Skinny Kitty and Worried about Spay *OMG LONG SORRY!

Hi guys Okay so I have been a little worried about posting this because I don't want to attacked, but I can't help it, I am really concerned about a few things and I need someone to talk to.

First of all, my kitty was bought from the Humane Society in December. She IS overdue to get fixed but to be perfectly honest they gave me a 'free' spay voucher and assured me that by paying them the 250$ for her I would get a free spay, there may be a few extra dollars some vet clinics will charge, but it'll be most likely free.

WRONG. I've called around and NA UH, the MINIMUM I can get it done for is 250 INCLUDING that voucher, not including any vaccinations. Now this is nuts! There is a spay clinic in town but it is in the process of reopening so has been out for a few months and WILL be out for a few more to come. Talk about bad timing. Can I go back to the HS and demand they get her spayed?

This brings me to my next worry... my cat is extremely bonded to me and shy. I have another cat who I would not hestitate to bring to the vet, leave overnight, etc. but Sassy will FREAK. She gets so worked up when people are around, I can't imagine how she will be when she goes to get fixed. Which is why I have kind of been beating around the bush in terms to getting her fixedm I mean besides the money issue. :S I mean I KNOW she has to get fixed, but some bad timing and unexpected layoffs meant we were out of mula when she was due to get fixed (before her first heat) and now she has had her first heat and I am a little weary because she is still exhibitiy signs and its been 2 months.

So I guess those are my spaying issues. I know, I know, she will be fine and I need to get her spayed. But I am really worried she will not be okay and she wont come out of anasthetic and I will lose my beloved animal.

Another thing.. she is skinny! I can actually feel her backbones. I spoke to someone who said this was a normal 'teenage' cat stage and not to be worried. I dont think she has worms, she has a normal appetite, gets wet food once a day and eats most of it. No distended tummy, grooms often, sheeny coat, so I just dont think it is worms? She is VERY active, more than any cat i've had, so I'm chalking it up to her being young and spazzy, but I am a little concerned. I'm bringing her to the vet as soon as I get over my spay worries I'm just wondering is this something I should be worrying about and should RUSH her to the vet, or can this wait until I have settled my spay issues? (oh btw the cats food is seperated so I know another cat is not eating her stuff) AND can anyone recommend me a really good wet food? Not really expensive, but good?


Thank you for reading guys.



P.S It's really early in the morning, so I'm SO SORRY if I don't make sense!!!!!

Hi...I don't have answers for all of your questions, but as far as "still" showing the signs of heat go - females can be in heat almost constantly until they are fixed. It's not typically a brief cycle w/a long lull. If she seems like she's "still" in heat, she probably is.

As far as the shyness goes - she'll be OK. This must be done for your sanity and hers. My shy cats usually freeze w/fear rather than "freak out" at the vet. They're usually quiet and well behaved.

It's hard being a parent. Sometimes you just have do what is right, no matter how hard it is. She needs to be spayed ASAP. It is much better for her health-wise.

How much are you feeding her? With wet food, I'm under the impression that you need to feed twice a day.

I have been doing research on diet and diabetes - finally found a recommendation for the appropriate calorie intake and calories contained in food. Even though this is in reference to cats with diabetes, it is also valid for healthy cats. We are trying to get some more weight on my son's cat - but the vet recommended amount of food doesn't contain enough calories to allow her to gain weight. We are going to talk to the vet about this.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/fdmb-faq.htm
How much should I feed my cat?
As many calories as your cat needs to maintain a healthy weight; typically 15-25 calories per pound of ideal weight, depending on your cat's activity level. Cats who require fewer calories may benefit from more nutrient-dense foods so that they do not develop nutritional deficiencies. Unregulated cats may require more food at first because they are not able to properly metabolize what they are eating.

Calories contents of canned
http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum...168#msg-753168

The foods recommended by posters on TCS for healthy cats are the same ones recommended by vets for diabetic cats.

Did you have it in writing about the voucher and the free spaying? Was it thru one of their vets that this free spaying would be. If you didn't have anything in writing regarding this and it was only verbal, then you are out of luck for a free spay!

