How long after my cat is in heat can she get spayed?
You don't need to wait until she's out of heat for her to have the surgery (like with dogs.) In fact, that's very, very difficult to do with a cat. Their cycles are different than dogs (who come into heat for about 3 weeks each every 6-8 months, and bleed a lot).....cats cycle in and out of heat every few days during their breeding season (warm months, so it can be year-round in some states) until one of two things happen: they get bred, or they get spayed. Once they start this, it's hard to catch them on the couple of days between cycles to do the surgery. Fortunately, it doesn't matter for a cat. Again, because of species differences, they don't carry the extra risk of being spayed in heat like a dog. Their tisses react differently while in heat (a dog's uterus and ovaries are more fragile and prone to tearing, while a cat's uterus actually gets firmer and less likely to tear), and there is no increased bleeding like is a huge problem in dogs undergoing the surgery while in heat. It doesn't take any longer to spay a cat in heat, and doesn't require any extra suture material.....so we don't charge any extra like we have to for dogs. The only thing that can happen is that your cat might act hormonally a little weird for a day or two due to the sudden change in hormone levels....but that's rare, and can't hurt her in any way. Most owners don't even notice. It's much harder to try and time a cat spay in between litters of kittens (due to the breasts being full of milk and the fact that they often get pregnant with the next litter before weaning the first)....so go ahead and get her spayed ASAP. Your veterinarian can answer any questions you may have. If you were told on the phone that you had to wait until she was out of heat for her to be spayed, ask to speak to the DVM or a tech directly. I didn't know it until a client told me she had been told that, that our brand-new receptionist just started telling clients that on her own after overhearing a different receptionist go through it about a dog. She didn't ask, so she assumed the same thing applied to cats. It doesn't.
Why does my spayed cat act like she is still in heat?
My cat was spayed a couple weeks ago. Before I got her she had already had 1 kitten and when I took her in she had 4 kittens in my closet. After the kittens were old enough and I found them homes, I made an appointment for her to be spayed on Spay Day. But every few weeks until then she would go into heat. Non stop yowling, running around the house, shaking things while yowling, jumping all over my neutered male cats, and driving me insane. The lady at the Spay Day said spaying her would get rid of these behaviors because she wouldn't be in heat anymore. But today I heard her yowling and shaking things again...which was the signal that she was going into heat. Can spayed cats still go into heat? Or is this residual since she was just spayed not that long ago?? If she is going into heat, is it going to be just as bad as it was when she wasn't spayed? If so I may need a Xanax prescription and some ear plugs!!
What can be done for a female cat in heat, short of spaying, to lessen the incessant meowing and rubbing/rolling?
Please follow everybody else’s answers about why female cats are being so loud and understand that spaying is truly the best answer for any female cat. It lessens their risk of ovary cancer in the long run, removes their irritation and discomfort of being in heat, and saves your ears and home too, since female cats in heat can also mark (spray) their urine for territory to get boys to come around. Yes, they mark indoors too.Here is what you can do for interim short-term relief in the event that spay is just not possible, say: if your cat is sick, unwell, or special needs. If you are trying to breed your cat, this tip will not work in the long-term as you will need to apply constantly and be comfortable with the idea that you are contributing to the overpopulation of cats, which by the way, is horrible and rude when you think about how many cats are killed because there aren’t enough homes to begin with.Take your female cat as she is crying and crouching, trying to get fixed with a male.Take a finger, ideally your pointer as you can manage the weight placed on it, and be prepared to press down with it. The tail that is curled over, it is curled over on one side.Take that finger and press it next to the tail away from the curled side.This is an acupressure point. Press on it for 30 seconds, as long as you can handle. Female cat will be crying and wriggling but once you apply this pressure, you can let go and she will start rolling onto the ground to relieve pressure. She will be okay for about an hour, maybe two hours, then start up again.In the past, because my female cat were STILL sick from mycoplasma, a viral form of an upper respiratory infection, I pressed two fingers, a pointer and middle, on both sides of her tail and pressed down. She hates it when I do this but it gave her enough relief for her to relax without feeling the hormonal disrupt.She has recovered from the mycoplasma and is spayed and no longer in ANY discomfort now!
I have 2 female cats. My older cat is spayed while the younger one is not and goes into heat often. Does this have a bad affect on my spayed cat?
Kind of. Intact females do have territories, the way intact toms do, and they tend to defend those territories… Her being intact may make her more likely to chase off your spayed cat from “her space”.Your unspayed cat is the one who’s really going to suffer until you can afford to get her done, though. She’ll be desperate to get to a tom and can’t get to one, and be vulnerable to health problems that come from repeatedly going into heat.
Has anyone had a neutered male cat?
I too have one of those "over-sexed" neutered cats, and judging from other questions on Y!A so do several others. Neutering, removing the testes/ 'snipping' the connection, just makes them unable to father kittens but does not absolutely prevent them from trying to mate. Usually they have less interest because they no longer have the main source of testosterone, but they do still have some testosterone from the pituitary. The smell of a female in heat or the sound of a female calling can still trigger the behavior. Other stimuli seem to affect some cats too, like catnip or petting/brushing the base of the tail or his belly). This is more common when the male was sexually experienced before neutering. ( I have a retired stud cat who was neutered as an adult and is totally in denial about it. He has tried to mate with female cats and he has had a torrid affair with an old blanket, stomping up and down on it, purring and humping it. He has had very noticeable erections and even ejaculated a few times! In fact I asked about this as my first question here.) But you're definitely not the only one whose cat was neutered as a kitten and still does this. Among cats neutered as kittens, it is more likely if they were neutered at 6 months rather than at 8 weeks. Cats can be sexually mature by 4 months in some breeds. Mounting is also sometimes a dominance behaviour, and one sees dominant neutered cats mounting other neutered males or spayed females. Your cat may continue to try to "mate" with objects once the kitten is spayed. Get him a stuffed animal cat girlfriend and let him have his fun!!
Will getting a cat spayed stop her heat cycles?
I'm sure anyone who's had a cat knows about the incessant meowing and moaning at all hours of the night and day when she goes into heat. So I was wondering if getting her spayed will put a stop to this, as I really don't want to have to start beating her.. (I'm totally kidding!!) It's just really annoying, and irritating to everyone who has to listen to it. Especially me, because she is always waking me up in the middle of the night, or the very early hours of the morning with her loud cries. Also, about how much does it cost to get a cat spayed? And how old does a cat have to be to get her spayed. I have two other girl kitties but they haven't reached maturity yet. One is about five months old, and I'm not completely sure on the age of the other. The previous owner said she was 8 weeks when they gave her to me, but she seemed a little small for 8 weeks to me. But I've had her for 2 weeks. So I dunno. Any help with my questions is very appreciated!