Is my spayed cat pregnant?

I'm so glad I found this because I'm dealing with the same thing. I thought maybe it was worms but worms don't feel like kittens big enough to come out any day. I called the vet for an explanation and they just said bring her in. Well I have news for them. I'm not paying for the visit. And I will never take her there again. She came home with a shaved belly and incision that needed care when it was done in 2012 and still has the scar. Yet I'm pretty sure she definitely pregnant. I don't know what they did when they opened up my kitty but they did not spay her. My poor kitty was opened up for no reason apparently. 

J jessiroo82

Welcome! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Are your cat's nipples pinked up? Can you post a picture of her please?

I suggest you get her to another vet for an x-ray to confirm her pregnancy, since her "spay" was 4 years ago. We need to make sure there are no other issues.

This is unusual and concerning, but it can happen.

Please keep us posted!

 No x-rays are necessary because she gave birth last night to 4 kittens. It feels like there is still 1 in there but she's up walking around no longer in labor. I called the vet that supposedly spayed her. They said bring her in for emergency surgery right away. The fact that it was an emergency changed when I said I will bring her in but I will not pay for it because she should not have become pregnant in the first place. They have her on file as being spayed and there are no notes suggesting complication so there is no good reason she should have become pregnant. She even came home with a shaved belly and an incision. So I'm wondering what they actually to my poor kitty. Now she may need another procedure to get the last baby out. After being told to bring her in right away and saying I will bring her but I wont pay for it her concern changed and she asked for my phone number and said she will call me back. It's been about 20 minutes and I have not received a call back. Funny how it's an emergency until I tell them they are not getting paid. It seems money is all that matters to these people. So if you are in or near lansing, mi I recommend staying away from riverfront animal hospital. What makes this worse is I did not pay for the spay. I was fostering cats so a non-profit organization called ARNI paid for all 10 of the cats I had to be fixed. They lost money due to the mistake of this clinic. If I sue I intend to have this organization reimbursed. They can't help animals if they get ripped off like this. I'm wondering how many other animals this has happened to. I'm wondering if they have a cheaper rate for the organization so they keep bringing animals there and they take shortcuts in the procedures to save themselves money. How many other animals have suffered anesthesia and incisions for nothing?  I'm not sure what I can do about this but I will do something.

J jessiroo82

Do NOT take your cat in there right now! It is not necessary. And they are not trustworthy.

J jessiroo82

Your cat may appear lumpy and as if there is still another kitten. Many do because everything is stretched right now inside, but will shrink back in time.

If she does have another kitten, she will birth it when her body is ready. This happens occasionally that another kitten is born hours or days later. If she's not in distress, she does not need to go to a vet.

I would never take her to that vet again. I would not let them touch the cat. And she does not need surgery right now. You should let the agency you got your cat from know.

Are the kittens nursing well? Post a picture when you can.

Just an update. It's been an hour since the woman at riverfront told me she would call back and she has not yet called. It's funny how she sounded so concerned when I told her my kitty felt like she had one baby left and to bring her in right away for emergency surgery now it's not a concern at all after I've said I will not pay for it. If anyone knows of a lawyer in Michigan that would take a case like this please let me know. Thank you. This place obviously cares more about money than they do about animals. They wont even help with a kitty they messed up surgery on. It's their mistake and she needs surgery again because of it and may die with out it yet here I am waiting and so is my kitty. They don't care at all. I may just take her elsewhere and when I sue these people they will reimburse every dime and I will do everything I can to make sure they don't do this to another innocent animal. I thought they were there to help but at this point I see they are there for money. I'm wondering if the reason they wanted me rush is so they had a reason to take my money and now they just don't care. I did read somewhere last night that it's normal for a kitty to have interrupted labor where they stop to rest for 24-36 hours so I wasn't concerned but I thought I would call them to see what they say. I should have known better. These people are cruel and careless.

Salina is doing great. She is up moving around and eating well. Kittens are nursing well also. She did not leave them until early this morning so while was nursing last night I offered her food from my hands and she took it well. I will post pictures as soon as I get home from work in a couple hours. The lump I'm feeling seems to move and kick a little when I touch it but I could be wrong. I've never had this happen with any of the many pregnant cats i've had in my care so I was shocked. I will call another vet to get a second opinion.

 I understand you are furious, and you have every right to be. But you please focus on your mom cat and her kittens. I'm glad the kittens are doing so well and she is taking food. By all means, call another vet and get a second opinion. There is no need to do a second surgery at the moment if she has no more kittens. You can wait to spay her until the kittens don't need her anymore. Just don't let any toms get to her.

J jessiroo82

Did you read my posts #4 and #5?

She does not need surgery right now! There is not a baby "stuck" right now. If there is another one, she will most likely have it normally in time! She may just be lumpy from being pregnant.

Do not use this vet again!

You might want to find out how much the shelter paid for her "spay", then go to small claims court.

Right now, take a deep breath and try to relax. It sounds like your cat is doing well. She just needs to nurse for now.

How are the kittens doing?

