My "spayed" cat is in heat...is this possible??????

[alwaysamess]

I'm calling my vet first thing in the morning. I am now convinced my spayed female cat is in heat.

A little medical history: She was Siheung kitty on this site. She was spayed and held at a no-kill animal shelter. I witnessed the stitches when she came to me right after her surgery in April.

She can really get desperate for attention for several days straight. Now that I think about it, it was like a switch went off. Behaviors: Loud, loud screaming almost constantly, insane amounts of affection towards me, rolling around like crazy when I'm around. As you may have seen, I have posted about her in "Overvocal cat" on this very forum. The overall consensus was to ignore her and I did. And poof, one day she stopped cold turkey. She was normal cat again, no rolling, no screaming. Just sleeping and being a cat and playing with her brother.

Then she went through this AGAIN. Again, I started sleeping with earplugs. I was thinking "my gosh, we have to go through this screaming AGAIN?!" Then, all of the sudden, she just stopped and became a normal and very quiet cat. Then, out of the blue weeks later, she'll go through this all over again. I literally have to sleep with earplugs, as she will cry every 2 hours at night in the kitchen and living room. She has been kicked out of the bedroom every night and continues to wail in the rest of the house.

She's been through this cycle at least 3 times with me, and now she's right in the middle of it again. It's sooooooo annoying. She just wails constantly.

Tonight, in my frustration that she is at it AGAIN, it dawned on me that this is a pattern. I looked up what happens to a cat in heat, and she has all the signs, but no spraying and crouching down to mate with the tail to the side. I haven't kept track of the frequency, but since I've had her since April, I have calculated that she's done this at least once every month since I've had her.

Is this possible? Is it possible that they missed a crucial stop in the spaying process? I'm very confused. She's a SPAYED cat! The wailing is extremely frustrating and seems like it won't stop, though I've been ignoring her for 4 days now when she does it. I'm almost relieved that this could be medical and possibly fixed now. But I'm also insanely worried, as it bothers me to think my little Cobra is having a medical issue in the first place. I just want my little girl to be ok, you know?

I know what you are thinking: "Crazy lady with a cat thinks the impossible." I also think this can't possibly be true.

[alwaysamess]

With a little research, I am answering my own question.

Looks like there is a possibility of an "incomplete spay" or something like that. There have been instances where a doctor can't find an ovary or accidentally leaves some tissue inside. Also, maybe a doctor doesn't complete the proper way to do it. I guess it could be possible that this shelter could have done a shoddy job.

Now I'm convinced. And boy oh boy, I can't wait to have her checked out. The remedy of this is another surgery.

Now I must question the completeness of a spay done at one of the places participating in the trap and release programs. Is it possible that they aren't doing complete jobs to get their money? I see the scar where they cut Cobra open, but could it be possible that they just opened her and stitched her? Or maybe they used a careless method to spay her? I must wonder about this. I will update about what happens concerning the vet and such.

If anyone has anything to contribute, please do so.

[Karen]

Hi alwaysamess,

I've read about incomplete spay operations because I was worried about my own dog at one point. She was spayed at 6months by a fairly young vet. Well, she hasn't ever had any symptoms of heat, but her anatomy (without getting into the personal details) is such that a couple people have asked whether or not she's had a litter. One was a weird guy on the street so I brushed off the comment, then my dog-loving neighbour in Canada who knows more about dogs, so I became suspicious, then finally a Canadian vet! She's the one who mentioned the incomplete spay thing and got me worried. For Sage, though, there aren't any semi-heat cycles so I decided not to worry about how she's shaped.

From what I read, like you said, it sounds like it's easy to miss even just a few cells or a bit of tissue that can either grow or die off. If the tissue grows then the hormones that are produced can cause the dog (well, cat too I guess) to mimic a heat cycle even though they can't get pregnant.

OK, I found something about spaying dogs that might be of interest, but I'm not sure if it applies to cats.

Apparently there are a couple ways to sterilize female dogs: Ovariohysterectomy surgery removes everything and thereby eliminates heat cycles. Then there is the plain old hysterectomy and something called tubal ligation both of which don't remove everything.

