Cat in heat presenting to spayed female??

[cookietown]

Pixie came back into heat the other day after her false pregnancy and this tie she is acting stranger than usual.

She calls at the door like normal but after a few minuets of that she comes back upstairs straight to Trixie and starts 'presenting' in front of her. Trixie just rolls her eyes at her then either walks off or starts grooming her.

Any one else have a female in heat presenting to another female? Is it normal, she does still present to the fixed male when she manages to get out but I have no idea why she would suddenly be presenting to Trixie, she never did it before the phantom pregnancy.

 

[missymotus]

Girls in heat present to anything and anyone

 

[Willowy]

Girls in heat present to anything and anyone

Haha, yes, when my first kitten went into heat (we lived overseas and couldn't get them spayed soon enough), she would present to her sister, who would even sometimes mount her! And when Sonja went into heat (OK, that time it was just plain procrastination :tongue2, she would present to our neutered male. He resisted her for the longest time, but eventually he gave in and mounted her. They aren't picky when in heat, that's for sure.

 

[callista]

Heh, poor kitty! She's going to be happy to be rid of that craziness when she's spayed. Anybody who's watched a cat in heat (or a tomcat who smells a cat in heat) knows there's absolutely nothing romantic about it. It's just pure instinct and hormones and uncomfortable not-being-yourself. It's like a case of ten-times-stronger PMS or something. Did the vet ever tell you why she might have had a false pregnancy? Is it just something some cats are more prone to than others?

 

[emilymaywilcha]

Wilbur was neutered before I got him, but frequently mounted Patricia, who was spayed as a young kitten, and put her scruff in his jaws. So it certainly is not limited to cats in heat! I could only assume Wilbur had sired kittens during his time as a stray because he arrived at the shelter NOT neutered.

 

[cookietown]

She presented at my boyfriend all the time in her first two cycles, then she had the false pregnancy and now she's moved on to Trixie, strange kitty 

The false pregnancy we think was because she had gotten to the tom but they were seperated before he 'finished the deed' poor thing, cant wait for her to be spayed just want to get her nice and settled in the new house before I add a vet trip, I think moving and a spay might be a bit much for her in one go. not to mention a bit much for my bank account, shes indoor only so there's no chance of kittens now the tom has been fixed but shes so uncomfortable :-(  I have discoverd though that if I put some catnip down for her when she starts calling she gets distracted and quiet for a good few hours and it keeps Trixie entertained too 

 

[missymotus]

How long ago was the boy fixed? They remain fertile for up to 2 months.

 

[orientalslave]

She presented at my boyfriend all the time in her first two cycles, then she had the false pregnancy and now she's moved on to Trixie, strange kitty 

The false pregnancy we think was because she had gotten to the tom but they were seperated before he 'finished the deed' poor thing, cant wait for her to be spayed just want to get her nice and settled in the new house before I add a vet trip, I think moving and a spay might be a bit much for her in one go. not to mention a bit much for my bank account, shes indoor only so there's no chance of kittens now the tom has been fixed but shes so uncomfortable :-(  I have discoverd though that if I put some catnip down for her when she starts calling she gets distracted and quiet for a good few hours and it keeps Trixie entertained too 

You really need to get her spayed as soon as her call finishes.  The more calls she has the greater the risk of breast cancer, and until she is spayed she can get pyometra.  Both are potentially fatal for the cat, and far heavier on the finances than getting a cat spayed.

 

[emilymaywilcha]

What is pyometra?

I would be more worried about ovarian, uterine, endometrial, and cervical cancer.

 

[cookietown]

Manson was fixed at the start of April so he should be 'all clear' by now, still keeping them seperate though.

OrientalSlave  - I'm not going to get Pixie spayed until after we have moved next week as moving in itself will make her uneasy and I don't want to throw too much at her, also were still in the process of finding a vet that I trust with them, but as my question is about whether or not its normal for her to present to a female she never presented to before I don't see the need for you to coment on the risks of not getting her spayed straight away. People that breed cats put their cats at the same risk and I have never seen anyone judge a breeder for it.

 

[missymotus]

Breeders closely monitor for Pyo though, and many control heat cycles so the girls aren't going through cycle after cycle which is what increases the risk of Pyo

 

[missymotus]

What is pyometra? I would be more worried about ovarian, uterine, endometrial, and cervical cancer.

Pyrometra is a uterine disease found in unspayed cats which is deadly if not treated in time.
Far more of a risk (at least short term) than cancers, OS was quite right to point out the risks

 

[callista]

I think the "get your cat spayed" thing is a reflex around here at TCS. Most of us have done some volunteer work at shelters and some of us have fostered cats, so I guess it's something we tend to rant about even when we're preaching to the choir. There are just so many cats and not enough good homes to put them into. I think somebody could come in here talking about something completely unrelated, and somebody would still speak up and make sure they'd spayed or neutered their cat. Don't take it personally--it's a cat people thing.

 

[mrblanche]

I think the "get your cat spayed" thing is a reflex around here at TCS. Most of us have done some volunteer work at shelters and some of us have fostered cats, so I guess it's something we tend to rant about even when we're preaching to the choir.

Well, yes and no.  Spaying and neutering solve so many health and behavioral problems that it's just a good idea, if you want to enjoy your cats once they attain adulthood.

Now if we could just have it done on human teenagers...

 

[callista]

Not if you want grandchildren! That, and unlike cats, humans form pair-bonds, instead of just going into heat. You can't very well deny them that, even if it's just silly teenage puppy love.

 

[orientalslave]

What is pyometra?

I would be more worried about ovarian, uterine, endometrial, and cervical cancer.

Put it into Google.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyometra

The article is mostly about dogs, but if you Google 'pyometra cats' you will find plenty of information.

Personally spaying doesn't seem to upset any of the cats I've had, and in my view spay before first call is far preferable to spay after several calls.  I would be quite happy to get one spayed just after moving.  Each call increases the risk of breast cancer.

 

[callista]

Tiny recovered from being neutered in about a day. (By recovery I mean "I'm no longer freaked about having been at the vet's." They'll be sore for a while longer after, especially since the female's surgery is more invasive.) They really do bounce back nicely from surgery, especially when they're young like yours is. If she's particularly playful, you're probably going to have trouble stopping her from climbing and jumping and playing, after she stops being loopy from the anesthetic. Usually a big dog crate with a soft blanket is a good idea to keep a recovering cat from playing too hard.

 

[jennyr]

The OP has expressed her intention of getting her cat spayed as soon as possible, taking all her cirumstances into account. I think we should leave it at that. I hope we will get some pictures of everyone settling into their new home!