Heartbroken... Blaming Myself

[Catwman6010]

I need to know why my semi-feral mommy cat died after getting spayed in a TNR program. This was the first time I had used one and now I hate that this happened so much that I'm not sure I would ever use it again or recommend it to anyone else. I had been caring and feeding this mom (Callie) and her mom (Gabby) since the day Gabby brought Callie out to the feeding spot. I was able to pet Callie but never able to pick her up so I ended up using a TNR program to help me trap and get her spayed. I kept telling myself I was doing the right thing by not letting her have the litter of kittens that she was already pregnant with. I had come to terms with that. But then to receive a call from the lady that trapped her and be told that she found her dead the morning after the surgery, I am devastated. Also, to add to the pain, they caught one the feral tomcats and he died too. Can someone please tell me why and/or how this could have happened.

 

[orange&white]

Spay/neuter surgeries are generally safe and "routine". Unfortunately any surgery does carry risks of complications. I'm very sorry for the loss of your feral kitty, Callie. Please do not let this experience prevent you from helping the ferals in the future.

 

[maggiedemi]

Did they get rabies and FVRCP Distemper vaccines on the same day as the neuter/spay? I often wonder if that's too much to do in one day. But with ferals it is hard to take them in more than once for all that stuff, so they just do it all when they are under.

 

[Sarthur2]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I would not use that program again. It sounds like something is not right.

It's not your fault though, not at all.

 

[Catwman6010]

Spay/neuter surgeries are generally safe and "routine". Unfortunately any surgery does carry risks of complications. I'm very sorry for the loss of your feral kitty, Callie. Please do not let this experience prevent you from helping the ferals in the future.

Thank you and I know that TNR programs are a good thing.. its just hard right now, I'm just mad and hurting. I still am not sure that I would go that route again but I will continue to support them. I know most likely it was just the stress of being trapped and then going through the surgery, she had 6 fetus'. I had the feeling that she was to far along in the pregnancy but I really thought dealing with the kittens now would be easier and then catching and finding them home later.

 

[Catwman6010]

Did they get rabies and FVRCP Distemper vaccines on the same day as the neuter/spay? I often wonder if that's too much to do in one day. But with ferals it is hard to take them in more than once for all that stuff, so they just do it all when they are under.

I really don't know but that could have been part of it. My gut tells me Callie was to far along in the pregnancy and the stress of everything was to much for her.

 

[di and bob]

She might have had a heart condition, the Tom too, because they usually interbreed in feral colonies and it could be congenital. Make sure the vet can handle ferals too, mine has a chamber to place the carrier/trap in, and they use a gas so there is virtually no excess handling. I have had too many ferals and strays neutered and spayed to count, and have never lost one. If it makes you feel a little better about the spaying, they are much more apt to lose their lives having the litter, then from the spay surgery. I couldn't catch three little females over the years, and every one of them eventually died from birthing difficulties, it breaks your heart. My heart goes out to you, you did what you thought best and it backfired. You are guilty of nothing except loving these little ones and will be blessed for your caring.

 

[maggiedemi]

di and bob- when you got your ferals spayed and neutered, did they give the rabies and FVRCP vaccines on the same day?

 

[orange&white]

Thank you and I know that TNR programs are a good thing.. its just hard right now, I'm just mad and hurting. I still am not sure that I would go that route again but I will continue to support them. I know most likely it was just the stress of being trapped and then going through the surgery, she had 6 fetus'. I had the feeling that she was to far along in the pregnancy but I really thought dealing with the kittens now would be easier and then catching and finding them home later.

You give yourself plenty of time to grief. You did everything to help so this outcome is not your fault.

Is there another TNR service in your area, or is that the only one? The county I live in lets ferals have the kittens and nurse them for 6 weeks before adoption and then spays the feral mother for TNR. The city I live in aborts the fetus's regardless how far along the pregnancy is. Apparently the policies are not "universal", but up to the particular shelter.

 

[kittens mom]

I have never lost one to spay/neuter but know the grief of losing a feral cat that you never touched. They are subject to all the stresses of living outdoors and unprotected even in a colony. You did the right thing getting her spayed. Her and the kittens would have struggled and there is an endless supply of kittens at every shelter and rescue in the world. Their lives were not worth less because you choose to have her spayed. You took a little lost soul under your wing and made a difference. This isn't common but you can't really know why just that you did your best.
Sometimes the only way to make sense of the senseless is to continue to do the right thing and get as many cats as possible S/N so there will be one less litter born wild with each TNR.
I'm sorry for your loss. You can start a thread for her on crossing the bridge so she will never be forgotten.

