Could 14 week old female kitten be on heat already?

Pumpkinseeds

As many of you know we have a foster kitten, the vet estimated her age as about 8 weeks when she came to us 6 weeks ago. She plays very well with 1 of our neutered males but since yesterday she's been acting differently with him. She's putting her tail to the side so her bottom is exposed, going down on her tummy so her butt's in the air and making little meeping sounds at him and stretching out to him.

They're usually very physical when they play anyway, he's started gently biting the back of her neck and pinning her back end down and sniffing her bottom:eek: We've never had a very young female kitten before so I don't know if it's just play or heat, it seems like heat.

SillyMangoX

Yep she could very well be in heat and judging from your description she sounds like she is! Horrible to think that such young babies could be having babies themselves, good thing you have her rather than someone who would leave her outdoors un neutered.

anniehoo

The average age is 6mths but it can happen earlier ~4mths (16 weeks), so if your vet was off with his age guesstimate by a few weeks this would put her at the 16 week mark. It's still quite early but not impossible and her behaviour sounds exactly like a female in heat.

Pumpkinseeds

There was no way in Hell I'd give her to someone who wanted her as an outdoor cat, apart from anything else you know when someone wants to put an unspayed female outdoors, you know they don't care about her. She's doing a little treading thing since yesterday and has been meowing her little head off too.

Our vet won't neuter her until she's 6 months old, is there anything else I can do to stop the heat?

Alun

Yes, ours were approx 3-4 months when we got them and they exhibited exactly the same behaviour, even without a male cat in the house. You only had to touch their backs and it'd be tail in the air, exposed rear parts, and strange noises We got them done at about 5 months I think.

Pumpkinseeds

Both our males are neutered and the adult female was spayed by whoever had her first. Our eldest cat is very unsettled this week, maybe that's what's causing that. I'll phone our vet this afternoon and see what she has to say. Given that I'm trying to rehome her I'd be worried sick she'd escape out of her new home and get pregnant.

She's lightening fast and has no sense whatsoever, even before the heat you couldn't leave even the top window open more than a crack or she'd try to jump out a first floor window. All it takes is someone who doesn't have experience of cats to turn their back for a second and she'd be gone out a window or door.

taytobreath

Some vets will spay cats as young as 8 weeks old. It depends on the vet though, but if a cat is in heat they may delay the operation. Ring around

Pumpkinseeds

She's definitely on heat. Anytime Jazzy's in her room she's sticking her bum in his face and doing a little treading thing with her back paws, so we're not going to let him in there until she's stopped. Our cats are all neutered. Toby and Felix are spraying everything they can point their butts at too. I only started advertising her so now I'll have to stop. I just wouldn't trust anyone adopting her until she's spayed, now that she's on heat.

She's only a baby herself, she's still growing into her tail and has no sense at all. I'll check with our vet tomorrow and see if they'd be willing to do it soon since she's already at that stage. No point in waiting to spay her at 6 months when she could get pregnant now.

anniehoo

Most vets prefer not to spay when in heat (it can be done though but the risks are much higher). If you can hold off another week or 2 it'd be much safer for her medically and for you financially to get it done.

When they're in heat, their blood vessels are enlarged and the risks of bleeding and tissue damage is much greater. I had to wait 4 weeks after a stray cat I had a few years ago had her kittens (all died due to kitten fading syndrome) due to the risks involved.

Pumpkinseeds

anniehoo wrote: »

Most vets prefer not to spay when in heat (it can be done though but the risks are much higher). If you can hold off another week or 2 it'd be much safer for her medically and for you financially to get it done.

When they're in heat, their blood vessels are enlarged and the risks of bleeding and tissue damage is much greater. I had to wait 4 weeks after a stray cat I had a few years ago had her kittens (all died due to kitten fading syndrome) due to the risks involved.

Oh no, I wouldn't dream of getting her done until her heat is finished and it's safe for her:)

boomerang

If your vet won't spay before she's six months, I can still point you in the right direction once she's out of season.

All our kittens are spayed/neutered once they reach 1kg which is generally around the 12-13-14 week mark. It's perfectly safe and the recovery time is even quicker than at six months. At The Cat Hospital in Cork they are spaying from five weeks!

Pumpkinseeds

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Pumpkinseeds

Thankfully she seems to be out of heat now, at least she's not sticking her bottom in Jazzy's face and she's stopped meowing the place down, she seems a little bit subdued but once we got her playing she bounced back. I'd say she probably went into heat from Sunday last, looking back on it.



Scratch that, there was a bottom in the face incident a little while ago, still just the one today.