# Cat in heat in november?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-in-heat-in-november/275334
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [November 17, 2004, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-in-heat-in-november/275334 "2004-11-17T20:58:28Z")
**Posts on this page:** 16
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2004, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-in-heat-in-november/275334/1 "2004-11-17T20:58:28Z")
My cat is just over a year old now, and she first went into heat around may or june of this year, and stopped around mid-august. That’s pretty normal from what I understand… but… she’s starting up again. Not completely going nuts, but making the “in heat” call fairly frequently and sometimes making the same body movement and such when touched - does this mean that something is wrong with her? Should I take her to a vet? Or does this just happen sometimes?
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### Author:  [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2004, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-in-heat-in-november/275334/2 "2004-11-17T21:07:04Z")
Yes, it’s possible. Don’t let her out.
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### Author:  [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2004, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-in-heat-in-november/275334/3 "2004-11-17T21:11:10Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#):
>
> My cat is just over a year old now, and she first went into heat around may or june of this year, and stopped around mid-august. That’s pretty normal from what I understand… but… she’s starting up again. Not completely going nuts, but making the “in heat” call fairly frequently and sometimes making the same body movement and such when touched - does this mean that something is wrong with her? Should I take her to a vet? Or does this just happen sometimes?
It means you are likely to have kittens! Your freindly vet cant take care of the cat.
I have a rhododendron in full bloom. Wierd weathe for fall did it. 😃
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### Author:  [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2004, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-in-heat-in-november/275334/4 "2004-11-17T21:13:31Z")
Yeah, I’m gonna get her spayed… I just thought I had till next spring to worry about it.
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### Author:  [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2004, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-in-heat-in-november/275334/5 "2004-11-17T23:37:26Z")
Oh, no. You have no time to wait. Back in my youth, we had a female Siamese cat who went into that condition _once a month._ You have never heard such a racket as a Siamese in heat. The neighbors thought we were abusing a small child. Every month.
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### Author:  [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)
#### Post date: [November 18, 2004, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-in-heat-in-november/275334/6 "2004-11-18T00:32:25Z")
Can anyone tell me if there’s anything wrong with the fact that she’s going in heat way out of season?
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### Author:  [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)
#### Post date: [November 18, 2004, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-in-heat-in-november/275334/7 "2004-11-18T00:32:42Z")
Cats can go into heat as frequently as [every two weeks](http://www.familyvet.com/breed.htm) (two and a half to three is more common), year round, beginning [as early as 5 months](http://www.petsunlimitedltd.com/faq.htm#i), but more often between 6 and 9 months old.
For your happiness and hers, get her spayed as soon as this heat is over. You could technically do it mid-heat, but it’s more expensive and most vets don’t reccomend it.
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### Author:  [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)
#### Post date: [November 18, 2004, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-in-heat-in-november/275334/8 "2004-11-18T00:37:05Z")
Oops, I missed that you’re in Ohio. It’s a little late in the year ("[in season" is March-September](http://www.petcaretips.net/heat_pregnancy_cat.html) for an indoor cat in your area) but she’s young and it’s only her second heat. It’s most likely just some hormonal wonkiness. It’s also been a very warm year so far, so perhaps that has something to do with it. Definitely see a vet if she seems ill, though, and make an appointment now for the spaying.
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### Author:  [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)
#### Post date: [November 18, 2004, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-in-heat-in-november/275334/9 "2004-11-18T00:51:15Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#):
>
> Can anyone tell me if there’s anything wrong with the fact that she’s going in heat way out of season?
No, nothing wrong with it. One of ours did the same thing a couple of Novembers ago. She was about five months old, it was her first heat, and it even surprised the vet with its earliness.
Spaying can be done at this time–at least, our vet was willing to do it, and I don’t recall it costing any more than spaying at a more appropriate time. But a consultation with your vet would seem to me to be the logical next step. Depending on the cat and the vet and the circumstances, he or she might indeed tell you to wait until a more appropriate time.
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### Author:  [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)
#### Post date: [November 18, 2004, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-in-heat-in-november/275334/10 "2004-11-18T01:00:02Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#):
>
> Can anyone tell me if there’s anything wrong with the fact that she’s going in heat way out of season?