 

[vyger]

At the clinics I have been to the owners stay with the cats until the drugs wear off and they are breathing normally. The handling and stimulation helps them wake up safely. They give you the animal wrapped in a towel and you sit with them on your lap as they struggle to come back to life. Also all the animals go home with the owner, or whoever brought them in. There are none that are left to spend the night. That way they are all monitored.
I wonder if they got to much anesthesia and couldn't shake it off. It's pretty powerful stuff and needs to be done right. Essentially the animal (or person) is brought to the brink of death. It would not be hard to push them over that edge. That is why the people who bring them in and the owners play an important part in the process of them waking up. They found they have a lot better results with the owners involved.
There is a group in Canada that does not believe in aborting the kittens. They keep the moms in rooms, not cages, where they each have a "bin of safety". It is a large box with blankets and toys and such where they can hide if they want and it has a video camera so they can monitor the progress of the pregnancy. They have even delivered kittens by cesarean with problem moms. So they go, not the extra mile but the extra ten miles, to keep the kittens healthy. Then, when they are the right age they adopt them out and the moms are fixed. It is kind of a dream come true program.

 

[julie310]

I am relatively new to all of this myself...but I have had several very far along mama kitties go through the program. I have trapped and spayed at least 7 females this year alone 4 pregnant to the max. No problems yet. I even bought a kitten to the vet that was struggling about a year ago and got a clean bill of health and died 2 days later in my care. I thought I did something wrong. Your trying to do the right thing when no one else is. Don't beat yourself up. Things just happen. Don't let it deter the good you were trying to do. I agree with the comment about interbreeding and heart problems. I have 3 ferals and a resident cat at home right now trying to do the right thing. I am pulling my hair out and stressed that I will never find them a home. I can not afford to keep them longer then a few months. But I am trying my best. And my favorite Calico who's name is also CALLIE is the little minx stirring up trouble now. It will all be alright. Whenever I need support it's on this site.

 

[Catwman6010]

She might have had a heart condition, the Tom too, because they usually interbreed in feral colonies and it could be congenital. Make sure the vet can handle ferals too, mine has a chamber to place the carrier/trap in, and they use a gas so there is virtually no excess handling. I have had too many ferals and strays neutered and spayed to count, and have never lost one. If it makes you feel a little better about the spaying, they are much more apt to lose their lives having the litter, then from the spay surgery. I couldn't catch three little females over the years, and every one of them eventually died from birthing difficulties, it breaks your heart. My heart goes out to you, you did what you thought best and it backfired. You are guilty of nothing except loving these little ones and will be blessed for your caring.

I have had many others that I caught myself and had spayed/neutered too but not with this facility and not for free. I have always paid to have this done but I thought I would try an actual TNR program. I have never lost any of the others but the others were not pregnant and most have been around a year old or younger, they were mostly Gabby and Callie's kittens. Those have good homes but it is just getting too hard to find homes for 4 litters a year anymore. That is why I wanted to stop Callie from creating anymore. I do agree with the inbreeding, I know that happens with feral's all time but didn't now know about the heart condition that could be part of it. I am planning on catching Gabby too after she is done nursing this last litter. My husband says that is it, we are catching Gabby and the kittens, I will find homes for the kittens and Gabby will become a house cat.

 

[Catwman6010]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I would not use that program again. It sounds like something is not right.

It's not your fault though, not at all.

Thank you and I'm not using that TNR program from that facility again. I may try others but I am extremely unhappy with my first experience. And yes, I do know it is not my fault but that just think the timing of doing it was all wrong, and that was my fault.

 

[Catwman6010]

I have never lost one to spay/neuter but know the grief of losing a feral cat that you never touched. They are subject to all the stresses of living outdoors and unprotected even in a colony. You did the right thing getting her spayed. Her and the kittens would have struggled and there is an endless supply of kittens at every shelter and rescue in the world. Their lives were not worth less because you choose to have her spayed. You took a little lost soul under your wing and made a difference. This isn't common but you can't really know why just that you did your best.
Sometimes the only way to make sense of the senseless is to continue to do the right thing and get as many cats as possible S/N so there will be one less litter born wild with each TNR.
I'm sorry for your loss. You can start a thread for her on crossing the bridge so she will never be forgotten.

Thank you for understanding and I know in my heart that I was doing the right thing.. its just hard going to feed Gabby and knowing that Callie will not be there any longer.

