Cheryl......how in the heck could the Vet not know she was pregnant before he started the procedure? She would have been nearly a month into it right? I am sorry to hear this, I know you had some potential homes for the kittens. Maybe those homes could be convinced to adopt an unwanted kitten else where, there will be many, many avalable soon and they all deserve loving homes.

Sorry this happened -- I can imagine you are upset. You did the best you knew to do. At least she is spayed now, and will have no unwanted kittens.

Give her lots of love!

(I also had an indoor cat spayed, many long years ago, and was shocked when they told me after the surgery that she had been pregnant. I couldn't figure out how, but wished they had called me before proceeding so I could have made the decision myself.)

I used to work for vets and you have to be specific with what you need done. If you ask for a spay- it is noted in the chart- vet goes by the chart.
If there is ever the possibility that your pet is pregnant and you want to wait for the spay- please let that be known to the staff and noted in the chart....otherwise nobody knows your request.

I remember your first post and believe several, including me, thought she may be pregnant and suggested she have an xray or be examined again.

Sorry to hear she pregnant. I'm a little surprised the vet didn't catch she was pregnant and call to confirm the spay before continuing. Did you ask how far along she was? Did she ever get out after you brought her home?

I would have thought that would be normal procedure...physical exam before a surgery and contacting the owner to see if they were aware of a pregnancy???????
That's basicly un authorised euthanisim. Not that we need more cats in the world....there are so many that need homes now, but a pet owner should at least have the option.

A few years ago 2 mature calico cats showed up at my door. No owner ever showed up for them. I have a hard time taking strays to the humane society, especially at that time, so I decided to adopt them & took them to the vet to spay-if possible. They were VERY plump. The vet told me that both were pregnant, but one not very far along & he could spay her. I chose to do so because I could never take care of 2 litters of kittens. After I picked her up, the vet said she had not been pregnant. Turns out, her sister wasn't either. I did find a good home for that one & Grace had a home in our family for several years until she died suddenly. I imagine she had a heart attack, she loved to eat & always looked pregnant,just no other symptoms :)

Cats carry their kittens for 6 weeks. If she were at least 4 weeks along, I find it hard to believe the vet could not palpate the kittens. I'm interested in what Meghane says here.

I don't have a problem with terminating the pregnancy, but the owner should be informed after an examination, especially if homes were secured.

Of the vets I have worked for I have never seen one of them give an exam prior to spay/neuter. Normally the techs set up the surgery room, prep the animal, start anaesthesia, and then the vet comes in and starts surgery.
The staff is doing what is requested by the clients- if you request a spay- that is what you receive. If you want to wait for a spay due to suspected pregnancy- that should be voiced to the staff.
Lisa11310- it isn't unauthorized euthanasia. Clients sign a contract prior to surgery.....I advise everyone to carefully read any contract you sign with your vet- even for boarding and grooming. When pets are spayed and they are pregnant, the litters aren't euthanized.

Groomingal....thanks for the info. I think that is just plain wrong! The vets office should make it clear with a verbal statement that if the animal is found to be pregnant the pregnancy will be terminated along with the spay, they should also be told there will be an additional charge. I am sure lots of people would think twice before signing such a thing and request an exam first. Cheryl would have taken her cat home had she been given the option. How can you possibly preform a sugery without an exam first????? THATS the scarry part! I am all for reducing the pet overpopulation problem but this kind of thing should not be burried in the small print.

I have definitely seen cats that are in heat AND pregnant. In fact that was my most fun diagnosis while on my emergency rotation. Dad and his 9 year old daughter brought in their cat because they thought she was in pain. She was in heat and VERY pregnant. Saved them an exam by the clinician and therefore $115. They were relieved that kitty wasn't deathly ill as they had thought, but very concerned about what to do about the pregnancy. Turns out, kitty took decisions out of their hands by having 4 kittens 2 days later (Dad let me know that I was right about the pregnancy and in heat diagnosis, since it was not confirmed by the ER clinician).

I'm not sure at what stage in gestation I can palpate pregnancy in a cat. The couple of pregnant cats I've seen have been very pregnant, so it was almost a moot point even palpating them. I am volunteering for operation catnip tomorrow so hopefully I'll get an opportunity to palpate some of the females. I'm on the neuter table though, and it tends to be quite the assembly line; I'll probably neuter 20 cats in 4 hours myself if they can keep cats in front of me the whole time (usually I'm too fast for the PE/anesthesia line) and they'll be 3 other students on the neuter table with me.

