Pregnant Semi-feral Was Spayed

[danni88]

So my boyfriend and I drive an hour to his grandma's house every 2-3 days to help her around the house and run errands. Right by her house I've been feeding a family of cats. All besides 1 of them had been through tnr. The older looking 2 of the 4 cats I can touch and now even pick up. The 2 younger will barely let me touch them.

A week ago the younger female showed up after I had not seen her for about a week prior and she now looked very pregnant. So found a rescue where I live to take her after she gets checked out at the vet if I was able to trap her before she had babies. After a week of trying to trap I got her. Drove an hour back home and went to the vet at 8am that morning talked with the receptionist and gave the ok for the rescue to pick the cat up from the vet later. The plan was for them to pick her up and bring her back to my house with supplies(litter, food, meds if needed ect).

So I get I call saying they were able to spay her instead and I can pick her up myself at 4pm. I really thought she looked like she was going to have babies within a week. I was really surprised, concerned and worried.

So I picked her up yesterday and when I did she was in a carrier instead of the trap i dropped her off in. The carrier dosent look the cleanest and she hasnt came out of it yet. I got her to start eating this morning by putting the food in front of the carrier and leaving the room.

The vet gave no advice or aftercare instructions when I picked her up. Just rushed me out and told me to try and return the carrier when I'm done with it.

She seems to be doing OK but she won't leave the carrier at all yet. I have it sitting with the carrier door open in my spare room next to the small area I set up with a litter box, food, water and comfy bed I made her.

Can anyone suggest anything else I should do or anyone have experience a similar situation??

 

[danni88]

This is her right before the vet visit.

 

[Kieka]

After care would be the same as a spay. Watch the surgery site for infection, give any medications (if provided, they aren't needed usually), keep the cone on and limit movement as much as possible for a few days. Cats heal much quicker then humans do so she should be feeling much better within two weeks, if not sooner. She should be kept indoors if at all possible for at least a few weeks to avoid horomones that may be lingering attracting male.

I think you are having more trouble with the ethical portion of it.

One of the problems with working with a rescue is you are giving them permission to what they think is the best choice medically, financially and morally. This varies from rescue to rescue. I've seen rescues that if they think there is a pregnancy they put the cat in a foster home until they are sure. If pregnant they foster through the kittens being weaned and if not pregnant they spay and adopt out. Other rescues will spay even if pregnant but only early pregnancy. Others will finish a spay if the vet finds pregnancy during surgery but won't initiate a surgery if the cat is visibly pregnant. Still others will spay all females regardless of pregnancy as long as the vet says it's possible. It really comes down the resources in most cases. Do they have money to fund kittens until adoptable? Do they have fosters to care for said kittens? Do they spend $100 a week for 8 weeks on 2-8 kittens or spend the same amount helping 8 cats a week for those 8 weeks?

In giving the rescue control, they made the choice. I am a little surprised they didn't contact you to let you know or say something when you contacted them. It's odd that they had you take the cat to a vet to just take her back to you. Most rescues have a dedicated vet and they rely on their rescuers to do all the transport if the cat is being fostered.

If you are worried she is depressed by the termination of pregnancy. She's not.

Cats don't have the same emotions as humans and that extends to the value on pregnancy. It isn't uncommon for young female cats to not even understand what's happening and be confused when the kittens are born. Instincts will usually kick in but many cats have no maternal instincts once the kittens are weaned either. Her behavior is more likely a combination of the change in situation and fear over what is going on in general. In her mind, she was outside, trapped, taken to a strange place, feel asleep, woke up and was in pain, and is now at another strange place.

Give her time, space and quiet to settle and realize the big shifts are mostly over. If she is a true feral instead of stray she may not ever stop seeing scared while healing.

 

[danni88]

Basically my only concern was because she was pregnant and pretty far along that it might have been a more serious surgery or the incision would be larger. And then the carrier not being cleaned possibly causing infection. If it's just the same as a normal spay then that makes me feel a lot less worried about her. Thank you for replying.

After care would be the same as a spay. Watch the surgery site for infection, give any medications (if provided, they aren't needed usually), keep the cone on and limit movement as much as possible for a few days. Cats heal much quicker then humans do so she should be feeling much better within two weeks, if not sooner. She should be kept indoors if at all possible for at least a few weeks to avoid horomones that may be lingering attracting male.

