First heat: cat not using bathroom or drinking!!

9 month old Mynxi had the beginnings of her first heat yesterday, and she is acting a little bit off.

She does spend SOME time with her butt in the air and all that, but mostly she just lays in one spot in the bedroom which we are trying to keep dark and cool for her, and she just lays there. I have not seen her use the litter box at all (one with a hole on top that the cats climb into, is it hard for her to do this right now?) and she won't really drink water, but she is eating.

Should I be worried? I am taking her to a vet come Monday, but I don't want her to suffer any kind of dehydration ect. I just want to help make the rest of tonight and tomorrow as comfortable for her as possible in an uncomfortable situation for her.

Any advice is really appreciated.

Is she eating wet food? If so, and she's eating enough, that should keep her hydrated. You can add a bit of extra water to the food to boost her hydration. If she's eating dry food I would be really worried about dehydration :/. Maybe you could boil up some homemade chicken broth to entice her to drink more?

I think using a lower-sided litterbox for a while would be nice. if she's feeling crampy I'm sure she doesn't want to jump up and down like that.

When my first cat was in heat (that was so miserable, I've tried really hard since then not to let cats go into heat, so not a lot of experience since then :tongue2, she liked a heating pad on her tummy.

  Every kitty is different when it comes to this, some experience it much more intensely. At 9 months old and her first season, I would think this would be very intense for her since they usually start 5-6 months old.

    They don't spay when they are in heat, so you need to help her get through this one, try and make her comfortable till end and get her spayed as soon as it is over. First heat doesn't normally last more then 3-5 days but it can be very stressful for them. She needs her own litter box and don't be surprised if she suddenly squats and pees somewhere, very often this happens. The hormonal rush they get is very intense for them, all they feel is the need to mate......

    Please speak to your vet, tell them what is happening, reschedule appointment for Mynxi  to be spayed, as well as her sister.................This is not a simple surgery. They are getting a hysterectomy, so there are several precautions you need to take to insure a speedy recovery. They should be localized, have easy access to water and food, kept from any jumping or climbing for 10 days. 

Yes she is definitely eating her wet food. 

Cats are such unique creatures and I have a lot to learn about them, & I want to learn everything I can because I have an especially soft spot in my heart for their amazing love/personalities/introspect (weird one, I know).

-Would it be alright if I simply used a cardboard box and cut it into a litterbox and lined it with siren wrap or black garbage bag and pour kitty litter on top of it for her to use right now? Up until now they were both sharing a litter box perfectly but now just Mittens is using it (the one who has not gone into heat yet).. I actually tried to take that lid off and picked Mynx up and placed her into the box and she kind of patted around with her paws but jumped out and walked off.

Can I ask what it is that is making her avoid her usual litter box? I knew that cats needed separate litter boxes but I just thought that these two would be able to share one for ALL TIME.    Thank you all for the advice.

Do you think that Wednesday would be a safe day to schedule the appointment in this case? or Thursday or Friday would be better bets for them? Thanks! (She started heat yesterday)

Okay I just made the box. Her sister is desperate to use the new litter box. Mynx used it immediately, THANK YOU. But what if her sister peepees inside it? She is hellbound to. Should I immediately take her portion of used litter out so it won't confuse Mynx (the one in heat)?

  You should still take Mittens in Monday if you have appointment and she is not showing symptoms of going into heat. It is likely that because Mynxi is in heat, Mittens will be soon to follow.......There is also a small window from first heat, maybe a few weeks till next, and it will be even more intense.

     It would be better if you had some kind of plastic bin, or one of those large disposable turkey roaster pans Mynxi can jump in and out of easily for a temporary litter box. After they both recover from spay, they should be able to share a litter box again.

     The way I relate to a kitty going into heat is to say PMS x 100! Their body is overwhelmed with hormones that tell them to do one thing only, mate. They are outside themselves, physically controlled by the instinctual drive, all senses are intensified to the point of loss of self control.

     Go ahead and reschedule appointment for spay for Wednesday, and if Mynxi is still in heat Monday, you can reschedule for latter in week.

mynxini said:

 
Okay I just made the box. Her sister is desperate to use the new litter box. Mynx used it immediately, THANK YOU. But what if her sister peepees inside it? She is hellbound to. Should I immediately take her portion of used litter out so it won't confuse Mynx (the one in heat)?

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That is great that Mynxi used new litter box! She was holding in a full bladder plus all the water retention. Yes, definitely scoop out atleast twice a day during in heat. Shake baking soda over area after scooping out soiled litter to help absorb odors.

Thank you guys so much for your advice. It really helped  

Now that we have 2 litter boxes in our tiny studio apartment it is hilarious to watch both cats contemplate which box to use. They are best pals that love one another so much but when it comes to pee pee/poo poo- it's an endless competition to fill the litter with the MOST excrements--- at least it looks that way to the cleaning lady (me, of course) lol.

Just wanted to update on Mynx & the funny vet pricing around here (marin county) for spaying a cat.

The first vet that I called was super nice and understanding- however, just to see the vet would be $50 per cat = 100$ as well as $150 for each blood check= $400 + $100=$500 (before the spay itself), and the spay would cost $350 for cat not in heat and $430 for a cat in heat... (I understand the procedure is more difficult/dangerous therefore the higher price makes sense.. but those prices are out of this world in my opinion.)

I got through to the Marin Humane Society and they said only $60 per cat whether or not they are in heat or not (interesting!)

They are booked solid until the 22nd of this month so we're going to let them go in and out of heat until then (or at last Mynx because her sister hasn't matured to that level yet, thank you God). It's funny because they came from the same litter of kittens but they look soo absolutely different from one another and have matured in totally different ways- even from completely opposite temperaments to totally different sounding meows.

I've honestly questioned whether or not they could POSSIBLY truly come from the same litter? Mynx looks kinda maine coony (long fur, similar facial structure, chirping, bigger than her sis, slowwww and cool and chill- she likes to be held but not cuddled. oh and she is a bit unbalanced/goofy) but Mittens is short haired tuxedo kitty that is not very chill (will only allow you to hold her for 10 seconds while being very uncomfortable, spreading her legs until we put her down or she starts scratching   but she will crawl under the blanket covers with us at night like no other kitty and cuddle up against you very close, and she can ALWAYS catch the birdy toy and do 2 flips in the air  ). So I have my doubts about sibling status between them but they act like it so it does not matter.

I'm so glad Mynx is okay and I know that if she goes into another heat spell that it will be ok and I hope she is just not in heat on the 22nd. Plz pray for her for that (I would appreciate it very much). 

I have never been so in love with 2 cats and I feel like they stole my heart and ate it amongst themselves so they own me forever and I am their slave until the end, even that when we are all gone I will still serve them as their slave in the next world. Haha. 

I just have one more question:

AFTER they get the surgeries to removee their woman parts... what do I do with them? I mean I know I should get them the little head collars so they can't bite/chew on their stitches but what about them jumping & stretching? How will that work? The last thing I want is for one of them to rip open their surgery stitches or infect the wound. 

Cats can have separate fathers and still be from the same litter.