Incomplete spay or separation anxiety?

Question
Hi Jessica,
Last November I spayed and neutered 6 feral kitten that were about 9 months old.  They were (best guess) 8-10 weeks old when I found them and I spent months feeding and attempting to tame them.  The females were in heat when I captured them, but the vet said he would spay them and it would be no problem.  Afterwards I put them in my home and have tamed all but one female.  Her brother continued to mount her though she was spayed.  I finally adopted him out about 10 days ago and 4 days ago my female started crying and acting like she's in heat.  Her health seems to be ok, but I can't get near her to take her to the vet.  I called for an antibiotic in case it's a UTI, but the vet refused unless he could see her. She's eating, grooming, and snuggles up with my other pets, but the crying is NON-STOP! If she has had an incomplete spay why would she be showing symptoms of being in heat 8 months after the fact?  She still has 2 brothers here, but they never attempted to mount her.  Could this have anything to do with the male I adopted out?  Thank you!

Answer
Hi Debbie.  The heat cycle of cats can be quirky, and it tends to be more irregular with indoor cats, who don't have lots of exposure to natural sunlight.  Indoor cats can go into heat sporadically, once or twice a year, or not at all.  So I wouldn't completely rule out an incomplete spay.  It may be that the ovarian tissue is there, but the sunlight to regulate her heat cycle isn't.

That said, separation anxiety is certainly a possibility.  I have an Oriental who screams all day and night if his brother isn't in sight.  Some cats just form close bonds with each other like that, and not with others.  It's a little strange that he would be gone for almost a full week before she started crying, but it's still something to think about.

You could ask the vet if he'll at least give you a sedative that you could slip into her food, to relax her enough so that you could get her in for a visit, but you would need a pretty good idea of her weight.  Blood tests may be able to tell you if the spay was incomplete.  If he won't oblige, you may just have to wait it out.  In either case, the behavior should subside in the next few days, and then if the episode ever repeats (and no changes have been made), you can make a reasonable assumption that the spay may have been incomplete.  The longest heats last about 2 weeks, so if she is still crying in about 10 days, you know you are dealing with something else.

I have a couple of ferals in the house who are completely untouchable, too, so I know your frustration.  It's all the more difficult when you have other cats in the house, because you can't just set a trap and walk away.  If you can get her isolated into one room and set the trap, you might be able to get her in for an examination.