Cat not properly neutered by vet

bamacopswife

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I had a male cat that was handed to me with the certificate from the vet stating that he was neutered. Because he was neutered, a friend fostered him for me until a permanent home was found. After realizing 2 of her cats were pregnant we took him to her own vet and it was determined he was In fact NOT neutered! I contacted the original vet and they still claim he was neutered by them and it was impossible for him to be the father. There are now a total of 12 kittens we are caring for until they are old enough for adoption. We know for a fact he is the father to these kittens. Has this ever had anything similar to this occur and any thought on what recourse I may have for the original vet to cover the expenses related to these kittens due to their error?
 

Norachan

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How long ago was the cat neutered? Neutered male cats are still able to get female cats pregnant for several weeks after they've been fixed. It takes a while for all the sperm to die and not be replaced with new sperm.

If the cat had recently been neutered and then came into contact with female cats on heat he could be the father. In this case the vet wouldn't be at fault as the cat would have been neutered correctly.

It would have been nice if the vet warned you of this though.
 
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bamacopswife

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Feb 2015 is when they claim he was neutered. He was 4 months old. 4 months later is when he Got the girls pregnant. That is when he was taken to the vet and confirmed the original neuter never actually took place.
 
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bamacopswife

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2/24/15 neuter paid for and vet claims surgery occurred. 1st litter conceived appx 6/22/15. 2nd litter conceived appx 7/5/15. Pregnancy signs started showing early August 2015 and cat taken to different vet in 8/10/15. Vet confirmed he was intact and had NOT been neutered. Neuter was rescheduled for 8/12/15 and completed properly. 1st litter born 8/23/15 and 2nd born 9/5/15. Male cat is a bobtail. 8 of the 12 kittens are all bobtails.
 

mewtantmommy

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Think there is any possibility -- any at all?  -- that the party from whom you acquired the male cat handed you a certificate issued for another male cat of the same (or similar)  general description? -- a littermate, perhaps?
 
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bamacopswife

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No. Because this was a specific rescue that she took on. The original clinic even remembers him specifically because they needed to make sure his prolapsed rectum was ok enough to do the neuter.
 
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bamacopswife

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AND they went as far as sedating him and plucking the fur around his festival sack....they just skipped the actual neuter.
 

denice

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He may have a testicle that didn't descend and the vet assumed that he only had one testicle.  He should've checked for another testicle but that is one possibility. 
 
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bamacopswife

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I actually asked that same question. They stated they removed both and there are no notations by doctor stating there was only 1 or that any had not descended.
 
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bamacopswife

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I'm glad yalk are asking these questions. I feel I've thought of every scenario and if there is anything I could have missed, I need to confirm. Please keep asking away. I'm soooooo upset and stressed at the bills I'm about to incur handling feeding, vet to g, exams, shots, decals, spay/neuter on 12 at once over the next couple months. I run a very small rescue and 90% is focused on bottle babies. He was an exception.
 

mewtantmommy

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I would not expect them to expect -- nor to search for -- any undescended supernumerary testicles.
 

kntrygrl256

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I took my male in to be neutered and they told me he had an undescended testicle. They neutered his descended one and then went inside to get the other one because they didn't want to leave it. My vet told me that if there is only one they will usually do an ultrasound to check to see if the other one is inside or just didn't grow. Even if it is inside he can still get a female pregnant. 
 
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bamacopswife

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Yes but remember, in this case....they didn't remove either of them. He somehow got skipped and was released still fully intact.
 

mewtantmommy

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Yes but remember, in this case....they didn't remove either of them. He somehow got skipped and was released still fully intact.
If that were indeed the case, how did his caregiver not notice? And how would you not notice?  And your friend who accepted him for fostering?
 
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bamacopswife

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In addition to all that, he is a bobtail cat who has a history of prolapse rectum. We are always taking pictures of that area which is completely exposed and it was not obvious to us in any way nor caught or attention visually. 2 of us work at a vet office so we are not oblivious to certain things. He just had small ones and his sack never had a "full" look to them. We have gone back looking at pictures to see how we didn't notice, we didn't notice because it wasn't obvious.
 

mewtantmommy

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Does he have a little stumpy tail with exposed spine at the end?  If so, is the little tail straight, or is it crooked or curled?  Or is he tailless?
 

mewtantmommy

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Oh dear.

Please do not feed him, nor the similarly situated kittens, any dry food, ever.  Other than KMR supplementation for the kittens, please feed them all only canned food with substantially more water mixed in.  Also please keep drinking water always and easily accessible to them in various locations.

Do those kittens show any indications of colorectal dysfunction -- apparent constipation, bleeding, rectal prolapse, anything like that?

Please keep them inside, well protected from fly access.
 
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happybird

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At the very least, I would collect and make copies of all vet records for this cat, especially the papers and chart from the original vet. They should release the chart, which will include identifying details, such as approx. age, breed, etc., plus 'confirmation' of the neuter. The prolapsed anus is a unique indentifyer, as well. Once a complete file is collected, present a copy to the original vet. With the records from the second vet proving the cat absolutely was not neutered, it will then be undeniable that they made a mistake. And this mistake definitely needs to be brought to their attention in an irrefutable manner.

In my opinion, some financial compensation is due to you and the foster caring for these surprise kittens. Not necessarily court action, but it would be nice if the original vet volunteered money, free vet care, and/or help finding good homes for the kittens. Something. But, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting. And they owe you a refund for the surgery since it never took place.

Where they may not have intended to be malicious in not neutering your cat, something is very wrong with the organization in that office. Unwanted kittens are no small deal, especially when they may have genetics-related health issues, but what if this were a surgery for a life-saving condition, such as tumor removal? Something definitely seems too casual or sloppy about how this vet must operate behind-the-scenes. It should be brought to their attention in a firm, but polite, way so they can make proper adjustments and avoid similar mistakes in the future.

I can understand how it was not noticeable that the cat was not really neutered. One of my boys looked intact for close to a year after his surgery, until the excess sack skin shrunk. Plus, why would you have any reason to think the surgery wasn't completed? I'm sorry this has happened to you. I'd be pretty mad if I were in your shoes.
 
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