I did read your other posts. I understand she does not need surgery if there is another baby. Thank you for your help. I was only going to take her for surgery because that's I was told needed to happen but I wondered if it was bad advice from them. That's why I came here. I will wait it out. Thank you again

The second surgery was not to have her fixed. Maybe you didn't read everything or something was misunderstood. It feels like there is still another kitten in her belly so the vet said I needed to bring her in to get it out. I know now that it is not necessary because she is not under any distress. I will not have her spayed properly until her babies are done nursing. I know better. They need her. Sorry for the confusion.

I'm glad we're all on the same page now!

Most vets would give a cat a shot of oxytocin to stimulate labor to get a kitten out before performing a c-section, unless the kitten is literally stuck in the birth canal, and mom has been straining unsuccessfully for an hour and is in distress. A kitten will die if stuck in the birth canal too long.

Also, an x-ray or ultrasound will show if there is an unborn kitten still. A vet would get an image first to confirm before doing anything.

I'm glad mom and kittens are doing well! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Good morning. I forgot to get pictures after work. Sorry. They are all still doing very well. Kittens are crying loudly for mom when they're hungry. They fight over nipples lol which is adorable. Of course mom does not like that so she gets nervous. I intervene and help them out and she seems to be happy when I do so. As soon as she sees me pick one up to move it she lays back down and closes her eyes. She was the same with her first litter. She likes my help. Still hasn't given birth to another baby but I still feel it moving so I know the baby is ok. I felt around and there is only one left. As far as that vet clinic goes the owner called me and apologized for the mistake and she apologized for the way the girl spoke to me yesterday acted. She said the same you guys did. That she does not need surgery. She checked the records for Salina and is completely stumped on what happened. She was not the one that did the procedure on my cats. She offered to check her out to see if there are more babies and spay her personally when it's time.

Great! I'm glad you heard from someone at the clinic. Was the woman who called offering these services for free?

Good that mom and babies are doing well!

So glad you heard from the clinic and that the babies are doing well. This makes a huge difference. 

Yes she did offer services for free. There wasn't another kitten like I thought. It was just her ovary or uterus or something. The movement I was feeling was just the kittens pushing on momma during feeding. She did move the kittens out of my closet and in to my teenage sons bedroom. His room is more quiet at night. My husband gets up a lot during the night and he growls in his sleep lol. The kittens are getting fat. Momma is having trouble gaining weight. Any suggestions on what to feed her to help her gain weight? She gets dry food available all day, Wet food once a day and sometimes tuna just because she likes it, milk once a week. I'll give her milk every day to help. Any other suggestions?

I am not a veterinarian or a lawyer but here are my thoughts.

I have never heard of a spayed cat getting pregnant but I did read of a spayed horse getting pregnant. Cats (and horses and dogs) do not have a uterus that is like a human uterus, they have a sort of forked uterus with two "horns." Here is a description, http://www.petplace.com/article/cat...ction-of-the-female-feline-reproductive-tract. If the spay was incomplete, like if only one horn was removed or if too much of the uterus was left behind, then I guess a cat could still get pregnant. I suspect, though, that the veterinarian was spaying several cats in one session, like a clinic spay, then it could be that your cat was closed up before being spayed. Different people do different parts of the surgery in a clinic and several animals are operated on at the same time. This is how clinics can charge less than a regular veterinarian. It could be an intern or assistant who preps the cat and makes the opening incision, a veterinarian who does the spay, and someone else closing the cat. So it is possible and probably likely that your cat was never spayed.

Legal remedies may not be possible but you can try. You would need to get all of your information (documents and receipts) from the previous spay that shows your cat, who did it, when it was done, and how much you paid. You would also need proof that this is the same cat as in the spay and that the cat had kittens. This requires that you see a veterinarian and get proof of the cat and her kittens documented. You need to keep receipts and records for all of your costs as a result of the pregnancy.

Your legal damages can only be your out of pocket expenses that you should not have had to pay because of the failed spay and the veterinarian visits for the mother cat and kittens. So, you could get reimbursement for the cost of the spay and you may get whatever you paid in excess of the spay. The veterinarian who did the failed spay may raise a defense that pregnancy can occur but would have to prove that they informed you of that risk when you got the spay. If that does not work, then the veterinarian can try to cap your damages to the cost of the spay and refund what you paid. If you paid a discount for the spay, like it was at a clinic or during a discount event, then the veterinarian could say that you can only recover damages in excess of the full value of the spay. Like if you paid $30 for a spay and the regular cost is $180. If you make two veterinarian visits at $60 each and you buy $20 of kitten supplies, then your total cost is $170, so you are still $10 ahead and the veterinarian owes you nothing.

About your skinny kitty. Feed her kitten food. Kitten food is for kittens and for momma cats. You can also provide kitten formula but Hartz kitten formula kills kittens.

Cow's milk is terrible for cats because they cannot break down lactose. Do not feed your kitty cow's milk.

J jessiroo82

Glad there was no kitten left.

Your cat should be eating as much wet food as she wants 4 times a day. She should be eating kitten chow, and she needs a dish of kitten formula a day - never cow's milk. Most cats love plain, boiled chicken and broth too!

Oh no cow's milk? Oops. I've been giving her cow's milk her whole life. Never had a problem. I'll switch her to kitten milk. Thank you.