Is my spayed cat acting like she's in heat? (Updated)

[ladytimedramon]

in the ongoing saga of Delilah (now with me for 3 months), she's started doing a lot more weird stuff. Just to note, my last pets were male so I'm basing on internet info.

She's still itching and nibbling at various spots. But that's not it. Her walking around meowing has taken on some ear splitting yowls. She has times where she is all over me for affection. She's started climbing onto the back of my recliner, but instead of just laying across the back and leaning her head down to be scratched, she is hanging her bottom down for attention, practically half on my shoulder and not stopping until I pet the area over her tail.

She also has started climbing onto the arm of my chair or laying on my bed with her bottom raised and her tail to one side. Last night I also saw a little bit of a whitish discharge on her lady bits.

I watched some videos about cats in heat.. the only thing Delilah isn't doing is trying to get out. I did read an article about where sometimes a bit of ovarian tissue gets left behind after spaying and cause the cat to act like they're in heat.

I recorded what she's been doing and uploaded it:

Am I being crazy and paranoid?

I found a cats only vet about 15 minutes away from my apartment and I'm thinking of going there instead of back to Banfield.

 

[Willowy]

Yes, that does look like she's in heat. What's her history?

 

[ladytimedramon]

I adopted her in April from the humane society. She had been there since January. Her paperwork says spayed.

 

[kittenmittens84]

She could have a tiny piece of ovary left that wasn’t removed in the spay, it’s called ovarian remnant syndrome.

 

[ladytimedramon]

That was my thought. I just wasn't sure if I was imagining something in her behavior or it was real.

 

[fionasmom]

I agree. I have only seen that in unspayed adult females I have rescued and been forced to bring home before they could be fixed. She is rolling around, making noises, has the little back feet going.....we could all be wrong but it does look like the ovarian issue.

 

[ladytimedramon]

Thanks.

Now I just have to decide where to take her. I'm not 100% happy with the vet at Banfield, where I've been taking her. I'm considering a cats only vet... or my cousin the vet.

 

[cataholic07]

She would have to have a vaginal smear done, preferably when she seems to be in heat.

 

[fionasmom]

Cat only might be a good start, not discounting your cousin who would also take you seriously. I am assuming that Banfield is not.

 

[Willowy]

Is there someone at the Humane Society who would remember if she was spayed by them, or if they saw a scar on her belly and assumed she was spayed? Or if she was an owner surrender and they took their word for it? If they assumed she was spayed, she may be entirely unspayed. If they did the surgery, it's more likely to be an ovarian remnant.

 

[ladytimedramon]

Cat only might be a good start, not discounting your cousin who would also take you seriously. I am assuming that Banfield is not.

Pretty much.

I also don't feel like I'm getting enough info posted about her previous visits in her online records. Unless I take her to a different location.

 

[ladytimedramon]

Is there someone at the Humane Society who would remember if she was spayed by them, or if they saw a scar on her belly and assumed she was spayed? Or if she was an owner surrender and they took their word for it? If they assumed she was spayed, she may be entirely unspayed. If they did the surgery, it's more likely to be an ovarian remnant.

I'll definitely call them and ask.

I'm also making an appointment for her somewhere, even if I just go to a different Banfield (I paid for the plan, visit is no cost and discount on testing)

So far she's calm but I've been out for a couple of hours and she's napping.

 

[ladytimedramon]

Updating:

The Humane Society must be having phone issues. My calls didn't go through today.

For now it seems to have eased off. She's not hanging her bottom in my face, or demanding total attention. When I scratch her back shes not assuming the position. She's just curled up on the foot of my recliner refusing to eat what I put out for dinner.

If it starts to happen I'll get her right to a vet to do the smear.

Thanks all for your advice.

This is what she's doing right now.

 

[ladytimedramon]

Update to the update...

Its starting again. She's started meowing loudly, squirming and rolling, rubbing against everything, and I'm trying to write this while she is hanging over the back of my recliner whacking me in the face with her tail, half sitting on my shoulder, and demanding I scratch by her tail. I'm really glad I spent to get soft paws on her back claws. She also just started "assuming the position" on the arm of my recliner.

Calling the vet Monday.

 

[ladytimedramon]

Delilah's regular vet had an opening today so I took her in. He said its a possibility that there is an ovarian remnant but said to wait to see if this happens a 3rd time, then do either a $300 surgery or a $400 ultrasound. He suggested using Feliway to keep her calm. I'm not happy right now, but since I paid for the Banfield plan the visit itself didn't cost.

I'm going to see about taking her to the cat only vet or my cousin.

 

[ladytimedramon]

Updating Delilahs status.

I contacted the Humane Society and they said to take Delilah to their vet. The vet ran bloodwork (thankfully they discounted the $300 tests for me).

It took a while but I got the results today. Her hormones were elevated, which points to the ovary remnant. So I need to set up the surgery for her next.

I hate to put my kitty through surgery, but 1, its for her long term health and 2, for my sanity.

 

[ladytimedramon]

When I first posted, Delilah was a spayed cat acting like she was in heat. The vet did bloodwork, which pointed to an ovarian remnant.

This morning Delilah had surgery to find the remnants. The vet called me, and she found no remaining tissue whatsoever. The vet is stumped, and is referring us to an internal medicine specialist and then a reproductive specialist.

But I'm concerned. Delilah seems to be acting in heat for a little over a week, then normal for a week, then in heat again. What else can possibly be causing this?

Aside from the yowling driving me batty, Delilah is miserable. She is rolling all over the place, squirming, crawling all over me, begging me to scratch and pet her. This morning she rolled herself off my bed. It's like she can't stop herself at times.

Does anyone else know of anything that can cause a spayed cat to act like she's in heat?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I'm now stumped. But PLEASE keep us updated on what is going on with her visits to specialists! Poor little girl.

 

[ladytimedramon]

I just got off the phone with my cousin the vet (she doesn't see family or friends pets).

She says that there IS a remnant if the bloodwork is positive (and she told me to stop googling it). I need to take Delilah to an internist and she recommended the one she used for her own pets.

She also thinks that this may be the real reason Delilah was given up for adoption, not "family allergies". Plus she wonders why no one noticed this happening before at the shelter.

Personally I'm livid though because when I read the surgery notes to her, she said Delilah wasn't anesthetized adequately and they shouldn't have closed her the way they did... plus they should have given me pain killers for her.

I did manage to get her to eat a few pieces of kibble, but for the most part she hiding (as much as the cone will allow).

Tomorrow i have a lot of calls to make.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I am SO SORRY! That's what I thought, but...after the vet said... YEAH, time to change vets.

As for the shelter, right now they are horribly overworked and understaffed, and probably chalked it up to "behavioral." I'm trying to be understanding with these things during this horrible virus, but LORD, you'd think someone would have wondered about it!