Oh good grief

[naomikritzer]

Emilycat started acting really odd last night. Meowing up a storm and rolling around on her back like there was an itch there she just couldn't scratch.

I called the vet today. I didn't even have to talk to the vet: the clinic secretary listened to the symptoms and said, "Oh! She's in heat."

We didn't know whether or not she was spayed, but figured she was, because what kind of idiot gets their cat declawed and doesn't spay her? Whoever her mystery first owner is, I hope he gets fleas. Thousands and thousands of fleas. (The lady who called her Sassy was not the first owner, and did not get Emily from her first owner, but from someone else who found her as a stray and adopted her. All of us got the same information from the vet: "huh. Well, if she goes into heat, we'll know she wasn't spayed.")

She goes to the vet first thing tomorrow for the spay operation. She can't go today because she's already eaten.

She is trying desperately to get Shadow (who is neutered) to mate with her.

Poor kitty. "Itch she can't scratch" is about right, I think.

Comments

[haddayr.livejournal.com]

Oh, geez. I am really sorry.

Lots of idiots declaw and don't spay, though. Which is SELFISH AND INSANE.

[naomikritzer]

Yeah, no kidding. When I think of things that would be a total pain in my ass, a litter of kittens I had to find homes for is frankly a bigger deal than a ruined couch. But I'd actually feel obligated to find decent homes for the kittens, rather than just dropping them off at the humane society, and would also feel incredibly guilty over the shelter animals who might NOT get adopted by the people who were adopting kittens from my cat.

[allochthon.livejournal.com]

Grrr. Arrghghgh.

[wordswoman.livejournal.com]

We too adopted a cat that had been frontally declawed but not spayed. Tells you a lot about the previous owner's priorities, doesn't it?

[naomikritzer]

Yes indeed, it does.

Be thankful you called the vet first.

[sylvia-rachel.livejournal.com]

My mom's cat (formerly the family cat -- she's 19-ish now) was also acquired from someone who didn't bother getting her spayed. (But they didn't declaw her, either, to their credit...) They were also not entirely sure how old she was, and we thought, well, we'll get her spayed before she goes into heat for the first time.

Except, the first time she went into heat, we were out of town, and our cat-sitting friend, seeing the behaviour and hearing the yowling, simply assumed Kitty was missing her family and continued to let her in and out as usual.

Nine weeks later, hey presto! Five kittens. (We found homes for them all, except for Ludwig, whom we decided to keep as company for Kitty. Unfortunately Ludwig turned out to have some kind of horrible Congenital Kidney Thing, and died when he was less than a year old. We never had the heart to follow up on his littermates.)

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

Once, when I was at summer camp shortly after our previous cat had died, my parents were looking for a new cat. They found this great kitten with a cute mutt Siamese mom. They wanted them both, but the foster-cat-parents wanted to keep the Siamese, and the kitten wasn't old enough to be left at home alone all day, so they figured they'd just have to wait until I was back from camp.

Couple days later, the foster people called and said they could have both, so they picked them up.

Instant Hallie got adjusted to the new space, she went right back into heat.

Of course I was still at summer camp, but I am told that Siamese cats in heat are legendary. You can hear them a mile away. At least, you can if you're a cat.

[skylarker.livejournal.com]

Poor kitty! I hope all goes well and she feels better after the operation and recovery.

[shaylasolo.livejournal.com]

poor kitty! poor you!!
both of my cats were stays taken in...neither went into heat the first time. I fixed them fast :-)
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