Help, I think my cat is in heat.

My cat polly is 7 months old now. And lately she's crying most of the time she's awake. She's more cuddly than ever too. I don't mind the meowing during the day , but geeee....she's going on at nights too!
Has anyone had this experiance too? And what did you do ?
Saskia

There is a very very easy solution. Take your cat in to be spayed!

Until she is spayed, she will continue going into heat at two to three week intervals. It will save your sanity and be healthier for her once she has had the surgery!

Thanks for the advice! We will do this asap . I had allways male cats , so this is new to us.

She will be much better off, and live longer once she has been spayed. Make sure that when you call to make the appointment you tell the vet that there is a possibility she is in heat right at the moment-

I don't understand why people like to keep their pets unspayed and unneutered. They drive you crazy, with dogs bleeding and cats screaming. I nearly lost my sanity when Buffy went into heat 3 or 4 times before we got her spayed (dad decided to blow the money on the truck, which is why we didn't get it done sooner)

Yes...please have her spayed...I think that will solve the issue.


Katie

Thank you all for the advice , and yes , we will defenately spay her. When you allways had male cats , who were fixed at the moment you buy them , than you have just no idea what it's like. Now I know! :-)But thank you all!

I have a question.

Smokie has an appointment for her little surgery to be fixed. (Needless to say she is driving us all crazy ) but Sammy was born with a hole in her heart and the vet told us that they hoped it would close by the time of her first heat. Sammy is just comming out of the first heat so they have an appontment to have their pre-op test done. IF Sammy still has an open heart is there a shot the vet can give her to keep her from comming in?

Some might remember that Sammy is my bottle fed baby . She is so loveable and has turned into a beautiful black shinning cat. They are sisters both Manx with that thick body of fur.

Brenda,

You might try asking this question on the Breeders Forum. They may have a solution for you.

Hi, Saskia. Since you didn't seem to know, the risk of breast cancer goes up with every heat cycle they go through before they're spayed. By not spaying her earlier, you increased her risks considerably. The next time you adopt an unfixed cat, please do it immediately (or when they reach 8 weeks of age, if they're younger than that).

I am owned by a little 9 week old female kitten and she will be spayed as soon as she's old enough! It is so much better for their health, and she will be much happier. A couple years ago, I was owned by a female Snowshoe whom I didn't get spayed. She was a year old and preggo with her first litter of kittens. I felt horrible watching her go through labor knowing that I could've prevented it. I am happy to say that I kept one of her kittens and the other two found very loving homes. Mimi had to be re-homed, my male cats always chased after her and scratched her up. It got to the point where she would hide under the bed and wouldn't come out for hours. She is now in a loving home (spayed before leaving).

When my Cammy was in heat, she was constantly yowling and crawling along the floor with her butt in the air. That's a good way to tell. We let her out so she would get pregnant. She wasn't successful finding a boy friend the first time. She became so desperate that she came on to the dog.

There is a caveat about spaying during the heat cycle. There is more danger of severe hemorraging, and the vet will be forced to charge you more for the spaying operation. It is better for you to wait until the heat cycle is over. One way to get through the heat cycle is right before you go to bed, put her under a warm shower and put her in the closet. She will take all night licking herself dry and won't have time to cry. I know you ladies will think that's cruel, but that's the price you must pay because you should have had her spayed around the 6 month. Now you can always put in ear plugs. Good luck.

Originally Posted by Caspar

When my Cammy was in heat, she was constantly yowling and crawling along the floor with her butt in the air. That's a good way to tell. We let her out so she would get pregnant. She wasn't successful finding a boy friend the first time. She became so desperate that she came on to the dog.

There is a caveat about spaying during the heat cycle. There is more danger of severe hemorraging, and the vet will be forced to charge you more for the spaying operation. It is better for you to wait until the heat cycle is over. One way to get through the heat cycle is right before you go to bed, put her under a warm shower and put her in the closet. She will take all night licking herself dry and won't have time to cry.

I know you ladies will think that's cruel, but that's the price you must pay because you should have had her spayed around the 6 month. Now you can always put in ear plugs. Good luck.

