Dear Dr. John,

It has been a few months since we had our cat spayed at a low-cost shelter, but she is still showing signs of going into heat. She meows a lot when this cycles as well as rubbing against everything and putting her behind up in the air. We had her spayed at around eight months. Is it possible for a spayed cat to show signs of heat? Why would this happen? While it is not that big of a deal, should we be concerned about these behavior patterns, and does it need to be addressed? We want her to remain healthy and have a long life. Thanks for your advice. P.F.

Dear P.F.,

All of the clinical signs that you describe definitely sound like your cat is still going into heat on a regular basis. You did get your cat spayed and there are multiple benefits to having this done including management at home, reduction of breast cancer later in life, and more.

It is possible for a spayed cat to show signs of heat, but it is abnormal and typically means that the veterinarian who did the surgery most likely left a remnant of ovarian tissue behind when the cat was spayed. While it is also possible for there to be additional ovarian tissue in the abdomen it is very rare. It is important to follow up on this. Your veterinarian should see videos of the behavioral signs you are describing, and they can do blood tests measuring for various hormones to assess if ovarian tissue is still in the body and active.

If I am correct, they will then schedule an exploratory of the abdomen to localize and remove any residual ovarian tissue, whether a remnant or extra tissue. That procedure would be best scheduled immediately after the heat since the tissue will be active and more easily found. Personally, I have had to correct two cat spays in my career done by others who left ovarian tissue behind. After both were done, the cats ceased having signs of heat. Lastly, you should inform the shelter of what is going on. They need to learn if a mistake was made and they might even do all of this at no cost to you.

Dr. John de Jong is President of the World Veterinary Association. He owns and operates the Boston Mobile Veterinary Clinic and can be reached at 781-899-9994.