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- May 14, 2004
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We took in a stray right before winter, a kitten we named Kiara. She always had a big belly, or vet assuring us it was worms. She is a sweet little spotted tabby cat.
Well one day my wife and I were sitting on the couch cuddling and she came up and laid on my arm. I felt a liquid.
A white foamy discharge with a bit of red, making it peach, came from her vaginal area. I was terrified she was pregnant because she was still chubby, and although we had already had her long enough to know she did not get pregnant outside, our neutered male cat Caesar mounted her many times while she was in heat!
Vet on the phone said bring her in immediately. It was late, so we at 11pm went to the 24 hour emergancy vet.
They told us it was Pyometra, which I did not know what it was, and will explain in a minute. They also said she might be pregnant and self aborting.
They took her in and called us in twenty minutes later.
They put up an x-ray of our kitty and it looked like from her vagial area to her chest there was a sausage in her, about a quarter roll in diameter. It was her swollen infected uterus, also called Pyometra. It was puss exiting her vaginal area.
It was killing her. Making up a bit more than 1/5 of her weight, Pyometra breeds toxins. It can kill a cat in a short while.
The emergancy vet told us for him to do it the fines are doubled, it would cost $1100. He made an apointment for us with a friend of his (that God bless him, came in on the next day, a Sunday).
After about $600 later, Kiara was in surgery being spayed to take out the infection.
Now this is a warning to all you folks out there.
-Pyometra is deadly. It can kill them. Putting it off till a Monday if you find it on a Friday could kill the cat.
-They usually act normal, like nothing is going on, or in cat fashion, hide out and don't want bothered.
-We were lucky. Our case was what is called "Open Pyometra", where fluids drip from her body. "Closed Pyometra" accures and with no warning but the swelling, the pressure and swelling building up till she dies. I spoke to one of the ladies at the vet who had many cases where this happened.
-Pyometra surgery is the same as spaying, but in truth, costs more because one needs to remove a much more swollen uterus and sometimes venture near the heart and lungs, a dangerous place on a small animal. The surgery is more dangerous and tedious.
Solution to assure your kitty is safe:
Spay them. Don't put it off. If you spay your kitty, you won't have a fear of this. The longer you do, especially with former stray/feral cats, the higher the chance the infection can thrive.
Things to look for...
Is you kitty swollen, unspayed, a lot like pregnancy, but rounded, unable to feel fetuses?
Is your kitty leaking any fluids? Hiding from you lately or "laying low" from you and other cats?
Is she a former stray/feral kitty?
I don't mean to be preachy, but another fine reason to spay your female kitties.
If I lost Kiara, the first kitty I helped feral train to become a lover, I would have never recovered from it in many respects.
Trapper Charlie
Well one day my wife and I were sitting on the couch cuddling and she came up and laid on my arm. I felt a liquid.
A white foamy discharge with a bit of red, making it peach, came from her vaginal area. I was terrified she was pregnant because she was still chubby, and although we had already had her long enough to know she did not get pregnant outside, our neutered male cat Caesar mounted her many times while she was in heat!
Vet on the phone said bring her in immediately. It was late, so we at 11pm went to the 24 hour emergancy vet.
They told us it was Pyometra, which I did not know what it was, and will explain in a minute. They also said she might be pregnant and self aborting.
They took her in and called us in twenty minutes later.
They put up an x-ray of our kitty and it looked like from her vagial area to her chest there was a sausage in her, about a quarter roll in diameter. It was her swollen infected uterus, also called Pyometra. It was puss exiting her vaginal area.
It was killing her. Making up a bit more than 1/5 of her weight, Pyometra breeds toxins. It can kill a cat in a short while.
The emergancy vet told us for him to do it the fines are doubled, it would cost $1100. He made an apointment for us with a friend of his (that God bless him, came in on the next day, a Sunday).
After about $600 later, Kiara was in surgery being spayed to take out the infection.
Now this is a warning to all you folks out there.
-Pyometra is deadly. It can kill them. Putting it off till a Monday if you find it on a Friday could kill the cat.
-They usually act normal, like nothing is going on, or in cat fashion, hide out and don't want bothered.
-We were lucky. Our case was what is called "Open Pyometra", where fluids drip from her body. "Closed Pyometra" accures and with no warning but the swelling, the pressure and swelling building up till she dies. I spoke to one of the ladies at the vet who had many cases where this happened.
-Pyometra surgery is the same as spaying, but in truth, costs more because one needs to remove a much more swollen uterus and sometimes venture near the heart and lungs, a dangerous place on a small animal. The surgery is more dangerous and tedious.
Solution to assure your kitty is safe:
Spay them. Don't put it off. If you spay your kitty, you won't have a fear of this. The longer you do, especially with former stray/feral cats, the higher the chance the infection can thrive.
Things to look for...
Is you kitty swollen, unspayed, a lot like pregnancy, but rounded, unable to feel fetuses?
Is your kitty leaking any fluids? Hiding from you lately or "laying low" from you and other cats?
Is she a former stray/feral kitty?
I don't mean to be preachy, but another fine reason to spay your female kitties.
Trapper Charlie