 

[kittens mom]

At the clinics I have been to the owners stay with the cats until the drugs wear off and they are breathing normally. The handling and stimulation helps them wake up safely. They give you the animal wrapped in a towel and you sit with them on your lap as they struggle to come back to life. Also all the animals go home with the owner, or whoever brought them in. There are none that are left to spend the night. That way they are all monitored.
I wonder if they got to much anesthesia and couldn't shake it off. It's pretty powerful stuff and needs to be done right. Essentially the animal (or person) is brought to the brink of death. It would not be hard to push them over that edge. That is why the people who bring them in and the owners play an important part in the process of them waking up. They found they have a lot better results with the owners involved.
There is a group in Canada that does not believe in aborting the kittens. They keep the moms in rooms, not cages, where they each have a "bin of safety". It is a large box with blankets and toys and such where they can hide if they want and it has a video camera so they can monitor the progress of the pregnancy. They have even delivered kittens by cesarean with problem moms. So they go, not the extra mile but the extra ten miles, to keep the kittens healthy. Then, when they are the right age they adopt them out and the moms are fixed. It is kind of a dream come true program.

There are some programs that follow these guidelines. Many do not and cannot because of financial restraints. There is not a clear right or wrong answer on this one. Do you save a litter of unborn kittens when a shelter down the road just euthanized 100 cats and tossed them in garbage bags.

 

[coffee grinder]

I've spayed 2 females that were very far along in their pregnancy with no problem but had 1 non-pregnant female that didn't make it through surgery. I also had a young male die of heart failure while sitting in my living room just enjoying life. I've done TNR on lots of others with no problems. There's no guarantee any cat will make it through surgery. We lost one of our young house cats while having his teeth cleaned under anesthesia. We did all the tests beforehand and this was at a good vet hospital. We make choices based on the risk assessment and you made the right choice to have her spayed. I'm so sorry it turned out badly.

 

[di and bob]

maggiedemi, Sorry it took so long to get back to you, I look at my E-mails at 5am,so miss those later in the day. Yes, all my ferals have received their shots too, I don't know if I can ever catch them again. My vet is wonderful, besides the chamber to 'relax' them, his spay incisions are only a few inches long, I can hardly see them! We brought in a neighborhood cat the other day, she was emaciated, staggering and crying, the owner was unconcerned. He stated he thought she had more than we could deal with, she was losing muscle mass and her hind legs were almost flaccid, but went ahead and wormed her and gave her a shot of week long antibiotic, which he didn't charge us for, by the way. He was impressed that we would bring in a cat that had an owner and pay for it ourselves. A week later and she is fine!
You never know about heart conditions in a seemingly healthy, young animal. We had a Yorkie die in the middle of play from an undetected heart condition, and she was only 5 months old. Since she was bought from a breeder, we had an autopsy done. We also closed down that line puppies from those parents since it was an inherited condition and had been reported before to the AKC. So you can save someone from heartache in the future by reporting and telling others of your pain.

 

[Dunnesy]

I need to know why my semi-feral mommy cat died after getting spayed in a TNR program. This was the first time I had used one and now I hate that this happened so much that I'm not sure I would ever use it again or recommend it to anyone else. I had been caring and feeding this mom (Callie) and her mom (Gabby) since the day Gabby brought Callie out to the feeding spot. I was able to pet Callie but never able to pick her up so I ended up using a TNR program to help me trap and get her spayed. I kept telling myself I was doing the right thing by not letting her have the litter of kittens that she was already pregnant with. I had come to terms with that. But then to receive a call from the lady that trapped her and be told that she found her dead the morning after the surgery, I am devastated. Also, to add to the pain, they caught one the feral tomcats and he died too. Can someone please tell me why and/or how this could have happened.

Oh you poor thing, please don't blame yourself, you were trying to give a better life. Am British and live in Egypt and I foster and TNR. Sometimes these things happen and make us heartbroken with horrible guilt. Can your vet explain what they think happened? Sometimes the street cats have virus and are sick anyway even though they seem normal. Please don't stop trying to help these poor animals. If your pretty confident about your vet there was most likely and underlying cause. Again I am sorry for you and poor kitties.

 

[Shane Kent]

di and bob- when you got your ferals spayed and neutered, did they give the rabies and FVRCP vaccines on the same day?

I know that question was not directed at me but my vet did not want to do them the same day. In fact, they did not want to do shots until their URI was cleared up and then the spay and neuter a few days after the shots. I had trapped them and brought them inside. Multiple visits was not a big problem as I did not have to re-trap them and my vet knew that. It may have been different if I had planned to release them but my vet knew I was keeping them inside.

Catwman6010

Sorry for your loss, please don't blame yourself. My vet told me every cat surgery has risks. They told me it is just like with people, you could go in for a routine surgery and never wake up. It is definitely not your fault.