I think you are having more trouble with the ethical portion of it.

One of the problems with working with a rescue is you are giving them permission to what they think is the best choice medically, financially and morally. This varies from rescue to rescue. I've seen rescues that if they think there is a pregnancy they put the cat in a foster home until they are sure. If pregnant they foster through the kittens being weaned and if not pregnant they spay and adopt out. Other rescues will spay even if pregnant but only early pregnancy. Others will finish a spay if the vet finds pregnancy during surgery but won't initiate a surgery if the cat is visibly pregnant. Still others will spay all females regardless of pregnancy as long as the vet says it's possible. It really comes down the resources in most cases. Do they have money to fund kittens until adoptable? Do they have fosters to care for said kittens? Do they spend $100 a week for 8 weeks on 2-8 kittens or spend the same amount helping 8 cats a week for those 8 weeks?

In giving the rescue control, they made the choice. I am a little surprised they didn't contact you to let you know or say something when you contacted them. It's odd that they had you take the cat to a vet to just take her back to you. Most rescues have a dedicated vet and they rely on their rescuers to do all the transport if the cat is being fostered.

If you are worried she is depressed by the termination of pregnancy. She's not.

Cats don't have the same emotions as humans and that extends to the value on pregnancy. It isn't uncommon for young female cats to not even understand what's happening and be confused when the kittens are born. Instincts will usually kick in but many cats have no maternal instincts once the kittens are weaned either. Her behavior is more likely a combination of the change in situation and fear over what is going on in general. In her mind, she was outside, trapped, taken to a strange place, feel asleep, woke up and was in pain, and is now at another strange place.

Give her time, space and quiet to settle and realize the big shifts are mostly over. If she is a true feral instead of stray she may not ever stop seeing scared while healing.

 

[trudy1]

Wow you are dedicated....an hour each way! Good for you.

She probably won’t thank you but I will!

 

[Kieka]

Basically my only concern was because she was pregnant and pretty far along that it might have been a more serious surgery or the incision would be larger. And then the carrier not being cleaned possibly causing infection. If it's just the same as a normal spay then that makes me feel a lot less worried about her. Thank you for replying.

Got it. Me and my assumptions.

Pretty much the same as any other spay. The only complications would have been increased blood supply during the procedure and a higher hormone level making it so that she needs a little extra time for hormones to decrease.

 

[danni88]

Wow you are dedicated....an hour each way! Good for you.

She probably won’t thank you but I will!

Yeah the kittie doesn't seem happy with me at all right now. But I expected that. It took 5 nights of trying before I was able to get her. My boyfriends grandma can't understand why I was so concerned about a cat having kittens outside. She thinks I'm crazy lol. It's not a good area at all though. The kitty has been living behind a really busy gas station/liquor store and there are stray dogs always running around.

 

[maggiedemi]

Thank you for helping her.

 

[danni88]

Got it. Me and my assumptions.

Pretty much the same as any other spay. The only complications would have been increased blood supply during the procedure and a higher hormone level making it so that she needs a little extra time for hormones to decrease.

My fault for not including that I did OK the spay if it was going to be possible. I was expecting the vet to say it wasnt going to be though. It actually seemed like some of members of the rescue might not have been in favor of the outcome.

 

[danni88]

She hasn't left the carrier yet and has been eating. When she has to go to bathroom will she come out to use the litter box? The carrier is to small to have it in there with her so I placed it right outside the carrier.

 

[Kieka]

She should come out when she is ready. It maybe a day before she will because she will likely hold it as long as possible. Make sure you are giving her quiet alone time because she will wait for one of those moments to use the litter box. I don't think I saw my former feral use the litter box .... Ever.

 

[msaimee]

I hope the vet didn't put a cone on her. I've had numerous cats spayed, and they heal rather quickly, and don't require the trauma of having to wear a cone. If she does have a cone on, please try to get someone's help in removing it. It is very rarely necessary. If a cat is bothering with her healing wound or dissolvable stitches, she needs to be checked to make sure there isn't an infection. Normally they leave the area alone.

