 passes onto white paper and write the speck count on the same page.
- Lift the lip at 6 points, photograph the gum line, and book the dental if it is red.
- Move a warm bed to the floor and add a 5 cm low-entry tray before the next cold night.
February rewards 4 weeks of writing things down: a cycle of 14 to 21 days, 20 to 50 eggs a day falling off the cat, 1 mm of calculus at the gum line, and 15 C as the point where stiff joints start to show. None of those needs a diagnosis to record, and all 4 change what March costs.
Terms mentioned in this article
Frequently asked
How often does a queen come into heat, and when does the season start?
Cycles repeat every 14 to 21 days, with 5 to 7 receptive days each, and the season usually opens in February or March once daylight passes roughly 12 hours and runs to September. A first cycle can arrive anywhere from 4 to 12 months of age. Log swelling, calling hours and food intake daily, because a dated curve tells a vet more than a description of weeks of yowling.
If I only see a few fleas, why do I need to treat the whole house?
Because about 95 percent of the population is off the cat as egg, larva and pupa, and one female lays 20 to 50 eggs a day that drop within 8 hours. Pupae survive 6 to 12 months in a cocoon and hatch when warmth and vibration signal a host. Comb 3 passes onto white paper weekly, and if the specks return within 3 days, treat floors and bedding as well as the cat.
How do I check for dental disease without stressing the cat?
Lift the lip at 6 points for 60 seconds a week: both upper carnassials, both lower carnassials and both canines. A 1 mm yellow line at the gum margin is early and reversible, while a red gum line, 1 mm of recession or a bad smell means gingivitis is established and a dental visit is due. Brushing 3 times a week cuts plaque by 60 to 70 percent, where dental treats manage 20 to 30 percent.