Can a cat carry kittens through a spay surgery?

[bigperm20]

Please look at these pictures of my obese 8.5 mo old kitten. Posted in another thread regarding her behavior and diet and someone thought she might be pregnant. I've read online about Vet's missing an ovary during surgery & cats getting pregnant afterwards. Could a Vet fix a cat & not notice she was pregnant if he missed an ovary? My little gal sure looks preggers but she hasn't seen another cat since she left her previous owners. This was almost exactly 8 weeks ago. Plz see pics.

 

[jennyr]

She certainly looks enormous. But has she got fat since you took her in or was she like that when she came to you? Does she seem to eat a huge amount - what is her daily diet like? Only a vet can tell for sure, but I have never heard of a vet missing an ovary - it seems very unlikely, even less likely that he would miss the fact that she was pregnant..

 

[bigperm20]

That's how all this started, is I posted on here about her enormous appetite and sometimes "coo coo" demeanor.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/244622/my-cat-is-crazy-and-getting-fatter-by-the-day-help#post_3207140

Here's the original thread. I know it's long but paragraphs 2 & 3 will answer your question.

 

[orientalslave]

Spaying a cat (at least in the UK) involves removing not only the ovaries but the uterus, so even if a bit of ovarian tissue is accidentally left, it should be impossible for the cat to get pregnant.  Did you have her spayed?  If not, maybe the previous owners lied?  I would take her to the vet for them to check her out.

 

[minka]

She definitely looks pregnant to me... All the 'fat' is around the underside of her lower belly.

 

[nekochan]

Did you have her spayed, or did the previous owners say she was spayed, or what?

 

[missymotus]

Spaying a cat (at least in the UK) involves removing not only the ovaries but the uterus, so even if a bit of ovarian tissue is accidentally left, it should be impossible for the cat to get pregnant.  

Exactly, rarely a bit of tissue remains and the cats go through heat cycles but the uterus and ovaries are removed.

Can you feel or see kittens moving? At 8 weeks along they are easy to feel and usually stick out on the sides of the tummy, kicking and rolling around.

A vet visit is really needed, if she's not pregnant something else could be going on.

 

[bigperm20]

I took her myself to be spayed 3 days after I got her. Again, the reason for my question is the last contact she had with any other feline was at her previous owners house 55 days ago or so. It was also before she was spayed. If you have a minute take a look at my original thread in the link in my post above. as far as feeling her belly, I don't feel any kittens .. it's just hard. She has been acting weird though. Eating like crazy... She has terrible gas, so bad it will run you out of The roomShe has been preoccupied with nesting in cabinets, behind the entertainment center etc. She's been really, really sweet and cudly the last couple of days I've never owned a cat that like belly rubs so much :-)

 

[missymotus]

I do recall one cat on here that went to a low cost spay/neuter clinic and came home with stitches but actually wasn't spayed and wound up pregnant.

I highly recommend you get her to the vet, though it does sound like she could be pregnant with her behaviours, aside from the gas none of my breeding girls have that issue.

 

[pushylady]

I also remember a member here whose cat was not actually spayed by her vet although he charged her for it. It was a few years ago now though, and hopefully a very rare incident, but you never know. Perhaps a visit to a different vet would set your mind at ease? It could very well be a GI issue too, but her behaviour is concerning.

 

[Willowy]

I'm sure it's possible for a vet to be corrupt and say he did a spay when he didn't, but the chances are slim. He would lose his license if anyone found out. And if it's a high-volume spay clinic it's possible for a cat to be missed in the actual "remove everything" line. But under normal circumstances a vet can't miss a pregnancy. A spay removes the uterus so there's just no way. Although some vets may do a ovariectomy (not common in the U.S.), they would at least still look at the uterus. And I'm not sure a cat's body could hormonally support a pregnancy after an ovariectomy.

But, wow, she does look pregnant. Not just the fatness, but she's bare around the nipples, too. Maybe she's having a false pregnancy or other hormonal imbalance. I'd get her in for a checkup.

 

[ldg]

But, wow, she does look pregnant. Not just the fatness, but she's bare around the nipples, too. Maybe she's having a false pregnancy or other hormonal imbalance. I'd get her in for a checkup.

Whatever's happening, something is going on. I'd get kitty to the vet. Many vibes!

 

[bigperm20]

I can't get her in to the vet until 1st thing Monday morning obviously. I will definitely do that. I'm starting to believe it's a false pregnancy. Either that or she just does not know when to stop eating.She did however go to a low cost spay and neuter clinic. The clinic did come highly recommended by my Veterinarian, as he knows I'm out of work. He also use to volunteer there. Surely they didn't cut her open & not complete the surgery??? I would be really hacked off. Who has had experience with their cat having false pregnancy? Is it just fluid retention? How hard would it be for her to lose the weight? What can I expect next?

 

[ritz]

I don't know the answers Bigperm20.  But it occurred to me that maybe she is having hormonal problems, really raging ones.  You indicated she was overweight:  is the "fat" hard or soft. 

I tend to catastrophize a lot, but tumor?  I believe the Pituitary controls hormones--something wrong with that?  Rare, I know.

Agree with everyone:  she should be seen by a vet.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Oy.  I dont have any advice or ideas that haven't already been said; but I wanted to wish you good luck with your kitty!

 

[bigperm20]

Before I say anything I'm still planning on taking the cat in to her vet 1st thing Monday morning. Now that that's out of the way...

Ok... I'm starting to be convinced (by Oksana of course) that she's pregnant. I hadn't thought her nipples looked wierd before but now I really think they are "pinking". If someone at the low cost spay/ neuter clinic did open her up and then sew her back together w/o surgery she would probably be due this week sometime. If it were a false pregnancy I've read it would pretty much be over with at around 1 month.

I realize not everything you read on the internet is great information but Wow! Wouldn't it be crazy if she was pregnant? and after I tried to have her spayed, to boot?

 

[emilymaywilcha]

One thing lookss strange here: a pregnant cat loving belly rubs. We always hear about nursing queens not wanting people to be near their kittens so you would think Oksana hated to be touched there. I will never forget the time I was volunteering at a shelter and a female cat bit me while I carried her back to her cage. I thought she just did not like to be held because many cats are like that. The next week she was put in a foster home and delivered five kittens! That cat did not even look fat, much less pregnant.

The vet should have checked for kittens without opening her up and told you she was pregnant to spare you and her a wasted trip to the spay/neuter clinic. Not saying anything about that was irresponsible.

 

[bigperm20]

Hi emilymaywilcha: Yes she's been much like a dog since day one in wanting me to rub her belly. I actually love this about her and hope if she is a mother, that it won't change. I thought I did read however that this was a common behavior among queens and their male owners. I could be wrong. Someone else may want to chime in here with ther 2 cents.

As far as my vet's referral to the spay neuter clinic, he had not met the kitten at that point. I called him and explained my job situation and asked for his reccommendation of the clinics in Nashville where I live. I drove way further to go to this place (20 miles) on his reccomendation. I've gone to him for years and he's an old client of mine from when I worked for SunTrust several years ago. He's a really good vet. I hope that maybe something else is to blame here, but all the signs point to kittens.

 

[emilymaywilcha]

Bigperm, there is zero chance you will get to pet Oksana's belly when she is nursing her kittens. After they start eating, she may let you pet it.

 

[dianev66]

False pregnancy?  It happens with dogs how about cats?  How well do you know the vet that spayed her?