My cat is spayed showing signs of heat and pregnancy

talkingpeanut said:

Has she been around intact males? Can you take her to a vet?

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Also I actually think she may have been around makes that are not neutered. She was a stray cat that was not spayed by the owner that she belonged to at first or maybe she was born on the streets and socialized

Ang31333 said:

Also I actually think she may have been around makes that are not neutered. She was a stray cat that was not spayed by the owner that she belonged to at first or maybe she was born on the streets and socialized

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The question is whether she has been around intact males since she was in your home and since the shelter said she was spayed.

Do you still believe she is showing signs of pregnancy? Did the shelter vet say that she was definitely spayed?

talkingpeanut said:

The question is whether she has been around intact males since she was in your home and since the shelter said she was spayed.

Do you still believe she is showing signs of pregnancy? Did the shelter vet say that she was definitely spayed?

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I still believe she is showing signs of pregnancy. Since a week ago her sitting positions have changed and she no longer lies on her stomache. The shelter lady said she had been spayed about 6 months of age, and she said that they had had her for a week-1 month. I talked to the staff and not the shelter vet. I didn't see anyone that looked like they may have been a vet and no one had a name tag with "Dr." (And their name).

Ang31333 said:

I still believe she is showing signs of pregnancy. Since a week ago her sitting positions have changed and she no longer lies on her stomache. The shelter lady said she had been spayed about 6 months of age, and she said that they had had her for a week-1 month. I talked to the staff and not the shelter vet. I didn't see anyone that looked like they may have been a vet and no one had a name tag with "Dr." (And their name).

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Ok, so I would still recommend that you take her to a vet. Either she is pregnant, and the shelter should know that and pay for her spay later, or she is not pregnant and something is wrong.

Definitely needs to see a vet and neighbors cat needs to be fixed as well.we do a lot of t n r some times 15 cats in one day .there has been rare events that the shelter was overwhelmed and missed fixing a cat..

One of the most tried and true tests for a cat going into heat is to scratch their lower back near the base of the tail.  If they then lower their chest and raise their rump and move their tail off to the side then all the while doing a little dance with their hind legs, then yes, they are in heat.  A vet should be able to tell if a cat is pregnant, although it's not always obvious until close to giving birth.  At our shelter, we have often mistaken weight gain as pregnancy.  Everything you posted in your original post is not necessarily indicators of going into heat.

My Reesie was fixed last Monday so almost 2 weeks, she chirps at my boy Hailie and if I pet her butt her tail goes crazy, but she has only ever been petted 2 days her whole life so far. How long does it take for the hormones to not bother her anymore?

This week Angel has been grooming herself way more than usual. She also has been eating less than normal. She has a round stomach now and she is nesting. I set up a cardboard box for her about 3-2 weeks ago but I cut a place for her to walk in and out of. It has her bed and clean blankets that I wash. Today I set up a cardboard box for her with other clean blankets. She sleeps in both boxes and she knows they belong to her. She has water and food in her boxes but I couldn't bring the litter box in. That's all that really changed so far.

Ang31333 said:

This week Angel has been grooming herself way more than usual. She also has been eating less than normal. She has a round stomach now and she is nesting. I set up a cardboard box for her about 3-2 weeks ago but I cut a place for her to walk in and out of. It has her bed and clean blankets that I wash. Today I set up a cardboard box for her with other clean blankets. She sleeps in both boxes and she knows they belong to her. She has water and food in her boxes but I couldn't bring the litter box in. That's all that really changed so far.

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Her abdomin looks like it is swelling too.

A ang31333
Did you take her to the vet? What did he say?
If her abdomen is swelling, and she can't lie comfortably, there could be a different health problem. There are other members here with more experience, but none of us can diagnose Angel from a distance. Her "nesting" behavior might be a signal that she doesn't feel well and is isolating.

So I've noticed nobody has mentioned that a spayed cat can act like they are not spayed, and have regular ongoing heat cycles with all of the behavior that goes along with it.

When cats are spayed there can be ovarian tissue left behind, even a small amt, and this will signal her body to continue producing the hormones that throws her in to heat, but if she did mate she would not get pregnant.

I'd almost surely bet this is what is going on with your girl, the weight gain and behavior is simply her being out of the stressful shelter and feeling safe and comfy in her new home now.

It's annoying behavior but the only cure is a "re-spay" so-to-speak where they go back in and clean out the remaining tissue so her hormones will adjust properly.

I've had this done to an felv positive darling foster I re-habbed and rehomed due to her driving me crazy and the fact that she really thought she was supposed to mate, meaning the chance of her contaminating another cat with the felv she has was not certain enough for my comfort.

After her easy second time of spay, she was all good, no more false heats.

catwoman707 said:

So I've noticed nobody has mentioned that a spayed cat can act like they are not spayed, and have regular ongoing heat cycles with all of the behavior that goes along with it.
When cats are spayed there can be ovarian tissue left behind, even a small amt, and this will signal her body to continue producing the hormones that throws her in to heat, but if she did mate she would not get pregnant.

I'd almost surely bet this is what is going on with your girl, the weight gain and behavior is simply her being out of the stressful shelter and feeling safe and comfy in her new home now.

It's annoying behavior but the only cure is a "re-spay" so-to-speak where they go back in and clean out the remaining tissue so her hormones will adjust properly.
I've had this done to an felv positive darling foster I re-habbed and rehomed due to her driving me crazy and the fact that she really thought she was supposed to mate, meaning the chance of her contaminating another cat with the felv she has was not certain enough for my comfort.

After her easy second time of spay, she was all good, no more false heats.

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Didn't see this thread before, but good post above.

My Looby Loo was improperly spayed. After a few months she was cycling into heat every 4 days. A remnant of her left ovary was left behind. $700 later & a re-spay, she is now fine.

foxden said:

A ang31333
Did you take her to the vet? What did he say?
If her abdomen is swelling, and she can't lie comfortably, there could be a different health problem. There are other members here with more experience, but none of us can diagnose Angel from a distance. Her "nesting" behavior might be a signal that she doesn't feel well and is isolating.

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Yes we took her to the vet and they said that she is most likely pregnant.

Well if she's pregnant, congratulations on your expected family.  Sometimes The Cat Goddess has her own plans for things that don't quite correspond with ours.  Let us know how this turns out, we are all waiting with great interest!

Everything is going very well thank you! No issues and if I can't keep all the cats I know some people with experience with cats who want one. They are very trustworthy.

Did she have kittens?