Can anyone help, please.

Dear friends,
I have a friend whose cat has just entered her first heat. Unfortunately the cat also has developed a bronchitis condition and recently the vet has her under treatment, so he prevented my friend from giving the cat anything to alleviate the heat symptoms. What can she do? I suppose there aren't many options but to "sit it out", are there...

Plus, today's Sunday and she's rather at the end of her chances to find a good veterinary shop open.

Maybe someone can give me a piece of advice?
Thank you so much,
Torbie.

IMO the best piece of advice would be for your friend to arrange to have the cat spayed as soon as possible after her bronchitis has been fully treated. Then neither your friend nor the cat will have to worry about "heat symptoms" in the future, not to mention the possibility of her becoming pregnant and bringing more cats into an already overcrowded world.

I assume she's had her heat unexpectedly early... some kittens have their first heat as early as 4 months. Most vets can be persuaded to spay cats at 4 months or even younger, as long as they are large and healthy--2 pounds or more.

This heat... well, all your friend can do is just wait it out, and hope she recovers in time to be spayed before her next heat. Advise him that she will be trying to get out and find a tom, and to make sure that she can't get outside--screens on windows have been known to be ripped apart by cat claws; some females will jump from second-story windows... they get pretty desperate when their hormones have hold of them.

Thank you so much for your useful advice, Callista. I didn't know that female cats can be so "desperate" to find a tom. This is very useful info to keep in mind.

My friend - and her cat - live in a small 8th-floor flat and there is no way the cat can go out.

BUT - ever since she had 2 very sad experiences (she lost her 2 previous cats because they did exactly that - they ripped the window screen and fell off from the 8th floor), she is determined to learn from her lessons. I dearly hope so, for her peace... and her cat's welfare!

Many thanks again. Apologies for not having got back sooner.

I forgot to add: this cat is about 7 months old.

My friend's previous ones - one was 4 months (and not in heat) when she died and I think the other one was older. She never mentioned exactly how old.