Spayed cat in heat??

Okay here's the history, long story short. Pregnant stray shows up on doorstep. We took her in, she had 4 kittens, we gave 3 away and kept one. She went into heat when the kittens were 8 weeks old, but vet wouldnt spay until 12 weeks. So that heat cycle was a nightmare because we couldnt let her outside and she wouldn't stop calling . But, we survived it and had her spayed 12 weeks postpartum.

Current situation: Kitty has now been spayed for over a month.....but for the past week, she's been acting like she is in heat! She is very, very affectionate and will not stop the cat calling. Her behavior is exactly like is was during her last heat cycle. Is this normal? What is going on??

My cat was spayed and 10 months later went into heat. She then went into heat 2 more times in the next year. Finally the vet agreed to exploratory and they found a tissue growth that was confirmed as ovarian. (here is a thread about it: http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=170013)

So there is a possibility they left some tissue in there. My question to you is....are you sure she is in heat? Besides the howling and affection, does she have discharged? IS she sticking her butt in the air (and in people's face) with her tail to the side? There might be other reasons for her calling and affection (she misses her kittens?, another illness?), I really couldn't tell you what else it could be. But see if she has other heat signs and also give a call to your vet to she what they say. It took me almost a year to convince my vet that Roxy was in fact in heat!!!

I agree there is prob tissue left in her.

Wow, Roxsam, I just read thru your thread and I have never even heard of this! I don't know about her discharge, but she is definitely doing the butt thing, even to the dog. What should I be looking for when I try (emphasis on try) to check her discharge?

I HATE the idea of taking her back for surgery. She is a former stray and gets really anxious in the carrier/at the vet. A few questions, if anyone knows.

Even if ovarian tissue or an extra ovary was left behind, her uterus is gone so she can't get pregnant, right?

Assuming she can't get pregnant, would there be any harm in leaving the tissue/ovary there? Aside from the annoying heat cycles that is...would there be a medical reason to remove it?

Thanks for any advice!

Yes, Rotobay, it is rare but can happen!! As far as discharge...when Roxy was in heat she was always wet down there If yours is propositioning the dog (lol, mine did that too!) then she is probably in heat! The vets can take vaginal samples from her to confirm that she is in heat.

Besides the heat cycle being very annoying (and disrupting your sleep!) it can also cause health problems on the cat! Each heat cycle the cat goes through puts her more at risk for different diseases(not too sure what, cancers I think, a lot of people on TCS can tell you though) and I believe it also can shorten their life span. While she cannot get pregnant I would recommend taking her in to the vet as that would be best on her and her health! Oh, and I did NOT get charged for them to go in and do exploratory!

Okay, Roxsam, I think this is exactly what is happening with my cat. But I just spoke to the vet and they are telling me it is impossible......not rare, but impossible! They said there is no such thing as a spaying that "doesn't take" and they're acting like they think I'm some kind of nut! What do you think I should do? Should I push it with that vet or find someone new?

Also, I didn't feel any wetness when I tried to check for discharge. I actually think this heat cycle is over --it started about a week ago, and she's stopped the constant calling and propositioning. So should I wait for another heat cycle?? Or is there some kind of test that can be done when she's no longer in heat?

Thanks for any advice!!

Originally Posted by Rotobay

Okay, Roxsam, I think this is exactly what is happening with my cat. But I just spoke to the vet and they are telling me it is impossible......not rare, but impossible! They said there is no such thing as a spaying that "doesn't take" and they're acting like they think I'm some kind of nut! What do you think I should do? Should I push it with that vet or find someone new?

Also, I didn't feel any wetness when I tried to check for discharge. I actually think this heat cycle is over --it started about a week ago, and she's stopped the constant calling and propositioning. So should I wait for another heat cycle?? Or is there some kind of test that can be done when she's no longer in heat?

Thanks for any advice!!

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Some vets merely tie tubes...saves time and effort, sad but true. When she's in lordosis, take her to the vet then...they can't deny THAT symptom. Make sure they do the exploratory op and if the have to correct it) for free!

Originally Posted by Abymummy

Some vets merely tie tubes...saves time and effort, sad but true. When she's in lordosis, take her to the vet then...they can't deny THAT symptom. Make sure they do the exploratory op and if the have to correct it) for free!

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OK I may be stupid here, but why would a vet just tie the tubes? Even a bad vet. The cat would still go into the heat cycle as ovulation is not triggered until mating occurs. What good does that do except to prevent pregnancy, which is not the only reason to spay a cat.

Originally Posted by Rotobay

Okay, Roxsam, I think this is exactly what is happening with my cat. But I just spoke to the vet and they are telling me it is impossible......not rare, but impossible! They said there is no such thing as a spaying that "doesn't take" and they're acting like they think I'm some kind of nut! What do you think I should do? Should I push it with that vet or find someone new?

Also, I didn't feel any wetness when I tried to check for discharge. I actually think this heat cycle is over --it started about a week ago, and she's stopped the constant calling and propositioning. So should I wait for another heat cycle?? Or is there some kind of test that can be done when she's no longer in heat?

Thanks for any advice!!

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She's probably over her cycle and that's why there is no wetness. You never know when her next cycle may be (at least I didnt for Roxy, it didn't happen again for a LONG time again!). My vets also initially thought I was a complete nut! Kept asking me what she was doing over and over and then would say "well it does sound like she is in heat"...well YES she is, that's what I told you! lol!!!)

If she is not in a heat cycle you cannot do a definitive diagnosis to figure out if she was in heat. It certainly is NOT impossible!! It can happen with anything you remove (ovaries, cancer, etc) if you leave as much as ONE cell behind, over time it can regrow and cause symptoms again. In your case, since she went into heat so fast, I would think they left in a little more than just one cell! As far as them tying the tubes...if they told you it was impossible that she went into heat than they obviously did more than just tied them.

