BY JENNIFER C. FEENEY, DVM
Question: My cat Paisley is two years old and she keeps going
into heat. It’s so annoying when she cries and rolls around like
she’s in pain, and she keeps running out the door! What can I do?
GET YOUR CAT SPAYED! Second only to yearly veterinary exams
and recommended yearly vaccinations, having your pet sterilized is the BEST way to keep
your pet healthy and prevent many life threatening diseases.
Not to mention, it helps prevent other unpleasant behavioral issues associated with
intact (unaltered) animals such as humping, aggression and urine marking, especially in
male dogs and cats, trying to run out open doors (and for females, coming home
pregnant; for males, coming home with fight wounds), messy bloody discharge in female
dogs, and incessant crying, howling and personality changes, especially in female cats.
“Neutering” is the term used for surgically altering an animal. Female animals are
“spayed” and male animals are “castrated,” although many people now use the term
“neutering” specifically relating to male animals.
During this routine surgical procedure, animals are sterilized and rendered unable to
reproduce, which has the added benefit reducing the unwanted pet population by
decreasing the number of unexpected and unwanted litters being born.
While this procedure is considered routine, it still is a surgery and should be treated with
great care. Your veterinarian should recommend preanesthetic blood testing prior to the
surgery, and offer pain control after the procedure. Risks are minimal and the benefits
are enormous!
Pets should be neutered at the age of six months, BEFORE their first heat cycle for
females, but it can be done and provides health benefits at any age. The risk of fatal
mammary (breast) cancer goes up with each heat cycle, and females that are spayed
before their first heat cycle almost never suffer from this form of cancer. I can not tell you
how many times I have consoled a grieving client who has lost her beloved pet to
mammary cancer when they come to realize it could have been prevented, if only they had
spayed their female pet at an early age.
Another preventable life threatening disease in female animals is called Pyometra, a
condition where the uterus becomes infected and swells to as much as 10 times its
normal size. Animals with this condition become rapidly ill and require immediate life
saving surgery, and even with the best of care, they can still die due to severe septicemia
(infection). Dogs are more prone to pyometra than cats, but it happens to both species
and is completely preventable by having your pet spayed.
Male animals also benefit from being neutered at an early age. All intact male animals
are at risk for testicular cancers, some of which are fatal. Male dogs almost always have
some form of prostate enlargement as they age. Aside from causing bloody and painful
urination which requires medical treatment, prostate disease can also manifest as
prostate cancer, which is usually fatal. Intact male cats that go outside almost always
have a shortened lifespan due to fight wounds that often lead to contracting a virus such
as feline leukemia or FIV (feline AIDS).
Many people mistakenly believe that having their pet neutered will change the pet’s
personality. This is absolutely not true. Neutering only decreases the frequency of
unwanted behaviors and leaves your pet free from the stress of the mating instinct, it
does not change the basic personality of your pet. Many claim that pets who are neutered
get fat, but this is also untrue. Pets get fat because they eat too much. Controlling
portions and feeding an appropriate diet will prevent weight gain in any animal, neutered
or not.
If your pet is not neutered, call your veterinarian and make an appointment for a
presurgical visit and discuss the benefits of having your pet neutered right away.
Ask the Vet is not intended to be a substitute for the regular veterinary care a
licensed veterinarian provides through routine physical exams, and should only be
used for personal, educational and informational purposes only. Responses do not
establish a veterinarian-client-patient relationship, and are not intended as veterinary
medical advice.
Question: My cat Paisley is two years old and she keeps going
into heat. It’s so annoying when she cries and rolls around like
she’s in pain, and she keeps running out the door! What can I do?
GET YOUR CAT SPAYED! Second only to yearly veterinary exams
and recommended yearly vaccinations, having your pet sterilized is the BEST way to keep
your pet healthy and prevent many life threatening diseases.
Not to mention, it helps prevent other unpleasant behavioral issues associated with
intact (unaltered) animals such as humping, aggression and urine marking, especially in
male dogs and cats, trying to run out open doors (and for females, coming home
pregnant; for males, coming home with fight wounds), messy bloody discharge in female
dogs, and incessant crying, howling and personality changes, especially in female cats.
“Neutering” is the term used for surgically altering an animal. Female animals are
“spayed” and male animals are “castrated,” although many people now use the term
“neutering” specifically relating to male animals.
During this routine surgical procedure, animals are sterilized and rendered unable to
reproduce, which has the added benefit reducing the unwanted pet population by
decreasing the number of unexpected and unwanted litters being born.
While this procedure is considered routine, it still is a surgery and should be treated with
great care. Your veterinarian should recommend preanesthetic blood testing prior to the
surgery, and offer pain control after the procedure. Risks are minimal and the benefits
are enormous!
Pets should be neutered at the age of six months, BEFORE their first heat cycle for
females, but it can be done and provides health benefits at any age. The risk of fatal
mammary (breast) cancer goes up with each heat cycle, and females that are spayed
before their first heat cycle almost never suffer from this form of cancer. I can not tell you
how many times I have consoled a grieving client who has lost her beloved pet to
mammary cancer when they come to realize it could have been prevented, if only they had
spayed their female pet at an early age.
Another preventable life threatening disease in female animals is called Pyometra, a
condition where the uterus becomes infected and swells to as much as 10 times its
normal size. Animals with this condition become rapidly ill and require immediate life
saving surgery, and even with the best of care, they can still die due to severe septicemia
(infection). Dogs are more prone to pyometra than cats, but it happens to both species
and is completely preventable by having your pet spayed.
Male animals also benefit from being neutered at an early age. All intact male animals
are at risk for testicular cancers, some of which are fatal. Male dogs almost always have
some form of prostate enlargement as they age. Aside from causing bloody and painful
urination which requires medical treatment, prostate disease can also manifest as
prostate cancer, which is usually fatal. Intact male cats that go outside almost always
have a shortened lifespan due to fight wounds that often lead to contracting a virus such
as feline leukemia or FIV (feline AIDS).
Many people mistakenly believe that having their pet neutered will change the pet’s
personality. This is absolutely not true. Neutering only decreases the frequency of
unwanted behaviors and leaves your pet free from the stress of the mating instinct, it
does not change the basic personality of your pet. Many claim that pets who are neutered
get fat, but this is also untrue. Pets get fat because they eat too much. Controlling
portions and feeding an appropriate diet will prevent weight gain in any animal, neutered
or not.
If your pet is not neutered, call your veterinarian and make an appointment for a
presurgical visit and discuss the benefits of having your pet neutered right away.
Ask the Vet is not intended to be a substitute for the regular veterinary care a
licensed veterinarian provides through routine physical exams, and should only be
used for personal, educational and informational purposes only. Responses do not
establish a veterinarian-client-patient relationship, and are not intended as veterinary
medical advice.
| Ask The Vet - My Cat Is In Heat AGAIN! |
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| Jennifer C. Feeney, DVM, has seven cats and one dog, all rescues. E-mail questions to DrFeeney@gmail.com. |
