Spayed cat on heat

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janew
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Spayed cat on heat

Post by janew »

Hi,

We've recently adopted a rescue cat (RSPCA) and she's been with us for just over 3 weeks now.

For the last week she has been showing all the signs of being on heat, which we find quite strange considering she has been spayed.

I phoned the vets where she had the op, who said this is unusual but not abnormal (I was quite concerned by their confused tone). They said as it is only a few weeks since the op (22/1/14) and this is her first heat cycle since, it is just the hormones working their way out of her system. Apparently her heat cycles will subside over time.

Surely this doesn't sound right?

She's definitely been operated on as there is a scar. She is approx 4 years old, so not sure if this is something to do with it. I've looked online and find all sorts of conflicting info.

Has anyone had this problem?

I'm going to book an appointment at our own vets to get her a check up, but was interested to hear any first hand experiences.

I've always had male cats before so this is new to me!

On another note, she is such a character and we love her to bits. She's generally settled very well with us.

Thanks
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Carol B
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Re: Spayed cat on heat

Post by Carol B »

First of all how lovely to hear a rescued cat settling in so well..............they know when they land on their paws!

Am definately no expert but that does not sound right to me. Not sure if you are letting her out yet but to be on the safe side I would make sure she cannot get out.

The mum of the two boys I have now was speyed once she had weaned her kittens and there was definately no sign of her going on heat.................the whole idea of having a female cat done is to stop them going on heat!

Think you are doing the right thing in having a second opinion...........guess it would not be the first time a vet has said something has been done but hasn't. Let us know what your vet says.
janew
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Re: Spayed cat on heat

Post by janew »

Thanks Carol, she really is a sweet little girl.

She is going outside, but only for short periods and always with one of us to supervise. We won't let her out on her own until she is confident and we are happy that she is ok, and not at any risk.
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lilynmitz
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Re: Spayed cat on heat

Post by lilynmitz »

I know in male cats it takes a while for the hormone levels to settle down after neutering, but not sure if it's the same for females.
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catsue
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Re: Spayed cat on heat

Post by catsue »

If even the tiniest bit of ovarian tissue has been left inside it can have this effect. A few years ago we had a female cat at one of our foster homes that had been spayed a few days before she came into us. Our fosterer found a small queue of toms outside the cat chalet one morning trying to get into her (the cat, not the fosterer ;)). We took her to our own vet and they said it could be that a bit of ovarian tissue had been left, so they opened her up and found what they had been looking for. There were no further problems, although the poor cat effectively had to be spayed twice. It's the only time I've heard of this happening.
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Re: Spayed cat on heat

Post by elastu »

Having been in rescue for over 20 years unless a bit of ovarian tissue has been left inside, alternatively it is uncommon but females have been found to have 2 uterus, I have never heard of a cat with season like symptoms once spayed. You are very wise to get another vet opinion and suggest you keep the little one in until the situation is solved.
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Carol B
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Re: Spayed cat on heat

Post by Carol B »

Hi Janew.......just wondering if you have managed to get your little girl to the vets and what they advised?
janew
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Re: Spayed cat on heat

Post by janew »

Carol B wrote:Hi Janew.......just wondering if you have managed to get your little girl to the vets and what they advised?

Hi Carol, we haven't yet been to our own vet due to ongoing discussions with the RSPCA last week. The short answer is that they can't confirm whether she has actually been spayed or not because there is some reference to her being too skinny, so I am taking her to the original vets on Wednesday to be checked. Seems to be a major failing in their record keeping. What they've basically got to do is clip her fur and look for a scar, if there isn't one then she'll be done straight away. I've tried to look and can't see a scar.

I couldn't quite believe the conversations I had with the RSPCA last week, and I still can't understand how no-one noticed back in January that she hadn't been operated on (if this is the case). I'm annoyed at them as she's desparate to go outside, but I can't take the risk until I know for sure that she's been spayed, although she is still having supervised trips to the back garden. I just hope this experience doesn't set her back.

