Depressing pregnancy news

[helddown]

My Josephine went to the vet today, accompanied by myself and her "Sugar daddy." (friend of the family paying for her work.) While we were there, I asked the vet "Is there any chance she's ever had kittens?"
They got all quiet, then finally told me that when we rescued her, she had been pregnant with a full litter, and when they had spayed her, they had destroyed the fetuses. Of coures this is better in the end, I can't take care of five or six ferals (one's enough for now, thank you), but it's still very sad, and very frustrating to have not been told the information. I feel so bad for my poor Jojo!

Sorry guys, just had to share.

 

[hissy]

Sadly they did the best thing they could under the circumstances. If people would only spay and neuter such heartbreak would be avoided

 

[arlyn]

In the same situation, I think I'd rather they'd at least told me about it.

 

[elizwithcat]

Did they tell you why you weren't informed? Vets do these things sometimes, and it also makes me angry. I feel they should ask the owner first, before doing anything to that cat, but they don't.

 

[arlyn]

As I uderstood it, this was a shelter cat, they had no obligation to tell her before the spay? Maybe I read it wrong.
Regardless though, it isn't something I'd like to be ignorant of, I prefer to have all known medical history.

 

[bindi]

awwwww! thats so sad!

yet yes it is wrong how vets do that it makes me so MAD!!!!!

 

[semiferal]

They did the best thing. It's certainly sad, but far sadder are the millions of kittens and cats who will die in shelters this year.

There is a strong possibility that no one knew she was pregnant in time to do anything about it. You cannot tell a cat is pregnant just by looking at her until the end of the second trimester, sometimes later. You can feel fetuses in her around week 3 but you definitely can't do this to a feral cat unless she's anesthetized (unless you want to end up in the hospital yourself!), and the anesthesia itself is enough to kill the fetuses so by that point there would be nothing you could do about it anyway. Basically, if you couldn't tell she was pregnant before then neither could anyone else. This isn't anyone's fault. It's just the way cat pregnancy works.

Also, in fairness to the vet, you brought her in to be spayed and that's what they did. Unless you specifically asked them to check for signs of pregnancy before spaying and to not perform the surgery if she was pregnant, then they did exactly what they were told to do and they did the right thing overall. The situation is sad but it is in no way the vet's fault.

 

[tnr1]

Originally Posted by bindi

awwwww! thats so sad!

yet yes it is wrong how vets do that it makes me so MAD!!!!!

Bindi....I'm afraid you just don't understand the full extent of the overpopulation or the plight of outdoor cats. To have a better understanding...please go to the following site:

http://www.alleycat.org/

HeldDown..that was the best thing they could do for her. The feral cat clinic I volunteer with spays every pregnant cat that is brought in. It is better for the cat and the cat population at large.

Until we can guarentee a home for every cat/kitten who is alive...spaying pregnant cats is a viable option.

Katie

 

[tnr1]

Originally Posted by semiferal

They did the best thing. It's certainly sad, but far sadder are the millions of kittens and cats who will die in shelters this year.

There is a strong possibility that no one knew she was pregnant in time to do anything about it. You cannot tell a cat is pregnant just by looking at her until the end of the second trimester, sometimes later. You can feel fetuses in her around week 3 but you definitely can't do this to a feral cat unless she's anesthetized (unless you want to end up in the hospital yourself!), and the anesthesia itself is enough to kill the fetuses so by that point there would be nothing you could do about it anyway. Basically, if you couldn't tell she was pregnant before then neither could anyone else. This isn't anyone's fault. It's just the way cat pregnancy works.

Also, in fairness to the vet, you brought her in to be spayed and that's what they did. Unless you specifically asked them to check for signs of pregnancy before spaying and to not perform the surgery if she was pregnant, then they did exactly what they were told to do and they did the right thing overall. The situation is sad but it is in no way the vet's fault.

The cat was spayed BEFORE he adopted her. At our feral cat clinic..EVERY pregnant cat is fixed unless it is about to give birth. It is truly the best thing to improve the quality of the cat and to give all cats a better chance.

 

[crazybash]

I really don't know the feelong but I think it was the best thing for her and I also agree that where you got jojo from that they should have told you....

 

[helddown]

Okay guys, let's clear this up.
Josephine was FERAL, NOT stray. We rescued her, took her in, named her, etc, THEN took her to the vet to be spayed. The vet spayed her on our instruction. And I am not blaming the vet for destroying the litter -- I agree that it is entirely the right thing to do. I was merely expressing my frustration that the gentleman who financed the surgery (as he agreed I could not) and the vet decided NOT to tell me that she had been pregnant. As in, the pair intentionally KEPT the information from me.
THAT is why I was annoyed.

 

[oscarsmommy]

How sad but it was the right thing to do. And I understand why you would be angry, Held Down. It would make me kind of upset too....






Courtney

 

[kittypurr25]

reguardless of it being right or wrong it should have been your decision period....i dont know about you guys but my animals are like my children and i do not let anyone make decisions on their behalf unless i am aware of them....but thats just me