2175. A spayed cat still caterwauls. Why?

May 30, 2015
A mother and her young adult daughter brought in 2 two-month-old kittens for vet examination.
They were grey Maine Coon X bought from a home-breeder, a male and female. There were so much wax that I would advise ear irrigation rather than putting ear ointment and massaging. With ear irrigation, the large chunks of black wax get syringed out.

"I have another cat spayed by a vet," the mother said. "She keeps coming on heat, meowing loudly. The vet said it was natural and prescribed some tablets which stopped the caterwauling. Could she have not done a proper spay?"

"It is hard to say, but generally, any ovarian tissues or ovary left inside during spay will cause this caterwauling!".

"What is the solution?"

"To open up the abdomen and look for the ovary near the end of the kidneys," I said. "It will be a long incision."

The owners prefer no surgery and asked about the side effects of the pills given to prevent heat given by the vet for the last 2 years.

"After prolonged use, there may be breast enlargement or pus inside the stump of the uterus, called stump pyometra."

"Other solutions?"

"Injections of hormone every 3 months as in Myanmar cats will stop the caterwauling," I said. "The side effects are stump pyometra."