I would call your vet again (did you actually talk to a vet?) or stop by, and talk to the vet who did the surgery. Ask what type of spay they did, explain again what your cat was doing and ask if there is a possibility that some tissue was left behind. Also add you do know for a fact that this has happened to someone's cat!! If the vet says there is no way and does not want to do anything about it next time she is in heat then get copies of her chart and start calling around other vets. (For the record, my vet did not want to believe it either but did at least ask to see her and do tests. NONE of which I paid for!). IF she does say this is a possibility, ask her what and when they will do something about it.
If you are not satisfied with any of the vet's responses I would start to look for another vet. And get copies of her charts regardless, just in case when she goes in heat again your vet decided not to help. Have a backup vet lined up (maybe call around now to see if any of them would believe you and help you) so you can get her in somewhere when you need to. For exploratory on a spayed cat in heat, time is of the essence as the cycle is not very long...you need to get in confirmation tests and surgery completed before the cycle is up!

Let me know if you need anything. I know how frustrating the situation can be!!

Thank you all for all the great advice. This was the first adult intact cat I've ever had so this stuff is all new to me.

I will call the vet as soon as they open, but to answer your question, Rox, yes I did speak directly to the vet. I called him the second day of this heat cycle and he was thoroughly dismissive. But I will be much more insistent this time, now that I know it can happen.

But I have one more potential clue and would love some input. When Kitty went into heat when the kittens were 8 weeks old, the vet told me he wouldn't spay her until 12 weeks because her milk supply would dry up (she was still nursing). BUT she has now been spayed for over a month and she is still lactating (and the 4+ month old kitten, even tho she looks full grown, is still nursing). So if ALL of her ovarian tissue had been removed, would she still be able to produce milk?

Thank you for any and all replies.

Our Ling was spayed twice. She was spayed at about 8-9 months old cause she came into heat early and I had to reschedule. About a year later (when we moved), she came back into full heat!

I called the vet who did her and explained the situation and told them that if she had to be opened up again, they should cover the cost as she had been spayed once. They questioned me if I was sure...I told them "yes, she's in heat - I bred cats, I know when cats are in heat"!

After 2 weeks they agreed to split the cost of respaying her and when she was opened up again, the vet found a cyst growing in the overy area which was causing the symptoms - she even filmed this as this was the 1st time this happened. She hasn't been in heat since

Your cat may have a cyst too as another possiblity.

Originally Posted by Trillcat

OK I may be stupid here, but why would a vet just tie the tubes? Even a bad vet. The cat would still go into the heat cycle as ovulation is not triggered until mating occurs. What good does that do except to prevent pregnancy, which is not the only reason to spay a cat.

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Simply because some vets are bad and are crooks.

Well I took Kitty in for a physical exam today and the vet tech was able to express milk from her nipples. So the vet finally acknowledged that there is probably ovarian tissue left behind or her milk would have dried up.

Oh and they did do a hysterectomy (not a tube tye) so she definitely cannot get pregnant.

Now I have to weigh the choices and determine what to do: leave things as they are and let her have her heat cycles for life or let them do exploratory surgery on her.

If anyone knows the risks of leaving the ovarian tissue behind, can you please advise? TIA

Thanks to everyone for all the info. It is much appreciated.

I'm not sure but I think I'd just have them open her again. Leftover tissue could cause problems or early cancer. And besides, do you honestly want the cat to be coming in and out of heat all the time and being miserable?

I have a Cat that could not be fixed and she still goes in heat even though she is almost 16.5 years old.
My Stripe was fixed and she had borerline breast cancer.
They had to remove a breast and it came back a month later.
After that she was fine until she got Crf.
Do you want to hear the screaming when she is in heat?
My Coco is part siamese and she can be so loud.
Thank God she isnt in heat that often anymore.

No I definitely don't want the annoying heat cycles. I just feel so bad having to crate her up again and take her to the vet. She is a former stray and that makes her really anxious.

But if there IS a cancer risk, then its a no-brainer. My vet said there is no cancer risk, but he is also the one who told me that it was impossible for her to have been in heat after being spayed.

Maybe there is some pill I could get to calm her down. I tried Feliway spray last time but it didn't seem to help at all.

Funny how quickly you forget things. I was about to lose my mind last week from all the calling and almost forgot how unbearable that was. Thanks for the reminder!

Glad you took her in and glad they are helping you. I think letting do an exploratory would be best for you and for her. Make sure they do it when she is in heat though as then they can see where the blood flow is going so the tissue can be removed(now I am not sure that is the only way to do it but it makes sense to me and that's when they did it to Roxy).

As far as the stress of the carrier, Not sure what you can give to calm her but I'm sure there is something. I would never let the fear of my cat being stressed stop me from something that will benefit her health, so I say go for it, She will forget about being stressed when it is over!

You can call and ask another Vet for a 2nd opinion on the Cancer Risk.

I would seek a 2nd opinion if your current vet is dismissive - a spay should remove the ovaries, but it is easily done to accidentally leave a small amount of ovarian tissue behind it doesn't mean your vet was negligent to do so because the operation is not as straightforward as neutering a male cat, but they are negligent if they refuse to investigate heat symptoms once she has been spayed and a 2nd opinion is necessary in my view.

If she has ovarian tissue left she could have ovarian cysts and is at risk of ovarian or mammary cancer later in life, as well as the physical and emotional stress (for both you and her!) of repeated heat cycles. If your current vet won't take you seriously, find one who will. I hope you manage to get your girl sorted out ok