Two of my rescued feral kittens had a difficult recovery from spay surgery. One almost died because she had a bad reaction to the anesthesia which caused temporary organ failure, and required a month of hand-feeding and antibiotics. She was in heat at the time, which causes more bleeding and swelling and a more difficult recovery. The second Kitty was only about five months old and was pregnant. She had a difficult recovery for about a week. She was given pain medication to help with the pain for a few days . But I do believe she went through a period of depression. I believe cats are aware when their pregnancy has been terminated, and they go through a lot of hormonal changes that affect their mood. She was just a kitten herself. From my experience with these two, I would advise that you give her a room by herself, if she doesn't already have one, and plenty of space and time alone over the next several days to be able to rest and recover. Leave dry food out 24/7 as well as water. Put a cat bed in a closet for her to hide and rest in. Spaying a pregnant cat is a much more difficult surgery than a cat who is not pregnant, there is more bleeding. Don't expect her to be able to even begin the socialization process for at least a week. Just give her plenty of space and time. When you go into her room, speak to her in a soft, calm voice. Don't try to touch her or get too close. She will begin to recover from her ordeal, and then the socialization process will begin. Thank you for taking care of her.

 

[danni88]

She hasn't been as interested in eating as much as yesterday. She did eat some tuna after I warmed it up.
Also its been been raining and hailing where I live all day so I'm sure the noise isn't very comforting to her.

 

[danni88]

I hope the vet didn't put a cone on her. I've had numerous cats spayed, and they heal rather quickly, and don't require the trauma of having to wear a cone. If she does have a cone on, please try to get someone's help in removing it. It is very rarely necessary. If a cat is bothering with her healing wound or dissolvable stitches, she needs to be checked to make sure there isn't an infection. Normally they leave the area alone.

Two of my rescued feral kittens had a difficult recovery from spay surgery. One almost died because she had a bad reaction to the anesthesia which caused temporary organ failure, and required a month of hand-feeding and antibiotics. She was in heat at the time, which causes more bleeding and swelling and a more difficult recovery. The second Kitty was only about five months old and was pregnant. She had a difficult recovery for about a week. She was given pain medication to help with the pain for a few days . But I do believe she went through a period of depression. I believe cats are aware when their pregnancy has been terminated, and they go through a lot of hormonal changes that affect their mood. She was just a kitten herself. From my experience with these two, I would advise that you give her a room by herself, if she doesn't already have one, and plenty of space and time alone over the next several days to be able to rest and recover. Leave dry food out 24/7 as well as water. Put a cat bed in a closet for her to hide and rest in. Spaying a pregnant cat is a much more difficult surgery than a cat who is not pregnant, there is more bleeding. Don't expect her to be able to even begin the socialization process for at least a week. Just give her plenty of space and time. When you go into her room, speak to her in a soft, calm voice. Don't try to touch her or get too close. She will begin to recover from her ordeal, and then the socialization process will begin. Thank you for taking care of her.

Thankfully the vet didn't put a cone on her.
And yes she is by herself in my spare room with a bed in the closet. I don't think she has slept in it yet. She has been in the carrier for the most part.

 

[danni88]

She should come out when she is ready. It maybe a day before she will because she will likely hold it as long as possible. Make sure you are giving her quiet alone time because she will wait for one of those moments to use the litter box. I don't think I saw my former feral use the litter box .... Ever.

Still hasn't went to the bathroom yet I don't think. But she did finally leave the carrier and was exploring the room I have her in.

 

[Kieka]

Still hasn't went to the bathroom yet I don't think. But she did finally leave the carrier and was exploring the room I have her in.

There is a chance that she just didn't have enough in her system before the surgery, plus not eating because of situation. If she still hasn't gone after 48 call the vet to see options.

 

[danni88]

Couldn't sleep so I went to check on her and saw she used her litter box

 

[msaimee]

What a relief! It sounds like she's making progress and on the mend

 

[msaimee]

How is she doing?

 

[danni88]

How is she doing?

She has thrown up 2-3 times in the last 10 hours. One of those times was definitely a hairball. Hopefully it's just from grooming herself. Cant help but still be a little worried. She's still eating and using the litter box though.