As a couple of folks have said, any season can be “in season” for a cat. ANY season. At least that’s my experience and that of others posting here. The feral cats across the street seem to have litter after litter every year; the people who live there will feed them but will not spay them or provide any other medical care. :mad:
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### Author:  [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)
#### Post date: [November 18, 2004, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-in-heat-in-november/275334/11 "2004-11-18T01:44:03Z")
Aha. Websites I’ve read about it say it’s linked to the hours of daylight in the day and that it’s a specific season (which ranges a bit, but certainly not november in cleveland).
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### Author:  [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)
#### Post date: [November 18, 2004, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-in-heat-in-november/275334/12 "2004-11-18T02:08:05Z")
> [@Spoons](#):
>
> Spaying can be done at this time–at least, our vet was willing to do it, and I don’t recall it costing any more than spaying at a more appropriate time. But a consultation with your vet would seem to me to be the logical next step. Depending on the cat and the vet and the circumstances, he or she might indeed tell you to wait until a more appropriate time.
We had our cat spayed at the low-cost shelter, and it’s nearly twice as much to do it during estrus there. The vet didn’t recommend it because the ovaries are swollen and the tissue isn’t as discrete (well-boundaried) so it’s harder to make sure he’s removed all of it. If enough ovarian tissue remains, apparently it can still produce enough estrogen to trigger estrus, and the poor thing would need surgery all over again.
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### Author:  [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)
#### Post date: [November 18, 2004, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-in-heat-in-november/275334/13 "2004-11-18T02:24:10Z")
> [@WhyNot](#):
>
> We had our cat spayed at the low-cost shelter, and it’s nearly twice as much to do it during estrus there. The vet didn’t recommend it because the ovaries are swollen and the tissue isn’t as discrete (well-boundaried) so it’s harder to make sure he’s removed all of it. If enough ovarian tissue remains, apparently it can still produce enough estrogen to trigger estrus, and the poor thing would need surgery all over again.
Ah. Thanks for letting me know. I guess our vet felt confident enough to be able to do it; and he must have done it right, because we’ve had no problems with this cat since.
But vets and techniques and confidence vary, so if (in the interests of the cat), the vet recommends waiting, then I’d go along with his or her recommendation. I’ll reiterate though: the OP’s next step ought to be consulting with a vet.
You bring up a good point about prices varying, as well. Two of ours (we have five in all) came from shelters, and one of the conditions of adopting from the shelters we’ve used was spaying by the shelter. Fine by us; we’d have them spayed anyway. But the cost of having the shelter do the spaying was much less than our private practice vet charged, regardless of whether the cat was in heat or not. It sounds weird to say it for spaying, but it can pay to shop around.
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### Author:  [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)
#### Post date: [November 18, 2004, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-in-heat-in-november/275334/14 "2004-11-18T15:22:09Z")
> [@Spoons](#):
>
> But vets and techniques and confidence vary, so if (in the interests of the cat), the vet recommends waiting, then I’d go along with his or her recommendation. I’ll reiterate though: the OP’s next step ought to be consulting with a vet.
Absolutely. And cats vary as well. Ours was a year+ female who had lived as a alley cat and given birth at least once before she consented to reign over our household. (They’re not called Queens for nothing!) So perhaps (and here’s where I’m starting WAGs) size, age, and maternal status have something to do with it. Or perhaps the clinic just wanted to do simple in-an-out procedures. Who knows? Only the OP’s vet can say what’s best for the cat in question.
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### Author:  [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)
#### Post date: [November 18, 2004, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-in-heat-in-november/275334/15 "2004-11-18T15:36:37Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#):
>
> Can anyone tell me if there’s anything wrong with the fact that she’s going in heat way out of season?
It’s not way out of season. It’s late, but not out. I am actually surprised she only went into heat once all summer. _That’s_ the really unusual part.
Cats can go into heat at any time of the year, many times per year. In warmer states, every single month is “in season.”
There’s nothing dangerous about her going into heat now. But get her spayed asap.
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### Author:  [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)
#### Post date: [November 18, 2004, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-in-heat-in-november/275334/16 "2004-11-18T19:45:28Z")
> [@WhyNot](#):
>
> The vet didn’t recommend it because the ovaries are swollen and the tissue isn’t as discrete (well-boundaried) so it’s harder to make sure he’s removed all of it.
I would disagree. For me, where a cat is in its estrus cycle has no effect on how easy it is to remove the ovaries. The body of the uterus itself may be a bit more turgid during estrus, but there is not enough difference (for me) to lead to a higher fee.
As they say, YMMV.
Also, cats are seasonally polyestrus. An individual may cycle “out of season”. Seasonality is more of a statistical thing.