Cat in Heat?

[reba]

I took in a stray about a month ago now. Things are going fabulously and she's integrated into our home nicely. The problem is she won't shut-up and I can't decide if she's in heat. I mean at first it was understandable because I kept her segregated in a bedroom, but now she'll meow for 10 minutes straight for no apparent reason. I don't notice any other signs and thank god she never tries to get out. Bottom line is I don't want to spend a several hundred dollars for a spay she doesn't need. Does anyone have any ideas on how to differentiate a very talkative cat from one in heat. She's a maine coon from the looks of her. Thanks!

 

[iPappy]

When any of mine came into season, the meowing was usually accompanied by a crouch/butt in air thing and they did a lot of meowing, and a lot of rolling and trilling. It was nonstop, loud, and to be blunt, very annoying!
Are you wondering if she's spayed or not since she was a stray? If you're pretty sure she's intact, would a low cost spay/neuter clinic be something you'd be willing to look into? I've used the same clinic for 20+ years for spaying/neutering. It's a great place and I've had probably over a hundred cats/kittens/dogs there over the years and I have never lost one during surgery, nor had any complications at all.

 

[reba]

There’s no crouch or butt thing, but there is a lot of trilling. Of course since I wrote this she‘s decided to shut up. We have a low cost spay-neuter clinic here, but I’d take her to my regular vet even though I realize it’s a lot more expensive. I just don’t want to shell out the money or put her through surgery she doesn’t need. She’s a young cat and was definitely someone’s companion based on how she acts. No chip though. I can’t for the life of me figure out who would dump her; she’s such a sweetie. It took me 4 months to get her trapped, I was really surprised.

 

[iPappy]

There’s no crouch or butt thing, but there is a lot of trilling. Of course since I wrote this she‘s decided to shut up. We have a low cost spay-neuter clinic here, but I’d take her to my regular vet even though I realize it’s a lot more expensive. I just don’t want to shell out the money or put her through surgery she doesn’t need. She’s a young cat and was definitely someone’s companion based on how she acts. No chip though. I can’t for the life of me figure out who would dump her; she’s such a sweetie. It took me 4 months to get her trapped, I was really surprised.

Hopefully someone more experienced with this will come along and add their ideas. If she's not spayed, she might be "coming in" but if she is, she might just be chatting with you.
Would it be worth calling your vet and asking them what they think?
My Papillon dog was spayed in December 2021, and I still can detect a spay scar. I'm wondering if they'd be able to shave the area and see if they can see any signs of a scar that would tell them if she's spayed or not so you'd at least know?
People do stupid things. Once, I was at my Mom's house and we were hanging out in the kitchen talking. We heard a car pull in and wondered who it could be as we weren't expecting anyone. We heard the car door open, shut, and the car quickly took off and when we went outside there sat an adorable tiger half-grown cat who was friendly as could be. My mom kept her and she was a sweet little thing and lived a long, happy life as a house cat.

 

[susanm9006]

Whether or not she is in heat right now, she still needs to be spayed because otherwise she will go into heat shortly. If she doesn’t sneak out and get pregnant she will be in almost continuous heat and miserable. I would try to get her in as soon as you can to get her spayed.

 

[Robyn5678]

My cat got a little green tattoo when she was spayed. Have you tried to check around her back legs?