Is it possible for a kitten to go into heat early?

emma petersen

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Okay, so the giardia is gone and Toussaint has an appointment on Saturday to be neutered. Only there seems to be a slight problem. Tousse started acting very strange about an hour ago. I noticed he pinned (or attempted to pin) Bease and tried to mount her! Okay, well Beasley didnt like that very much and made it very clear that she didnt want to play Tousse's new game. I was talking to a friend who said her kitten went into heat very early, around 4 1/2 months (Beasley's age
)
So my question is, is Beasley in heat is that why Tousse has started acting strangely? And how do I know if she is in heat? Are there any physical or behavioral signs? I didnt believe in early spaying but tonight has changed my mind and am hoping the vet will spay Bease the same day he neuters Tousse.
 

yayi

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Yes, definitely a kitten can go into heat early. My sister had a 5 month kitten spayed and they found out in surgery she was already pregnant.
 

kathryn41

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Very definitely she can go into heat early. Freija went into heat at 4 months old. You will know generally if your kitten is in heat - she will become very vocal, meowing loudly and pretty constantly. She will prowl around the house, roll around on the ground and if you pet her will stick her rear end up while she crouches down with her front - generally purring while you are petting her. Her sister Abbie had silent heats however, so I didn't know she had come into heat until she was neutered - the vet, found out during the surgery as she was actually in heat at the time. They were both 5 months old (took a month of listening to Freija in heat before I had enough money to pay for the two surgeries).

Now, Beasley doesn't have to be in heat for Touissant to try and mount her if he is becoming sexually mature. I think that is a more likely scenario here. My two brothers both started showing overt sexual behaviour to each other - each trying to mount the other - and I made immediate arrangements to get them neutered the next day. They became sexually aggressive very quickly and fortunately it also passed fairly quickly after they were fixed. They were neutered at just under 5 months. So, you may want to move Touissant's surgery up if you can.

Kathryn
 
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emma petersen

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I called the vets earlier, explained the situation and tried to get an appointment for Beasley to be spayed. The receptionist flat out refused, stating it is the vet's policy not to spay before 6 months. I then called 5 other vets in my area and the same answer. I am pretty sure vets know the possiblilty of early heat, dont they?
 

diane8704

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It's definitely possible that shes in heat, but then again, she may not be, and he could just be sexually matured and is just doing what comes natural. Just to put your mind at ease...if something were to happen, and she were to get pregnant...you can tell the vet when they go to spay her that you don't want kittens. I rescued a cat that was so sick she almost died...her eyes were glued shut from infection. She did live, and her and her brother are probably about 8 months...she was pregnant when she went in to be spayed and the vet had to get rid of them because she had been so sick, she only weighed 4 pound and she had tapeworms.
My opinion is ( an I have heard also) that some cats are spayed at 12 weeks, or when they reach a certain weight (sorry I cant remember what it was).
 

sharky

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My sixteen year old went into heat at 4.75 months , it was a shock ... It did cost more to spay her due to being in heat and I have heard it is a bit risker at that time
 

tnr1

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Cats can be spayed as early as 8 weeks of age. The vet probably has never seen a pediatric spay performed and thus has stuck to the 6 month rule. Unfortunately, as you are discovering, cats can become sexually mature earlier than 6 months of age which has caused a lot of "oops" births. The rescue I volunteer with spays/neuters at 10-12 weeks of age and we have yet to have any issue with the kittens. In fact, males tend to bounce back from the early age neutering very quickly. The feral cat clinic I volunteer with will spay/neuter any kitten that weighs at least 2 pounds.

Here is an interesting article on early age spay/neuter:

http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/repo...ly-neuter.html

If you cat is in fact going into early heat...please make sure she remains indoors and away from any intact males.

Katie
 
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