Some owners see hysterectomy or tubal ligation as a way to sterilize the pet, yet still allow her to experience heat cycles and participate in mating. Because the ovaries remain in the animal, the disadvantages of these procedures are similar to those seen in intact dogs (dogs that have not had surgical sterilization).
For the whole article see http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1625&articleid=926

If this is also possible for cats then maybe the Siheung clinic is not performing ovariohysterectomies but one of the other choices. For dogs, heat cycles only occur about twice per year. Is it really every month for cats? Oh god, poor you.

Here's the PetEducation.com site for cats: http://www.peteducation.com/index.cfm?cls=1

I guess your vet is the best person to ask and s/he can call the Siheung people and find out what kind of surgery they performed (if this info applies to cats at all). I really hope Cobra doesn't need a second surgery, though. I hope it turns out to be something much simpler... Ah, enduring that kind of behaviour every month! I hope you and your neighbours have good earplugs! Oh, poor poor you!!! :(

Let me know what your vet says, and if I find anything specifically about cats I'll be sure to post it.

[Karen]

Hey there,

How did the vet visit go? Did he explain better what is going on? How is Cobra doing now?

I hope the situation has improved and that you can get some sleep!

Take care,

Karen

[alwaysamess]

I am so frustrated over the situation. She, as predicted by me, poofed back into "normal cat" last time.

When I called the vet, he said it may be due to changes of anything around the house or interruptions in routine.
Two and a half weeks later, amid constant stability and routine in my house, she is now screaming cat again.

Honestly, now I'm in tears about it. I can't even relax at home during this time. She's just constantly screaming. I look so forward to hanging out at home on the weekends with them and being lazy together. She started back up again on Friday. But on Saturday, I just couldn't take it anymore and left to go hang at a coffee shop for 3 hours. Then, at night, I was just sick about the whole thing. I yelled at her in frustration and even put her in her own room for an hour with my music up blaring.

The next morning (yesterday, Sunday), I woke up and immediately took her to the vet. Dr. Kang must be on vacation because the owner who doesn't speak much English was there instead of him on a Sunday. We communicated alright. He asked me all the normal questions about change and routine. I insisted, teary eyed behind my sunglasses, that he check her out. He checked her out, and told me that there were no problems. I just asked, "Please, are you sure?"

I'm about to post on the animal lovers group. I want to find a vet that will xray her and respay her. I want to find a vet that will confirm that this is a medical problem and not a behavioral problem. I'm convinced that she is a meowing frenzy all because of a spay method. No cat just turns on and off like that in a pattern.

If I can get to sleep with my earplugs in before she starts meowing, I can sleep through the night. Last night, though, she screamed and screamed out in the hallway at bedtime. I had had enough of this at that point, so I locked her up in the cat room (it's not as bad as it sounds...it's got bedding, though near the litter box). And of course, Tofu can't bear to be separated, so he asked to join her in lockup. And that's where they stayed all night long. I have no idea if they cried to get out or what because I had a great sleep with earplugs and being 2 doors away from hearing her. I woke up and felt so guilty that they had been in there all night and not with mommy. But they were even quiet and not begging when I walked up to the door to let them out, so I guess they aren't too traumatized.

Thank god that the design of my apartment is such that my apartment is virtually soundproof to my neighbors. Giving her up is not an option. She's my daughter and she's mine forever. However, it seems like it's going to be a looooong life together if I can't solve this. Five to six days of screaming every two and a half weeks is not normal. She might not be in a full-on heat, but she's got an issue that I need solved.

I just wish someone would believe me and re-spay her. This is not behavioral!

[Karen]

That's really horrible, especially to hear from the vet that "nothing is wrong". Ha!

I think you should cross-post on the Animal Lovers in Korea group. There's a woman who's posting there recently named Anne-Marie who seems to have a lot of cat experience in Seoul and so I'm sure she knows of a good vet where you can get a second opinion. I think she's rescued quite a few street cats so she may even know something about this type of behaviour. I know your vet is great, but if the problem isn't getting fixed then I think you're right about getting someone to x-ray her, unless they can explain the cause of the screaming.

