my "male" cat is pregnant...? Thanks Pet"smart"...

lion queen

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Good Evening;  I have an entertaining short story that needs an explanation of sorts.  I adopted a Neutered Male DSH kitten from pet smart 10 July 12.  I adopted 2 DSH males unneutered from a shelter 2 months ago.  They are all a little over a year old. 

This is where the story gets weird.  My hansom lion KING adopted from petsmart is a LION QUEEN not spayed and now ... pregnant.  All I have to prove my sanity is adoption paper work, micro chip paperwork and a pet smart receipt all saying I adopted a neutered male domestic short hair.

I just want an honest answer...  Does this happen often?  Had I known my lion king was an unspayed female I never would have rescued Quagmire and Battle cat. 

Either way... Lion Queen's situation will be taken care of the Kittens are welcome in this home.  he/she/it has been here for me through many deployments and will be for many more.  But the hanky panky ends here my cats will all be spayed and neutered.
 

mani

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It's a pretty crazy mistake to make by Petsmart!!

I'm glad all your furries will be fixed and you won't have any more surprises..


Welcome to TCS! 
 
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jcat

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Wow, somebody really screwed up. I've heard of people adopting what they thought was one gender and then finding out that a mistake had been made when the kitten was "sexed", but when that happens the kittens are usually really young. You'd think that the people at the store/shelter would have had enough experience to rule that out.

Do her genitals look normal? Hermaphroditic cats aren't as rare as some people think, but usually they don't get pregnant.

Good luck with the kittens!
 
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lion queen

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She has had swollen genitals since day 1.  No UTIs or other infections...   I will admit her female cat instincts have always been noticeable... now more than ever.

Kitty is not a hermaphrodite... someone was basically just lazy, mis sexed her and then lied about her being neutered.  There is no scaring to prove that any vet even attempted.  It is hard to tell on 8 wk old kittens especially with them have that cute fuzzy coat of fur. 

That being said my husband and I are so excited!  Cant wait to welcome the new cuddle puffs into our family!
 

ritz

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Surprise surprise surprise, so sayeth Gomer Pyle!

I would inform PetSmart of their mistake.  If they are at all customer service related, they should offer you at least free food.  That said, I wouldn't take my cats to their vet clinic! 
 
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lion queen

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It is most defiantly crazy!  The kittens are due in about a week and a half.  The vet believes Kitty will deliver naturally with no problems.

We are very excited!  
 

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To be fair to Petsmart, their staff usually don't have a lot to do with the adoption cats, other than to take your paperwork. The sexing and vet work are up to the rescue agency that is using the Petsmart adoption space. Have you contacted the rescue agency to let them know what happened? If they paid for the kitty to be neutered, they have a definite problem with their vet!

And, it was extremely irresponsible of the other shelter to let you have unneutered cats---either they should neuter before adoption or have a contract requiring you to have them neutered within 30 days, with enforecement/followup. So I guess 2 rescues/shelters failed here, which is pretty sad :(.

You're really lucky she hasn't gotten pregnant before now! Most females come into heat around 5-6 months, and if they don't get pregnant then they usually have another heat around 9 months, so it's surprising she didn't get pregnant either time, living with 2 tomcats and all. Keep in mind that she can get pregnant again right away after giving birth, so keep her away from the boys until she's spayed. Even if you have them neutered right now (which would be a good idea), they can retain sperm in their tubes for a while after neutering, so they will still need to be kept away from her.

Post pics of the kittens when they come!
 
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mservant

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Your kitty is so lucky to be homed with you. It is amazing she hasn't fallen pregnant before now, was she always an indoor cat do you know?  First cat I lived with was called Fred after Fred Astaire and the hope of 'he' being light of foot, only to find a few weeks later that he was a she and would have been better names Thunder Paws. As she was only about 8 weeks when adopted by my flat mate this was one of the more common errors in sexing and realized before any problems arose.  I do think you should think about going back to the shelter - they / their vet really should have known better.

You mention no scarring to indicate spaying: my boy was neutered at about 10 weeks, in between his first vaccinations as his breeders believe in early neutering. There was never any sign of scarring, he just has a cute little butt - and no bad boy behaviours! 
   Worth considering for any boy kit's when your babies arrive, it's increasingly popular for stray/feral cats in some areas. There's a lot of information on line to support it and discussing the pros and cons including the anesthesia risks.

I hope all goes well for mom and kittens, and looking forward to hearing happy news in the next week or so. 
 
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lion queen

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'Morning!

I have contacted PetSmart.  I sent them all the documents they requested and all pertinent information thereafter.  My fear is basic.  It's fraud.  This sort of shotty business leads to kittens abandoned in parking lots etc...  on the other hand I do feel like a moron for not noticing myself.
I hate to admit I grew up on a midwest farm and I hate to admit I have fostered cats for years.  I especially hate to admit that I am a pet sitter for deployed military members this incident certainly wont look to great on my resume.  When and if I ever do get any sort of update on this situation I will be sure to post.

This sort of thing can really mess with your head!  Like I stated before the only thing keeping me sane is the adoption paperwork.  (and the fact that kitty's micro chip says she is here with me)

Quagmire and Battle cat were in a shelter that was being shut down for numerous violations.  It was right after TX decided to revisit the use of gas for death sentence shelters.  We knew they would probably not be adopted and we knew what we were getting into.  ha ha..  surprise!

All 3 of them have very distinct personalities.  Somehow at the end of the day they all fit together like legos.  They are big enough to fill up one side of the bed while my dh is out in the field and that to me is absolutely priceless.  I love their companionship!   However I ended up with this trio doesn't matter it worked out for us.  I have a feeling most people would have heartlessly tossed them all out by now.  That is my only concern.

