When do cats go into heat (i.e., what times of year)

Hey hey,

We still have some ferals out there, and I've been trying to catch them a few at a time. Some have gone missing, and I'm beginning to wonder if they're just missing or if they're pregnant and finding a place to nest.

When do cats go into heat and mate? Is it normally during the spring and summer, with less activity during the winter?

I would suspect that most winter kittens don't last long...

In Missouri, I can count on the first litter of kittens to be born somewhere between April 15th and the 30th. That puts them in their first Spring heat in Feburary (60 day gestation on the average).

The second round shows up around the fourth of July and the last litter shows up around labor day. I have had litters as late as October, but that is the exception.

My theory is that the spring litters are timed around the general consistent warm up period for your area.

We gear our spring TNRing to be done by mid-February here.