"neutered" Cat Mated

[VeuveNoire]

Greetings.
First, allow me to explain why my female hasn't been fixed (as I am sure some would have my head for whatever reason).
- I have had my female cat for 2 years now. I never went to get her fixed because I have heard horror stories of animals dying during the surgery, or complications in general (I am sure these occurrences are rare) and since she was an only cat I didn't see a issue with being natural for a while. I have EXTREME paranoia due to a brain disorder I suffer that I will not disclose (I do not know if my mental illness contributes to the severity or if it is just how everyone else feels), because I feel if I lose my cat any time soon it may spell disaster for me. I do not want to go into specifics. I do however view her as my emotional support. She has kept me from many poor decisions and I love her more than anything.
Anyhow, after research, I begin to think the pros of spay outweigh the cons/potential risks (I read females that aren't fixed are prone to specific cancers more than fixed cats, etc) so I do think I'll see to having it done.

Anyway, recently I "adopted" a 2 year old Sphynx male cat from a family that was moving and had to get rid of him. They were a little shy about answering my questions regarding his vet work (?) and if he'd had paperwork at all- they only said he was neutered and UTD on his shots. He did not come with any papers or anything.
I believed them about the neutered part, given the breed is so expensive and I assumed most breeders sold only fixed kittens.. assuming they got him from a breeder when he was a kitten. I am tempted to ask them again.

Well, he gets along well with my female- a bit too well? I walked in on them mating when I heard my female screaming loudly a few days ago. It nearly sent me into a heart attack.
I have read that some males will mate even after being neutered. Is this true?

I plan on taking them to the vet & I have an appointment to have things checked out but I am curious on anyone else's thoughts about it before I go.

Also, he has sprayed around my house some... I purchased some cat diapers and he's quit doing it ever since wearing those around for periods of time. I also use spray stuff called Feliway (if I recall correctly) that everyone was recommending.
Just adding that in case of any significance.

Thanks for reading.

*also, apologies for adding so much personal detail- I know it bothers some people (for reasons unknown to me) but sometimes I feel like people demand I justify my decisions (and lack thereof?) regarding my pets.
Though, judging by threads/posts I've read in the past, this forum seems rather void of trolls. So, thank you again for being a polite community & I look forward to any and all responses.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Your cat is most likely pregnant, and he is pretty clearly intact. Can you post a photo? It should be easy to determine if a sphinx has been neutered.

You are correct that there are health benefits to spaying. Each heat increases the risk of reproductive cancer, and runs the risk of pyometria, which is fatal if untreated.

You can go ahead and have her spayed now if you'd like. It is no different than a normal spay at this point, and will end the pregnancy.

 

[VeuveNoire]

Your cat is most likely pregnant, and he is pretty clearly intact. Can you post a photo? It should be easy to determine if a sphinx has been neutered.

You are correct that there are health benefits to spaying. Each heat increases the risk of reproductive cancer, and runs the risk of pyometria, which is fatal if untreated.

You can go ahead and have her spayed now if you'd like. It is no different than a normal spay at this point, and will end the pregnancy.

Sure. I will take a photo.
His jewels are rather.. large, to say the least, but my sister insisted her cat's genitals looked the same after being neutered so I didn't know what to look for. I know some people mentioned some sort of "ear tattoos" but he has none.

Hope the photo is good enough. Did not want to wake him

 

[talkingpeanut]

Your cat has 100% not been neutered.

 

[IndyJones]

Please do have them fixed if she does have babies there is no guarantee they will be healthy the exotic genes are tricky and can cause birth defects and even miscarriage. Plus even if they were born healthy you could have to find up to 8 homes for them. Now is the time to have her spayed before her organs become inflamed from pregnancy.

 

[IndyJones]

Ear tattoos? You mean a clipped ear tip? They cut the left ear tip on strays to say there fixed.

 

[VeuveNoire]

Ear tattoos? You mean a clipped ear tip? They cut the left ear tip on strays to say there fixed.