I appreciate your response on this matter and I proudly post pics of the kittens when they are born.
 
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lion queen

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MServant

Thank you for the support!  Yes, Kitty has always been an inside Cat.  She was not introduced to any tom cats until We adopted Quagmire and Battle cat.   My new vet suggested spay/neuter during 6th or 7th week.  He gave me a few books helpful books containing more fact than opinion on the matter. 

It is funny how People like Docters, nurses, vets, dentists get instant trust from humans.  Right now I have more trust and faith in the Pizza delivery person. 

Even funnier is how my husband and I are playing WHOS THE DADDY?  We will never know.  Quagmire and Battle cat came from the same litter.   You know this makes for some pretty entertaining dinner conversation!  (my money is on quagmire he got that nickname for a reason)
 
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lion queen

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Ritz

Awareness and a few inquiries is all I want from petsmart.  I had never adopted from a pet store before. Everything is clean and set up for show.  You expect the papers you sign are true and correct.  You pay the astronomical adoption fees and go home with a new friend.  As a Country girl I grew up on a farm where cats just appeared and adopted the humans.  They drank cows milk ate hard food and mice in the hay barn.  (talk about monster sized strong tom cats!)  All very friendly especially during milking hours! 

instead of feeling like a class A idiot I am working on embracing and excepting the situation for what it is.  NOW that I know Kitty is female I defiantly see more manurisms Ive never noticed before.  The looks she gives me the sounds she makes and the trouble she gets into... very feminine. 

I am human, my pride took the biggest blow :)  I don't think petsmart can refund that!
 
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lion queen

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Thank you for the welcome Mani, love your quote it made us chuckle.
 

Willowy

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Like I said, the adoption areas in Petsmart are NOT affiliated with Petsmart. Petsmart just lets rescue groups use their store space to display cats they have for adoption, other than using the space they have nothing to do with Petsmart. You will definitely get more satisfaction from contacting the rescue group directly. Their info should be on the papers you got. They at least should pay for her spay, but you do need to talk to the actual rescue group. Petsmart will not have any info on or responsibility for the cats adopted from their store space.
 

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  I just gotta say WOW.  There was some serious negligence here by the rescue or the vet they use.   I agree with Willowy , I would contact the rescue directly.  And they should be responsible for  helping you out with finding homes for the kittens  and getting their shots.   ( though I guess you need to decide if you even trust them to be competent enough  to do that!  )    But I would talk to the rescue director ,  because someone sure screwed up misidentifying the gender AND claiming the cat was altered. 

 I am glad you saved Quagmire and Battle from the shelter that was being shut down.   Too bad they let them go not neutered.      I would try to get them done ASAP.    Neutered males are less of a danger to kittens than intact toms who sometimes will kill another toms kittens.   or even might get mixed up and kill their own if they think another tom is the dad. 

Re Whos the Daddy....     Do Q & B look alike?   If so , you are right that you'll never know who was the daddy unless you get a paternity test!.  

But depending on the colors / patterns of the mom and both the potential dads , and the kittens,  in some situations it would be possible for those of us who know cat coat genetics to tell who was the baby daddy.  
 

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Also, both toms could actually be fathers, since cats release multiple eggs during heat. It's very possible they both could be responsible, lol.
 

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 Yes , lagay, you are right.  they sure could.   

 The queen normally releases all the eggs at once,  but  if both of those toms bred her ,  different eggs could be fertilized by sperm from the 2 different toms,  so they could each be the father of some of the kittens.    Depending on everyone's colors & patterns and coat lengths,  in some cases it would be possible to tell which kitten had which father.    In other cases it would be impossible to tell.     
Also, both toms could actually be fathers, since cats release multiple eggs during heat. It's very possible they both could be responsible, lol.
 
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lion queen

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I got a response from the general manager at the store.  The explanation (although I do understand) is hazy at best but the man was really taken back.  The store itself provides the adoption space for the ASPCA in the area.  The general manager offered free spay and neuter certificates for Kitty and her Kittens when they are born.  

The explanation; their kittens are spay/neuter based on health and weight not age... and me and my big mouth said "if the surgery was not performed for what ever reason i should not have documents stating it was" 

Boils my blood so I am moving on from this.

Thanks again for your support

April 
 
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lion queen

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Also, both toms could actually be fathers, since cats release multiple eggs during heat. It's very possible they both could be responsible, lol.
Quagmire and Battle Cat have the same patterns but their faces and necks have Very different shapes.  Battle Cat seems to be walking on stilts and has a very long body and a long snout lol... since he is less than a year he is still growing into his big feet long legs and long tail.

Quagmire is short has huge feet and a long tail however his snout is smushed in.  Quagmire is very vocal when it comes to food or cuddling.  He will cuddle with you while you do ur business.  Sit on ur shoulder while you are on the computer.  He'd help me bake a cake if I'd let him on the counter.

The average person may not tell them apart but they are with me pretty much 24/7.  You can't fool me.  However I did switch their collars the other day and it had my husband confused.  especially since quagmire is "his" cat.  He thought quagmire was giving him the silent treatment.

I'll get you guys some pictures of them this afternoon.
 

maewkaew

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 Those are some good looking cats!    very handsome Brown Mackerel Tabbies.   and you would never be able to tell from looking which is the father of a kitten.. 

 The differences in things like head shape are not simple genes , and since they are brothers,   that complicates it since a kitten could get the longer body passed down from a grandparent for example.   

 I love the names too. 
 
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