Help!!! Could it be be that...

[Kirsten]

...Lily is already showing the first signs of heat?

She's 5 months and one week now, and for a couple of days, she running around a lot and cries and complains, and she's often very wild now and is knocking down things. But the worst part of it is that she's escaping all the time now, and that really scares the hell out of me!

She did that before occasionally, but not EVERY DAY! I'm living on the third floor, and when I'm coming home she's appearantly waiting behind the door and when I open it, she's as fast as a lightning. She speeds down to the ground level and I'm sure she would run outdoors without hesitating in case the front door is open (which wasn't the case so far, but I was only lucky!).

Now I wonder if this behavior, the need to go outside, will disappear when she's spayed. I heard that about males, but Lily is a girl! And she's really young and tiny! What do you think?

Thanks,
Kirsten

Edited because I forgot to mention: I saw Luna sniffing Lily's butt several times today, something she has never done before!

[Barbara]

Five months -that's early but not impossible.

The yowling in the night... Yes could be.

Running down the stairs: she's in a very active age right now. So that could be just fun for her showing you she's quicker.

I only have boy kitties myself but Tigris' mom got pregnant with 6 months when nobody expected it. Are there some Tom's singing under Lily's window;) Then you'd have the proof:D

[catcrazylady]

Oh yeah!!! Very possible!! We experienced this a few months back. We had brought in the three feral kittens and knew they needed to be fixed. We just weren't able to fit it into the work schedules but thought we had a little time since they were only about 5 to 6 months old. The little girl showed NO signs of heat but got really fat really quick! I kept it to myself because I thought surely NOT! Then during a belly rubbing session I felt the kittens move! I had to fess up to the hubby then that we had waited to long. I wish I had a picture of his face since he had said that there was no way we were having any more cats. (that was about 5 cats back!!!) Anyway, to make a long story short...it was too late to do anything about it so I decided to just be excited about new babies! Because she was so young and tiny things did not go well at all! She developed an infection (unknown to us) but managed to deliver 1 live kitten while we were at work. The second, and third kitten I had to help deliver, clean, and cut the cord! One was still born so now we had two alive but she was in trouble. I called the vet several times and he kept reassuring me but said that if I really thought she was in trouble to bring her in. I thought I was being over-protective and paranoid so I left her alone utill the next morning. She was still trying to deliver another kitten. I called the vet again and he told me to pull it out. I had to do it right then! YUK! It too was still born. As the morning went on I noticed she was going down pretty quickly instead of feeling better. I grabbed her and the kittens and headed to the vet. She had a 105 degree fever, two undelivered kittens inside of her and she was dying! I have never felt SO GUILTY in my life. I stood in the office and bawled like a baby! He said he would do everything he could to save her. He had to get the fever down before he could operate and didn't know if she could make it that long. He called us late that night and said that he had had to operate and she was touch and go but still alive. He said her uterus was full of pus (sorry) so he had spayed her while he was in there. I was glad to hear that but he said that when doing a c-section they don't want to spay them because it is incredibly dangerous. She had so many things against her and I had two tiny babies that had never had a drop of mothers milk. She was dry due to the fever. I managed to keep one of the babies for two days and the second one for four days before they died. It was horrible!! On the third day the vet called and said Pervy had made a remarkable recovery and he thought it best for her to continue healing at home. Thank God today she is a fat, and sassy little girl. I don't think I could have lived with the guilt if I had lost her too. Sorry that this is so long but this happened shortly before I came to PT and I have never been able to tell the story to cat lovers who will understand the trauma for me, my husband, and most of all little Pervy.
the moral of the story...YES she can be in heat and it can lead to trouble when they are so young. Good luck and I recommend a vet visit soon!:) http://petoftheday.com/talk/images/our_smilies/smile.gif

[Kirsten]

OMG, what a heartbreaking story! Now I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes! :(

I'm glad that Pervy has recovered and is doing fine now!

I think I'll call the vet on Monday, and when she thinks Lily is old enough, I'll make an appointment for her!

Kirsten

[slick]

When our shelter traps ferals, if any of them are females they will be spayed and the youngest one we've done is 4 mths. I'm sure it will be OK.

CCL: I'm sure glad you were there for little Pervy and the kittens. I'm sure the two babies knew you loved them, even for such a short time.

[Steffi N]

What a sad and painful story. I am thankful that Pervy is all right now.

[catcrazylady]

Thanks everyone for the kind words about Pervy and the kittens. It was a very bad time but it has been easier to overlook the bad because I was just so glad that Pervy survived. She is in good health and seems very happy. I was afraid she would grieve for her kittens but she was able to see one the day she came home. She wanted nothing whatsoever to do with it. They never bonded and I guess I can't blame her with all the trouble he caused her. In the end it was best since he passed on.

Kirsten I'm sorry I kind of took over your thread!http://petoftheday.com/talk/images/our_smilies/smile.gif I didn't mean to scare you to death either!http://petoftheday.com/talk/images/our_smilies/eek.gif Just wanted to give you a heads up about our experience.http://petoftheday.com/talk/images/our_smilies/wink.gif

[Cataholic]

Kirsten, I don't have alot of experience with unaltered females. Allie was 4 months when she was spayed, Geo just 2 months, and Minnie came 'pre-spayed'! BUT, a little history on Allie. She is my WILD cat...screaming and crying, shooting out the door, down the hall, acting like a banshee. And, she is 3 now. God how quickly my babies grow up. So, while **maybe** it is a heat, maybe also Lily is just a brat, like my kitty?


However, if you can afford to, don't wait. I know you won't any longer than necessary, but...just wanted to say that ;)


Catcrazylady- my heart broke to read your story. Ally and Dakky came from a kitty that was impregnated too soon..and we nearly lost her, too. She sadly had one kitty pass on, 1 vaginally, and three by c-section. My friend Karlyn and I hand fed the babies for days...and then, even when momma was up to feeding, Karlyn and her bf still woke twice a night to bottle feed, 'just in case'.

So sorry for your experience.

[Barbara]

Catcrazylady, I am so happy that Pervy survived and that you were there for her. If she had stayed feral she would certainly have died :(

Kirsten it must not always end up that bad. Tigris' mom had 4 healthy babies, among them Tigris, and was a good mom. However her humans were happy when the babies left the house because she was not fully grown up and she was very thin because the kitties took all the calories ;)

The dashing out of the door sounds very bratty to me. Tigris and Filou have times like this -still today as they are 7,5 years old.

But it's maybe the right time for an appointment at the vet's.

[Kirsten]

Well, IF Lily does't really make it to the outside one day, there's no danger she could get pregnant.

However I have spoken to my vet today and she thinks these could very well be first signs of the heat, and she will get pills now to control the effects. As soon as she's done with the first heat, she'll be spayed.

I find it interesting to hear that some cats here have obviously been spayed at a very young age. Here in Germany, they usually don't do it before a cat is at least 6 months old. Lily is 5 months and 10 days now.

Kirsten