My female cat was spayed while she was in heat, and a week after her spay, she's still yowling!

[inediblepeaches]

Hi guys!

Hope you can give me advice on whether this is normal.

My cat was spayed while she was in heat, which we have done for another cat of ours previously. The recently spayed cat has been yowling and pawing at my door to enter my room, while she has been continuously seeking out my (neutered) male cats for affection. Her meowing can last for hours, she's doing it as I type this out.

We thought getting her spayed would be able to spare her from the stress of estrous, as well as us from the signs of her heat. It's weirding us out that she's still acting as though she's in heat, very outside her normal behaviour of being independent while loving the occasional pet.

I've checked and double checked her incision site to make sure it's doing ok - while she has removed her own stitches, the wound is not bumpy, red, inflamed or leaking any sort of pus or fluid. She does not even mind us touching her incision, so it doesn't seem to be causing her any pain. Her incision site is really only a quarter inch long, absolutely tiny as the clinic she went to is a locally known clinic that specialises in SNR programmes. I tried putting her in a onesie multiple times, but she's a wriggly SOB and would wiggle out of it once she was out of sight.

The cat previously spayed while in heat immediately stopped all signs of her heat cycle, while B1 (Banana 1, ala Bananas in Pajamas) is still going at it. The usual duo of music and catnip/silvervine does nothing to calm her.

Any help is appreciated, because I'm slowly having my sanity chipped away. She's louder than our other yet-to-be-spayed cat who is also in heat!

 

[Maria Bayote]

Some cats still continue to yowl like being in heat even after surgery, and may continue for several days more. I think this is just normal.
You may consult your vet if this goes on much longer.

 

[inediblepeaches]

Thanks for the advice! I wouldn't even mind so much if it wasn't happening directly where all our bedrooms are, but it is and I've gotten maybe 4 hours of sleep a night since she got back from the vets.

 

[StanAndAlf]

Is there a reason she is separated from the neutered males? Perhaps their presence can comfort her. The fact that it's only been a week and she has chewed her stitches out does concern me, even though you say the site looks healthy, so be sure to monitor the area closely.

Is there a reason you spay them while they are in heat? The vets at my clinic recommend waiting until after a heat has passed, as the chances of internal bleeding are higher. It can take a few months for hormones to settle down, so it is likely the separation, combined with still raging hormones is causing her vocalization.

 

[catsknowme]

Your vet may be able to advise you on hormone therapy which may or may not be appropriate. The vet might have a suggestion for some sort of sedation for at night so you can get rest - your frustration level must be sky high. You can ask the ver about calming herbs such as german chamomile and lemon balm; for yourself, you can look for preparations that include ashwaghanda, L-theanine, lemon balm, chamomile, melatonin, etc. (Relaxia is a very popular product that I have tried myself and really like - I got mine at the chain drug store RiteAid)The pheromones from the other cat in estrus will also influence the entire group's behavior as scents are very strong communicators for cats and dogs. It's been a worldwide problem during this pandemic that spay/neuter surgeries are greatly reduced, just as most medical appointments, even for humans.
Please keep us updated on what you try and the results - your situation is a common dilemma for cats' families everywhere!

 

[klunick]

Doesn't it take a while for all the hormones to completely leave the body? Maybe her howling is residual hormones especially since she was already in heat when she was fixed.

 

[Kat0121]

Doesn't it take a while for all the hormones to completely leave the body? Maybe her howling is residual hormones especially since she was already in heat when she was fixed.

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[inediblepeaches]

Is there a reason she is separated from the neutered males? Perhaps their presence can comfort her. The fact that it's only been a week and she has chewed her stitches out does concern me, even though you say the site looks healthy, so be sure to monitor the area closely.

Is there a reason you spay them while they are in heat? The vets at my clinic recommend waiting until after a heat has passed, as the chances of internal bleeding are higher. It can take a few months for hormones to settle down, so it is likely the separation, combined with still raging hormones is causing her vocalization.

Hey so she's not separated from the males, but they have limited interest in her advances. Sorry if I made it seem like she's been set apart, they just aren't into it because they've all been neutered.

We didn't actually opt for it, our appointment got moved by a week because the clinic had to shut down, because they had close contact with a COVID case. So in that time she went back into heat, and I didn't want to delay her getting spayed again. The vet we went to is experienced with spays for SNR programmes and felt confident that it would go well, which it did.

Thanks for the advice, and I'll continue monitoring her spay site. Right now, I can barely see her scar.

 

[inediblepeaches]

Your vet may be able to advise you on hormone therapy which may or may not be appropriate. The vet might have a suggestion for some sort of sedation for at night so you can get rest - your frustration level must be sky high. You can ask the ver about calming herbs such as german chamomile and lemon balm; for yourself, you can look for preparations that include ashwaghanda, L-theanine, lemon balm, chamomile, melatonin, etc. (Relaxia is a very popular product that I have tried myself and really like - I got mine at the chain drug store RiteAid)The pheromones from the other cat in estrus will also influence the entire group's behavior as scents are very strong communicators for cats and dogs. It's been a worldwide problem during this pandemic that spay/neuter surgeries are greatly reduced, just as most medical appointments, even for humans.
Please keep us updated on what you try and the results - your situation is a common dilemma for cats' families everywhere!

Thank you for the suggestions!

The poor thing was in such distress during her heat, she seems to feel it more than the other females who barely meow when they're in heat. We can only tell because they roll around on the floor, and are friendlier than usual. With B1, she was yowling and constantly looking for attention. We just didn't know what to expect as our other cat who was spayed while in heat (or coming off it, it's hard to tell) immediately stopped after her spay. I'll give the vets office a call about the german chamomile, I've seen it suggested online but wasn't too sure. Might get some Feliway too if they recommend it.

I currently take melatonin, and it's helping some but not as much as I would like it to. The rest of the family are heavier sleepers, so luckily for them they can ignore it enough to get some rest. I don't live in the US, but I have found Relaxia on iHerb and added it to my cart. Thanks for the recommendation!