me and my wife struggle to detect if our youngest cat is in heat or not.

She usually call for us when she think shes alone, often during the morning, she does the same now but a bit more, she usually come running meowing when she sees us, now she just sit still and keep meowing a bit but not as much.

The vet said it will be very obvious,i thought so too but now idk.

Shes 7 months old.

I work in animal care and can confirm you will definitely know when she is in heat, it will be deeper meowing, almost howl-like. Strange exhibited behaviors like arching rear up in the air more frequently, pacing in rooms excessively, being 'extra' lol i.e. more affectionate than usual or more pissy than usual - and other potential behavioral things like possibly urinating away from the litter box, etc.

In my opinion just sounds like she is developing her character/personality and maturing. I recommend having her spayed around the 8 month mark if you haven't planned that already.

hey. since you are in animal care i got a question.

a barn cat or basically a cat with no home has been coming by my house every once and a while. it recently seems to have a sinus type infection. eyes barely open and maybe breathing issues. cant get close to really tell. is there some kind of cat antibiotic that i can get without a vet?

also is that something that can be contagious for my cats?

Tough to say for sure, it definitely could be something that might be transmissible to your cats - there are a variety of nasty diseases associated with unvaccinated outdoor felines especially feral cats. It also depends if yours is vaccinated too as it significantly helps with prevention of transmission.
That being said, it's also very likely it could be something as simple as your average upper respiratory infection / seasonal allergies.
I doubt your local vet would give antibiotics without seeing the animal, but if you're able to capture it and bring it in they may help you treat it - you'd have to call them and ask.
Some rescues will also help with basic vaccinations, basic medications, and in some cases low-cost spay/neuter clinics too so you could reach out and try and get more information.

She is more affectionate , she claw carpets in different rooms (i guess to spread her smell)
she have deeper meowing but often its the normal tone, she never really arch her back like i remember cats i had before used to do, its so hard to tell on her but im pretty sure shes in heat now, shes just too low iq to actually show it like other cats, shes extremely low iq (she cant climb good, falls from everywhere, doesnt land on feet) simply a dumb cat

When my cat was in heat, it was very obvious. In all honesty if you're planning to have her spayed, do it before she goes into heat. She'll be more resistant to getting the surgery and the surgery has a lower chance of success!

I waited too long to get my cat spayed and I regret it because I had to watch her be in discomfort for a few months :(

Why can't you just spay or neuter her? Or are you hoping to have kittens.