I'll keep you posted.
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Lyn from Australia
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Re: Spayed cat on heat

Post by Lyn from Australia »

In Australia it's standard practice for desexed cats to have small tattoos done inside their ears while they are on the table for their operation. I would have thought that was something we "inherited" from the UK, seeing as you guys are generally way ahead of us with anything to do with cats! Mind you, if your RSPCA is as slack and money-oriented as ours, I guess it would be no surprise if they cut corners and mucked up all their paperwork!! But we shouldn't jump the gun I suppose - it's not all that long ago one of our member's cats had to have a second op to remove ectopic ovarian tissue.
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Re: Spayed cat on heat

Post by Meandmymunki »

Was there no difference in fur length on her left flank when you first adopted her? Normally when 2 months post spay, ESP when shedding winter cost you would still see the difference in fur length.
janew
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Re: Spayed cat on heat

Post by janew »

Meandmymunki wrote:Was there no difference in fur length on her left flank when you first adopted her? Normally when 2 months post spay, ESP when shedding winter cost you would still see the difference in fur length.
No, there was no difference in fur length at the time we adopted her. Her fur is very short naturally, so it is very difficult to see an area of regrowth. The only possible tell tale sign is a patch of fur that appears slightly softer than the rest, but this is by no means confirmation.
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Re: Spayed cat on heat

Post by Meandmymunki »

Mmm it's a tricky one, I have a mum rearing kittens in my rescue now and she came Into season last week for 3 days, it was very obvious she was in season, so if she is having a season, and there doubt over the spay it's possible she wasn't done I guess, hopefully the shave will shed some light on it.
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Carol B
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Re: Spayed cat on heat

Post by Carol B »

Oh dear.....does sound like the RSPCA branch you adopted her from may have been, how can I put this politely (!), slightly less than organised. A cat being too skinny to be spayed is certainly one I have never heard of.........all I can say is lets hope they do not adopt that attitude with all the animals in their care! And the fact she is showing all the signs of coming on heat, regardless of whether they say there is a scar or not, in my mind would beg the question did they do it properly! Still it could have been worse.......she could have got pregnant whilst waiting to be rehomed, at least the fact she has come on heat means that is not the case.

And I am sure she will suffer no side effects.......what you have to remember is when she does come back from the vets is she will be coming back to you, to somewhere she knows she is loved and cared for.
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Re: Spayed cat on heat

Post by booktigger »

That seems odd for any rescue. I have had the odd mum that has needed to put sone weight on before spaying, but if they are too thin to spay, they are also too thin to home. My local RSPCA opens every female up to check.

Carol, RSPCA tends to keep cats in individual pods so unlikely to get pregnant while waiting for a home
janew
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Re: Spayed cat on heat

Post by janew »

Update

Amber has been at the vets today, they have found that an ovary was left in when she was spayed. This has now been removed, but its anyone's guess how this got missed the first time. Admittedly I'm no medical expert, but surely the vet who did the original spay should have noticed that they hadn't removed it. She's now had to endure a second operation to finish the spaying properly. Anyway, I'm trying not to get too hung up on it, my main concern is that she is ok and I'm going to pick her up shortly.

I must say, the RSPCA have been brilliant in helping to resolve this and they were very concerned about the whole situation. It really isn't their fault, they can only rely on the notes/information they have, which in this case were incomplete. Shame I can't say the same about the vets they use, I have a very low opinion of them for various reasons and I am unconvinced that animal welfare is the top of their list of priorities.
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Carol B
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Re: Spayed cat on heat

Post by Carol B »

Oh poor little Amber.......that is dreadful......how on earth can a vet miss such a thing.....surely the vet and/or the vet nurse must have known they did not remove the required number of ovaries!!!

However the main thing is the op is over and done with, Amber will be home with you shortly and can now settle down to a very loving home life. And thank goodness you picked up on this before letting her out on her own.
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Lyn from Australia
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Re: Spayed cat on heat

Post by Lyn from Australia »

It's all too believable, unfortunately. For a little animal to have to go two lots of major surgery/anaesthestic is unconscionable. You can only hope that the vet practice is taken to task - I suspect that they probably do RSPCA work at a reduced rate, so don't feel inclined to put too much effort into it. I think that like some doctors, some vets become jaded with time and they stop thinking of their patients as a life that they have to care about and look after. If it happens that you are out of pocket because of this, I would at the very least as the RSCPA to recoup this money on your behalf. Big snuggle hug to Amber from me and my lot, hopefully she won't take long to be back in top form.
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