My cat never goes into heat. Could she be intersex or secretly spayed?

Hi there, Pringles is so cute and I love her name! My first thought is quite honestly that calico cats have a reputation for being chatty or vocal, and she may just be developing part of her personality at her age. The next thought is that she could have an uncommon condition that is causing her to go into heat despite her spay. Ectopic ovarian tissue (reproductive tissue that grows in an abnormal place) can cause this, as well as exposure to estrogen containing creams for humans. The easiest test to confirm this is a swab of vaginal tissue. Here is a ink to learn more from a website I like: https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&catId=102899&id=5998538 If she is showing other signs of in heat behavior, I'd recommend contacting her veterinarian that spayed her. They will be able to guide you through testing and confirming if there is any additional reproductive tissue. If there is, she will need a second spay-like procedure to have that tissue removed as well. This is uncommon, but pets with this condition tend to recover and do well in the long term. I hope this is helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Holly cannot get pregnant, but it looks that she is showing ovarian remnant syndrome. This is when a small piece of ovarian tissue is accidentally left inside the abdomen during neutering. If Holly continues to show heat symptoms, she would need another surgery to remove the remaining ovarian tissue from the abdomen.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Fiona! I would take her to the Vet during these episode to have hormonal testing done. Cats are unique creatures and they can have extra ovarian tissue that can be missed during a spay. If the test come back confirming this then the Vet can take her back to surgery to find the ectopic tissue. I wish Fiona the best!

It can be difficult to know if they've been spayed or not if you don't have any medical records. You can request that the vet shave her belly to look for a spay scar, but they can be very faint if she was spayed at a very young age. If she still has signs of heat, then either she hasn't been spayed or there is some ovarian tissue still present inside her. You can have a hormone test (AMH) done to confirm that there still is ovarian tissue and then you know she needs surgery to remove it. Or the vet can just go to surgery to go look for it.

If you adopted her she may already be spayed and it just wasn't recorded correctly. If you are sure she hasn't been spayed, then its likely she has abnormal menstrual cycles or hides her heat cycles very well. Cats are good at hiding this, so sometimes the owners never know. At any rate its still a good idea to get Oreo examined by your vet for just a general health check-up to ensure everything is ok. Best of luck with Oreo moving forward. Take care!

Hello! Meribelle is just beautiful. Some cats take longer to go into heat than others, so it may be that she's a bit late. It could also be that she's had a silent heat. This is when a cat goes into heat, but does not display the usual signs of it. Given that you plan on getting her spayed, I would not be too concerned about it. I hope this helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Starting her heat cycle in a unspayed female cat is the most common reason for increased vocalization. Other possible causes are: she sees other cats outside (territorial), anxiety (cats outside, starting heat, changes to house hold), attention seeking, or medical issue. I would close the blinds temporarily, provide environmental enrichment (cat trees, interactive cat toys, lazer pointer, play with her) and consider spaying her. You can also consider a Vet exam to be sure it isn't a medical condition. If she is otherwise fine, I hope that is improves with time and some of the above. Have a great day!