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Ack! That isn't very nice I know you can safely get a cat spayed before 6 months.....But I have heard it isn't a great idea to have them spayed when in heat. I couldn't afford to get Dori spayed until she was a year old (I wanted her to go to her normal vet, spay cost $140 total, but she had problems with shots and meds before so I didn't feel comfortable taking her to a low cost clinic), but I dealt with her heat cycles..... I knew it was my fault she was going through it and it was just natural. I would never EVER have considered torturing her by putting her under water, which she hates, and then locking her in a closet! Please don't take this the wrong way but why send your cat out so she could become pregnant on purpose..... then you become responsible for more kitty lives than just the one you currently have that seems to much to handle

Originally Posted by Caspar

One way to get through the heat cycle is right before you go to bed, put her under a warm shower and put her in the closet. She will take all night licking herself dry and won't have time to cry.

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oh dear this doesnt sound like a very intellegent thing to do at all.
Buy some ear plugs instead of resorting to this kind of cruelty

Sending Cammy out to get pregnant was the right thing for us to do because we wanted her to have at least one litter before we spayed her. We wanted more cats on the farm. She had 4 kittens, 2 boys, 2 girls, and we have everyone of them today. That was in 1995. We fixed everyone of them and we are all one happy family. No, we never have resorted to throwing her in the closet all wet, but it was suggested as a tongue-in-cheek solution since the lady sounded somewhat desperate and was willing to try anything.

The right thing to do would of had her spayed prior to her first heat cycle. Caspar, your post stands for the true reason why so many kittens stay in cages or are dumped off in the wild or at shelters, because people have not yet learned how to be responsible cat owners. If you wanted more cats on your farm, then you should have gone to a shelter or contacted a local rescuer who would have been overjoyed to send you out as many cats or kittens if she thought the cats would have a good home.

Telling people even in jest to dump a cat into a shower and stick it in the closet is not something that is suitable for this board.

The best way to prevent all the problems with heat cycles is to spay the animal, unless you are an ethical breeder. Telling the vet prior to the surgery that the cat is in heat, will allow him to make up his mind whether he wants to do the spay now, or wait. Spaying a cat will take her out of the running for pyometra and mammary cancers, and also mellow her temperment especially during breeding season. Letting a cat in heat outside to openly mate with whatever tom is out there, puts her at risk at contacting diseases, or getting into a fight and developing abscesses or worse. You could have also lost her forever in doing this, for there are so many dangers for outside cats.

Please do not make light of this very serious issue of spaying and neutering. If you aren't a part of the solution, then you become part of the problem.

I had my female cat fixed at 6 months...and fortunately she never experienced going into heat. The rescue I volunteer with does pediatric spay/neuter...at 8-12 weeks of age..and PRIOR to any kitten leaving us. There are a lot of organizations now that offer low cost/free spaying/neutering for people who cannot afford a regular vet's fees.

Katie

Jeepers went into her first heat a week before the spay surgery that had been scheduled over a month before (long waiting list) I never want to see a cat go through that ever again. I was so relieved when the vet said he'd spay her anyway, but felt so guilty that despite my best efforts she had to go through heat before her surgery.

Please Spay and Neuter your kitties.

All my cats were wanted and are well-loved. I have taken in several strays as well as one feral and was able to find a home for his brother. I don't like seeing any animal fixed, but it is a necessary evil or you end up with a home full of cats. There are those who feel that neutering is a form of cruelty in some areas of the population so you have to be careful what you judge as cruelty. None of my cats stay in cages. They have the run of my house as well as the outdoors.

Going to a shelter or animal rescuer to find a kitten is not always a good approach because you run the risk of getting a kitten who has been exposed to a disease and then infecting all your cats at home. I prefer the natural way, and there is nothing wrong with that.

I don't understand how neutering and spaying can be viewed as cruel, as it makes the cat healthier and also helps with the animal overpopulation problem. There are so many poor animals living in shelters, I hate to even think about my Dori living in a shelter

The cruel part of your earlier comment was wetting the cat in the shower and then locking it in the closet, and then laughing. You did say that you didn't actually do that, but even to suggest that was out of line. Everyone here loves their cats dearly and I hope the person who originally asked the question realizes that is not a response they can expect to see here on this site again, and won't hesitate to post questions or comments here in the future. From the number of posts they have posted you can tell it was someone stopping in looking for help.