Good luck to you. Don't feel guilty about making your kitties sleep in another room, either! If it does turn out to be a behaviour thing not physical, Cobra will become aware that she's not going to get attention from you in the night and maybe she'll just lose the habit. (I pray it could be that easy). Besides, since the behaviour is jeopardizing your relationship, OK "jeopardize" is a strong word - but the screaming is causing major stress, it's more important to get rest and be happy than to sleep in the same room, I think. Plus she's got Tofu with her!

Take care! Sorry I don't have any actual advice to offer. I hope the Anne-Marie person or someone else in the Animal Lovers group will be able to help.

[alwaysamess]

I HAVE FANTASTIC NEWS!

Apparently today, the doctors discussed Cobra and about the possibility that there might be something still inside after the spay.

Dr. Kim called to speak with me about their discussion. We talked for a while and I explained the many reasons why I know this is not behavioral. She talked about the possibility of being something still inside of her. I asked outright for another surgery, if it is a good idea. She said she would discuss it with the others and call me back.

She came back with a yes. On Saturday, Cobra will have surgery!!!!!! I'm so relieved and excited and worried and hopeful all at the same time. I hope all of these things happen: Cobra comes out of the surgery ok (THE MOST IMPORTANT), that they find SOMETHING in her, that they remove it successfully, and then that it erases the hell...er...faux heat.

If it doesn't work, then I at least better get my Cobra back. I'll just learn to deal with it for the next 15 years or so. haha!

[pukka]

I am having the same problem with my female dog , after spaying
she is still in heat every 6 months .

I will take her to a Vet in Daegu in December since that is the next
time she should be in heat.
This Vet said that a 2nd operation is better during the heat .The other
Vet who did the bad job will return half of the money from the original operation. I hope you
can get some of your money back as well .

This Vet in Daegu is well known for his ability to fix serieus problems and
he is also a cat specialist , who helped Kaps Daegu for about 15years .

Phone number

Dr Lim

053 526 8234

Contact him , if there is a problem with English I will give you his direct
cell phone number.
Good luck and keep in touch !

[alwaysamess]

Thanks for the recommendation.

I will see if the surgery on Saturday does the trick.

The first spay was free, as it was done by a shelter in Siheung, so no need to get any money back there. I consider it paying my dues for her anyway.

Thanks for your help!!!

[alwaysamess]

Update:

Cobra had her 2nd spay on Saturday (9/1). When they went in, the found an entire ovary intact with all its necessary equipment plus some uterus. I was so thrilled that I was right! She was having full-blown heats. (My vet said this is the first time they have ever experienced this.)

Her first spay was with Siheung shelter in south Seoul and I have to wonder how it was possible that they missed exactly half of the necessary equipment. Were they taking a shortcut? Was it someone's first spay? Was it a med student? Were they doing just enough to stop the cat from becoming sperminated and still get paid by the government for it?

Who knows, but all I know is that we'll have no more heats up in here! Hallelulia!!!

Cobra is recovering nicely. She and Tofu are back to their early morning chasing and wrestling already.

My advice if you suspect your animal is having heats: First, keep track of a couple of times you think they are in heats and see if the pattern matches the cycles of cats/dogs. If it seems like your animal is Jeckyl and Hyde (a completely different animal for several days, then POOF! back to normal), then that's another clue. Since this is rare, vets might be weary and insist it might be behavorial (attention or stressed related). Make sure you change nothing about routine or products in your house for a month so you can be certain.

I worry a lot about people giving up on animals when things like this happen. Behavioral or medical, I just hope people have the patience to stick it out and find a solution. I'm just glad I had Cobra and not someone else that might not have given her a chance. She would have been given up and passed from owner to owner and probably have ended up in a shelter to die.

[cyrax]

cheers!

[pukka]

I am happy to hear that your problem is solved :)

[Karen]

alwaysamess,

Thanks for all the info. It's such a freaky story, fairly shocking to put it mildly. I'm really happy to hear that Cobra is already playing and wrestling and feelin' good. Yay!

You're right that if Cobra had found a less devoted person she might have ended up on the street. I am SO HAPPY that she was with you, who really truly knows what forever means. You do have a tremendous amount of patience and love and I guess that's why/how Cobra found you in the first place!

Anyway, I'm relieved that she's healthy again! Now you guys can enjoy life steadily and not cyclically anymore! :D