It seems to me that you really overpaid. I got a cat from our local shelter for $85, this included the first vet visit that the shelter took her to,and she got her shots, dewormed and I received a voucher for her spaying and rabies shot. No problem in getting these free services. I also fostered a 4 mo. kitten and when I decided to keep her the spaying and rabies shot was free. No cost if one decided to keep a cat that they are fostering. The shelter has all cats checked before they place them. I have continued to use this vet because I figured that if the shelter used her so would I. Also she's close to home, reasonable and cares about animals. Sorry to read about your troubles.

Originally Posted by Sassy42

I've called around

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Are you sure that's how it works? When we got our dog from the SPCA Montreal, we had to bring him back to that location for the neutering - which was included in the adoption fee, except for around $30 for anesthetic.

Thanks for the replies.

The HS gave me a bunch of documents, one says 'this is good for a free spay/neuter' but does say other charges may apply. Kittens at this HS are almost $200, we got a starter kit with her and it came to over $250. I can say that I will NEVER go through the Humane Society again. My other cat was from the HS, I just want to help them out as much as I can, but this is nuts. Next time I will just get a free kitty from a litter of 'oops!'.

I know I have to get her spayed. I'm just overthinking things, and I know it. I'm so worried about the 'what ifs'. All my other animals I've received after they had already been fixed, so I guess I'm new to these worries. It's irrational, I know but I've been worried for months and I just can't help myself.

Can she be spayed when she is in heat? That is why I have been putting it off so long (or at least it's a nice excuse for me to put it off, eep).

Both cats have a constant supply of dry food, but since the kitten still gets her special kitten wet food, I've been feeding both wet at night mixed in with a bit of their dry food. She's not REALLY skinny, but I can feel her tailbone, which I don't like.

I just bought a better brand of wet food today, do I have to wean them on to it like dry food? You know, where you gradually add the new food to the old food so as not to shock their system?

Thanks for hearing me out guys. I know I'm being silly about the spay issue.

We all worry about our babies. Pups are never spayed or neutered until they are 6 months old, so I'm used to going though it with them.

Yes, they can spay her while in heat. They often charge more for it, as the area is more vascular during heat (may bleed a bit more). the risk is just a bit more, but, just like OB-GYNs, they do the surgery often enough it shouldn't be a problem.

I tend to switch over very slowly - mixing it 90% old, 10% new and increasing the new amount every 5 days. I've never have any problems doing it that way either. (My Sheepies have very sensitive stomachs and I have to go slowly with them).

Do you have a scale? You can weigh yourself holding her and then just yourself to get a ballpark weight.

Originally Posted by Mom of 4

Do you have a scale? You can weigh yourself holding her and then just yourself to get a ballpark weight.

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Not at the moment, but I'm going to go find one because I want to make sure I am feeding her the right amount. I am estimating she is around 5-6lbs but I could be way off! hehe.

My cat was spayed with a side spay I don't know if the vets around there can do that. They sometimes don't do it on pets unless asked specifically because it can leave white fur around the scar which is on the side of the cat so can change their look abit (didn't happen for Nikita)

The reason I bring that up is that cats recover much more quickly from a side spay. I got to take Nikita with me the same day and they'd done the stitches with a type of thread that dissolves slowly on its own and the stitches were all under the skin somehow.

In short I got her back a few hours after the operation and she didn't need a cone collar or anything and she was 60% back to normal the next day and 100% back to normal the day after that.

You can see a picture of her flank just a few hours after the surgery here http://svg.crowblanket.com/surgery.jpg (it's not icky, just a bit of shaved kitty with a tiny closed wound)

thanks Siggav I will look into that. I would love to be able to have her home the same day.

I'll be arranging a spay for late August, beginning of September. They both have fleas so I just want to wait until they are better before getting the spay done. Mostly I don't want to give her the Frontline then have her anasthetized in case somehow that causes something bad.

Ive never adopted from a shelter (just from the pound) but I think a lot of places want you to have the pet taken to their specific vet if you use the vouchers. So I would for sure call them and see what the deal is. I have a skinny cat too, he's about 8.5 pounds and you can feel all his little vertebra even after he's been wormed but same as your cat, very chirpy and great coat etc. I get cat wormer from the vet called Drontol and its only $5 a pill from my vet. You just pop it down their throat and no more worries. You might want to check into it if you want to make sure there are no worm problems. You also might consider taking kitty in for a checkup, just so you can see how she does at the vet (although that might be a waste of $$ with the prices vets charge for office visits these days). Good Luck!