I have no idea what they meant. My ferret had two dotted ear tattoos so I assumed something similar to that but I'm unsure. I will have her fixed soon, then.
I do not want her to carry.
I wish the thought of her in a sort of surgery didn't make me feel sick & weak with worry but I'm sure it'll be okay. I would rather her not have complications of pregnancy nor the kittens.

 

[Kieka]

Yeah, he is not neutered. Some areas do ear tattoos or tummy tattoos on owned cats at spay/neuter clinics. Since owners usually don't want tipping for cosmetic reasons but they want to have identifiable ways to see if neutered/spayed. Both my boys have tiny tummy tattoos so if someone thought they weren't and took them there they would shave before surgery and stop surgery.

I would agree with the spay now to prevent the pregnancy from continuing and a neuter for him.

 

[Kieka]

I have no idea what they meant. My ferret had two dotted ear tattoos so I assumed something similar to that but I'm unsure. I will have her fixed soon, then.
I do not want her to carry.
I wish the thought of her in a sort of surgery didn't make me feel sick & weak with worry but I'm sure it'll be okay. I would rather her not have complications of pregnancy nor the kittens.

If you have the money to pay for a cat specialist to do the spay with IV monitoring. I did that with my girl because I did have a bad spay experience many years ago. In the bad experience it wasn't death just horrible scarring and some digestive issues that the vet swore was not connected but started immediately after. It cost me a good amount but I paid with CareCredit and put a little each month towards it. I regret nothing as she had a perfectly smooth surgery, zero complications, tiny incision and no scarring.

 

[VeuveNoire]

If you have the money to pay for a cat specialist to do the spay with IV monitoring. I did that with my girl because I did have a bad spay experience many years ago. In the bad experience it wasn't death just horrible scarring and some digestive issues that the vet swore was not connected but started immediately after. It cost me a good amount but I paid with CareCredit and put a little each month towards it. I regret nothing as she had a perfectly smooth surgery, zero complications, tiny incision and no scarring.

I will definitely look for the "safest" route. Money is not a concern for me at all when it comes to my cat. I'll definitely look into that if you recommend it

 

[talkingpeanut]

She's going to be fine! Do you have a vet that you trust?

Neutering your boy will also help with the spraying.

 

[IndyJones]

A good vet will do bloodwork first to make sure the cat is a good candidate for the anesthetic. Many vets also use an anesthetic gas which is much safer than the old injection. If you can afford it you can also have the anesthetic monitoring as well

 

[Willowy]

Yep, try to find a very modern well-equipped full animal hospital. Have pre-op bloodowrk done and opt for all the extra monitoring they offer. Make sure they use inhalant anesthetic instead of the old injectables. The male will need to be neutered too, so ask them if they have any experiences with doing surgery on Sphinxes. I don't have any clue about special needs but I would assume they at least need to be kept warmer than usual.

It would be best to have the female spayed in the next 2-3 weeks. After that the pregnncy is far enough along that it gets more complicated.

 

[Kieka]

Even if they aren't doing anesthia by IV; I like an IV during surgery. They can keep them hydrated during and have a line in already should there be any complications. My vet leaves it in until the cat is awake and responsive to keep the hydration good and just in case (flushes out the meds quicker too).

But talk to your vet first. Don't be afraid to call around and look for a cat specialist just for this. Your vet may not have the best surgical experience or space set up. You can ask to see the surgical room and for procedures if the cat doesn't respond well or have trouble.

 

[VeuveNoire]

Even if they aren't doing anesthia by IV; I like an IV during surgery. They can keep them hydrated during and have a line in already should there be any complications. My vet leaves it in until the cat is awake and responsive to keep the hydration good and just in case (flushes out the meds quicker too).

But talk to your vet first. Don't be afraid to call around and look for a cat specialist just for this. Your vet may not have the best surgical experience or space set up. You can ask to see the surgical room and for procedures if the cat doesn't respond well or have trouble.

Thanks to all for responses going to call around tomorrow and see what my best options are around this area. A bit scary because not many people seem to own Sphynx cats around here I had to drive a good bit just to adopt him. I'll be willing to drive hours to the perfect vet though for both my kitties