Already in heat? What can I do to help..?

[Swttea]

I posed a few weeks ago about the "Office Kitten", whom was in my care due to weird eyes and diarrhea. Well, most of that has cleared up and she's been doing good. The eyes are back to normal, but she still has soft poo at least once a day, we're working on that part.

When they got the cat, she was estimated to be around 8 weeks or younger. The first photo I took of her, was on Dec. 11th, which would put her around 12 weeks?

Yesterday she was completely normal, and had her last round of shots. They discussed spaying, and were probably going to do it next week. But... today, I am pretty sure she is in heat!

She is rolling around on the floor and constantly meowing, sticking her butt in the air if anyone comes near and licking her area. Rury, the stray we rescued, is also interested in mounting her, and she seems very receptive to that idea (he is neutered, thankfully.) Just yesterday she would have killed Rury if he got near her like this; she does not seem to like him very much (he's always been SUPER curious of her). So a drastic change into letting him get over her, bite her neck, and her raising her butt up while he does this and meowing. She's just constantly rolling around on the carpet/pillows meowing, almost a trilling sound. At first, I thought maybe she was having a reaction to her vaccines, and maybe trying to soothe her neck area, but that didn't explain the butt raising, and then I saw the interactions with Rury...

But, she is so tiny! She DID double her weight since her last visit, and is around 4.2lbs... but she is so so tiny! Isn't it very early for this?
How can I calm her down? She seems very agitated.
How long, now, until they can spay her? I did not spay Winnie until 6months, and she never showed any signs of being in heat, so I'm a little shocked! I have never had a cat in heat before.

 

[Willowy]

Kittens can go into heat as early as 14 weeks, but she's about 16 weeks now? Fairly common. In my experience, fall kittens tend to go into heat at a younger age than spring kittens.

She can be spayed at any time now, but call the vet to ask. Some vets prefer not to spay while the cat is in heat (blood vessels are engorged making it harder) but other vets don't mind. If the vet wants to wait, they'll tell you how long to wait for optimal results. If you wait too long she'll just go back into heat again.

There's not really much you can do to soothe her. A hot pack on her tummy may help a little, and sometimes you can get a few hours of peace by closing her in a warm dark room. But her hormones are screaming at her to reproduce, NOW!!! and there's not much to do but wait it out and have her spayed.

If Rury knows what to do and manages to penetrate her, she may go out of heat, so that's a possible reprieve.

 

[Swttea]

Kittens can go into heat as early as 14 weeks, but she's about 16 weeks now? Fairly common. In my experience, fall kittens tend to go into heat at a younger age than spring kittens.

She can be spayed at any time now, but call the vet to ask. Some vets prefer not to spay while the cat is in heat (blood vessels are engorged making it harder) but other vets don't mind. If the vet wants to wait, they'll tell you how long to wait for optimal results. If you wait too long she'll just go back into heat again.

There's not really much you can do to soothe her. A hot pack on her tummy may help a little, and sometimes you can get a few hours of peace by closing her in a warm dark room. But her hormones are screaming at her to reproduce, NOW!!! and there's not much to do but wait it out and have her spayed.

If Rury knows what to do and manages to penetrate her, she may go out of heat, so that's a possible reprieve.

Thanks!
By my best guess she is 12 weeks. 8 when I met her, and it's been 4 weeks since then. But, her age was sort of an estimate. We shall call the vet Monday.

So, about Rury... there is no need to separate them, then? I was worried due to the sheer size difference, he might unintentionally hurt her... she is tiny next to him (he's 10lbs).
I am not so sure he knows...what to do. He bites her neck, and seems to get the idea that he might should mount her, but then he turns around and basically sticks his nose up her bum. LOL. I do not know his history at all, he was neutered when when found him, I have no idea if it was as a kitten, or if he'd ever done the deed before.

 

[StefanZ]

Yes, the size differnce may be unpleasant. But the advice as such, to let him mount her, is sound. I have even heard of some breeders, whom use such a friendly late neutered male, whom is "undangerous" but whom still knows what it is, and is able to do what a male is supposed to do.
Them to be 1. Their probierstud; ie he is able to discover silent heats. 2. to help them with unwelcome heats, mating the females, and this quietens them down.

Otherways, wait out the heat and take her for spaying. Next week should be good.
If desperate, you may let her be spayed while in heat too. If it is an experienced vet surgeon whom is forewarned, its shouldnt be dangerous. For a newbe vet, this situaton is of course very tricky.

 

[fionasmom]

My vet spays at 4 months but stands pretty firm on that. I did rescue a cat, Zoe, years ago from a parking lot (sounds familiar?) who went into heat and it was not pleasant but we got through it. If you can, I would try to spay her after the heat has passed but with a vet who is experienced as StefanZ said. I did reach out to a breeder with Zoe, as I was told that the woman kept a vasectomized tom for just that purpose, but never followed through as the heat ended and we rushed to the vet. Just watch them if you are concerned about the weight difference or if Rury gets a little too excited. As a neutered male, he may not actually do anything more than what he is currently up to. Years ago I had an unneutered young male in the house (waiting for his appointment, about a year old) and I rescued a very young female who was not in heat. It took him about a day to figure out that there was a young female in the house and he did make one attempt by darting through a door and grabbing her by the neck so I kept them apart until both were fixed.

You have been so kind to these cats but I am chuckling a little bit. Rury was desperate in a parking lot, broken leg, gets an amazing home, and now a girlfriend. He must be ecstatic even if he can't do anything.

 

[Swttea]

My vet spays at 4 months but stands pretty firm on that. I did rescue a cat, Zoe, years ago from a parking lot (sounds familiar?) who went into heat and it was not pleasant but we got through it. If you can, I would try to spay her after the heat has passed but with a vet who is experienced as StefanZ said. I did reach out to a breeder with Zoe, as I was told that the woman kept a vasectomized tom for just that purpose, but never followed through as the heat ended and we rushed to the vet. Just watch them if you are concerned about the weight difference or if Rury gets a little too excited. As a neutered male, he may not actually do anything more than what he is currently up to. Years ago I had an unneutered young male in the house (waiting for his appointment, about a year old) and I rescued a very young female who was not in heat. It took him about a day to figure out that there was a young female in the house and he did make one attempt by darting through a door and grabbing her by the neck so I kept them apart until both were fixed.

You have been so kind to these cats but I am chuckling a little bit. Rury was desperate in a parking lot, broken leg, gets an amazing home, and now a girlfriend. He must be ecstatic even if he can't do anything.

Lol, Rury has been so obsessed with her. She goes to work with my husband during the day and comes home to spend the night here, and he’s always watching her. He makes beeping noises at her and tries to play gently with her, but (until now..), she wanted nothing to do with him whatsoever. Ever since she’s been around, too, Rury has come out of his shell even more. He gets very brave when she’s around!

It’s like love triangle. Rury obviously loves her, and she does not like him. She likes Tuck... who almost completely ignores her. Or tries to push her off surfaces. LOL. I think Winnie is the only one for him...

I’ve left them alone since this started and yeah, i’m not sure Rury knows what, exactly, to do. He thinks he should do something, obviously! But he has yet to actually accomplish anything. He ends up turned around sniffing her bum, or just laying down on top of her while she sounds like a lunatic.