Mittens is acting funny :(

Mittens is in heat. If you don't want kittens, don't let her outside. You may want to consult your vet about an immediate spay.

There are so many things it could be and we can't diagnose over the internet. However, we may have some suggestions if you give us more information. How old is Mittens? Has she been spayed? My first thought was that it sounds like she may be in heat. Somebody else may have a different idea for you.

Some kittens will go into heat as young as four month, but six months is more typical. My first two (sisters) both started their first heat the day they turned six months.

Yes, you should get her spayed as soon as possible, although you may want to wait a few days. Some vets charge more for spaying while the cat is in heat. With extra blood flow to the area it's a more complicated procedure.

As long as there are no intact males in the area she will be fine for a few more days. She'll probably drive you crazy in the meantime, but you can handle that as long as you know it's coming to an end.

She may drive you crazy for the next few days, but it's not particularly dangerous. However...she will do ANYTHING to get outdoors, even pushing out screens, diving into snowbanks, climbing up one side and down the other of anyone coming in the door.

It would be best if she were spayed after this is over. The vet will charge more if she is currently in heat.

Cats regularly have kittens at four and five months of age.

Oh yes, if you have unneutered Toms in your area, they could absolutly smell her. Or it could just be outside cats breeding. It is that time of year that females go into heat.

Here's a great article about the feline heat cycle.
http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/preg...Cat_estrus.htm

From this article, it appears that the active heat lasts approximately a week to 10 days, and will repeat after 2 to 3 weeks until she is mated.

I remember back when Spooky went into heat (she was a feral that I rescued.) I was in the middle of college final exams, and she meowed and cried non-stop, for days. I tried putting her in the basement, but her cries echoed up the furnace ducts and were magnified....did I mention that she had Siamese in her...ohmygod the howls were agonizing. I hope I never have to live through another cat's heat again, lol!

Good luck to you and Mittens!

AS it is her first heat it may not be so strong or last as long as usual. With luck she may be back to normal in 3-4 days. But if you don't spay her it will come back soon, sometimes within 2-3 weeks at this time of year. AND yes, she will do anything to get out. Years ago I had a cat who who got out of the 3 inches I had left open at the top of a sash window, jumped two stories to the ground, and I found her three days later with a broken leg and pregnant. What she had been through, I shuddered to guess.

Try having a cat in heat with her un-neutered brother in the house. I found out she was in heat when I found Nuts on top of her, I yelled at Nuts to get off his sister and scooped up Attitude. I called the vet to get her in the next day then locked her in the bathroom and got to listen to them howling and meowing(I didn't even know prior to this that Nuts could really even meow, his always was so soft, but not this time. Attitude has always been loud, but she was especially loud.) I finally got sick of it(on top of being in heat Attitude was po'd about being stuck in the bathroom) and let Attitude out of the bathroom. She was getting spayed the next day so it really didn't matter if they decided to do what they wanted to do(why I didn't think about that before tossing Attitude in the bathroom and listening to them for hours I don't know.) Funny enough her 2 un-neutered brothers, Blue, and her own dad(I honestly don't even know if he's still alive, I only saw him when one of our females needed 'serviced' until we got them spayed) never bothered us. I guess they knew Nuts was in there and it wouldn't be pretty if they all tried to go at it. Attitude also wanted anything but to go out, but as I said she had a mature unaltered male inside.

Attitude was around 5 months when she went into heat. My vet didn't charge extra to spay her when she was in heat but then again they were the ones who told me she was 'definitely male.' I mentioned that to the vet who said it when she came in for a corneal ulcer(which had healed by the time we got there after 2 applications of eye ointment, I catch them early because I know what to look for) and because she had a stitch that didn't dissolve and she needed it removed.

Taryn

Oh, yes, the "dirty kitty dance" is very distinct, once you know what you're looking at.

The first heat can be very short, maybe only two or three days. I think when Shareena and Miss Patchwillow went into heat at the same time Shareena's lasted a full week and Miss Patchwillow less than two days.

It can be short, but it is also possible that she has been in heat longer than you knew, it's called "silent heat" and it's often how "accidental litters" happen.

Let us know when she goes in for her spay, so we can wish Mittens luck and TCS vibes!

Minimum is 2# and 2 months, although many vets won't spay that young. I thought my cats were finished growing at 6-8 months, but they all seem to have gained another 50% since then. Larger cats take longer to reach their full size, up to 2 years.

Cats can continue to grow up to three years. The first twelve months is crucial, but many cats continue to fill out in both height and length for another year or two.

As was said, minimum weight for spay is 2 pounds.

Holland was around 4 pounds when I adopted her at 5 months old. She had already been spayed. She's almost 2 now and only weighs 6 pounds. Some kitties are just small, Mittens should be fine getting spayed.

Thanks for the update!

Wow, is she CUTE!!

Awww...she's so cute! I miss my black and white kitties even after all these years. I hope to be Chosen by another some day.

I'm sure Mittens is just being a normal kitten. You can train her to not do things like bite you or scratch the furniture.

If she does Gravity Experiments, put away valuable breakables until she gets older. Give her things she CAN knock over, and once she learns which are her toys, you can probably put things back out.

Don't worry, spaying won't change her personality .

Cats go through a phase at about 6 months or so that we might call adolescence. They are often very active and more than a little fractious.

Our foster Flambe is that way, too. About the right age, and he's wearing out our older cats.

She's cute! I love black and white kitties. I'm surprised her appointment is for next Sunday.....most vets aren't open on weekends.

Ah, all the "cat in heat" stories! My first cat (half Siamese) went into heat when she was about 5 or 6 months old. We couldn't get her spayed because we lived overseas on a Navy base and the vet only came once a month to do spays/neuters. You had to put your kitten on the spay/neuter list as soon as you got it, and even then it took about 6 months to get the appointment. She made us crazy! She howled and screamed and was just a huge pain. And it seemed like she STAYED in heat until she was spayed 2 months later.....at least she never stopped howling. Yep, 2 months of a Siamese in heat. Fun.

And my girl Dot went into heat right at 16 weeks. 3 days before her scheduled spay. The vet made me wait 10 days so she wouldn't be so bleedy. But yeah, that's the youngest I've ever had a cat go into heat.