My Young Female Cat Seems In Pain
My young female cat seems in pain …
I very often answer questions for my readers via the Just Answer portal you can see on your right. The following is typical of a common question involving young female cats. Of course this owner has acted very responsibly in that they are concerned for their cat’s welfare and have sought immediate help.
” My cat lays down and puts her butt in the air and has a painful sounding meow, and her back legs and hip muscles are really tight and acts like shes in pain. She is about 5 months old and started this today. otherwise eats, drinks, plays, and appears happy and healthy. Should I take her to the emergency vet? “
Here is my reply :
” Thanks for the question,
I do not think you should rush to the emergency vet just yet because it sounds very much to me like your cat is in season. { Heat } Unless she is spayed or pregnant a female cat is likely to come into season for about three days each three weeks and they will typically have their first season from five or six months of age.
While the signs can be variable you can expect to see some or all of the following :
1. The cat becomes more affectionate than usual.
2. Your cat rolls around the floor.
3. She carries her tail to one side.
4. The cat becomes very vocal and meows a lot. { Calling } This vocalisation can become very noisy with loud yowls day and night. Her voice may become more piercing than usual.
5. Your cat assumes a position with her hind end in the air.
6. She may lick her genital area more and may urinate more.
Of course the solution to this is to have her spayed …
If I have not covered your question fully enough or you would like to ask more I will be online for the next hour or so and I will be at your disposal.
Scott Nimmo BVMS MRCVS “
This client is not alone, when you have a female cat for the first time it is very easy to confuse the signs of being her in season with a disease of some sort of her being in pain. I have actually attended a number of house visits over the years to advise on cats like these.
Scott