Groomingal-I have never worked for a vet that didn't personally do a physical exam prior to surgery. One vet I worked for accidently tried to spay a male cat until further investigation (in his defense the cat did look female). But they always do a PE prior to all surgeries. And we do euthanize viable litters. It is cruel just to allow them to die because they suffocate slowly. I absolutely agree that if the pregnancy is found prior to surgery, the owner should be called and given their options, and that is what the vets I have worked for have always done. That said, we don't do spays or neuters without a prior PE with the owner present, so that situation doesn't occur often. In other words, a client can't just drop off a patient we have never seen before for surgery- they have to be present for the initial exam in case something comes up, like a heart murmur or pregnancy or whatever. I don't know if my new job will have that as a hospital policy, but you can bet that I'll be doing PEs prior to surgery of any kind.

Thanks everyone. No, I take full responsibility for what happened. That's why I took the little cat home from the vet the first time, they told me that there would be an extra fee (if she was pregnant) for the abortion done at time of spaying. I had boarded her overnight and had realized they meant that they would NOT call if she was found pregnant. So I raced back and because they had already closed, I put notes on all the clinic doors asking to cancel surgury because of possible pregnancy. And I know, I need my head examined...! Anyway, this time I was convinced in my non-educated way that she had gone through heat and therefore that removed the pregnancy issue...at least in my subconscious I guess. I DID however go into great detail this time with the tech (intake aid) about the heat symptoms but I should have been clued in by her bored responses. I even asked why the little cat was so skinny in the chest and shoulders and plump in the belly and rump. The response was "it's probably just her conformation". And yes, I signed papers. And yes, I saw that it stated that there were extra charges 'if cat is found pregnant' and extra charges if there is still signs of her heat found (organs swollen I guess). Again, I guess I locked in on the idea that we thought she had gone through a heat.

So, I own it all for sure. But Folks, beware of all the "stuff" left unsaid, unspoken and unasked!! It has been several years since I had my dog and have been to vet clinics but I think I might hunt for one that is a better match for me. I like the old fashioned slow, casual talk, eye contact and whatnot. Or at least that's what works best with me. I sure have a regret here.

Oof! I was afraid of that.

Cheryl, sorry that you went through this. They still should have called you, even if you signed something that said it would cost more. Cost is not the only issue, as people have different beliefs on whether or not it is OK to abort the animals. The vet's job does not include making decisions on morality for people, only discussing the issues involved- ie aborting vs finding homes for kittens when so many are in shelters awaiting adoption and may be killed, plus the health risks involved in spaying a pregnant animal. Some people choose to not put a pregnant animal through surgery because of those risks, others feel that not bringing extra animals into the world when so many need homes outweighs the risk (which is small, but present). Still others would simply not accept abortion. The vet's place is to offer and explain the choices, not to make the choices for you. But I guess signing to accept the additional cost equalled acceptance of those risks and consequences to that hospital. I don't agree with that at all, but I suspect that many other hospitals would. Not the ones I have worked for though.

We got our first dog from the pound, she had been picked up as a stray. Because of this, there was no way for us to know if she was spayed or even pregnant. We went to the vet's and they were unable to tell us about either of those things for certain, and if they couldn't tell on palpation whether a 30 lb dog is pregnant, it might be even more difficult with a small cat (though I could be wrong).

When we signed the surgery forms there was a checkbox asking if we would like to proceed with the spay if she was found to be pregnant. There was also an explanation that if we didn't want that, we would still be charged for the surgery even though the spay was not completed (because she would have already been anesthetized and time and materials used for the procedure). If we chose to proceed with the spay during a pregnancy or if she was found to be a "mature spay" (meaning that she'd had a heat before) the fee would be higher because of the added length and complexity of the procedure. The form also stated that the estimated price could change because of this, that, and other thing. I'm glad that DH and I were both there so one of us could take the time to read through all this, because there sure is a lot of info.

Honestly, there are so many kittens in shelters that need homes and are put down every day, I don't know if it's necessary to have litters from strays. I don't know the background story, but if there were folks who signed up for a kitten, it would be a great tribute to the mom (who was lucky to find a great home with you) if they would adopt one from a shelter or pound. And you have to consider the risk your kitty would be at if she had to deliver the kittens - complications do happen and it's possible to lose mom and babies in the process. :(

I'm sorry that this upsetting thing has happened to you. FWIW we checked the box not to spay our dog in case of pregnancy, but I think it's a difficult decision to make either way.

Meghane- I like the way you don't accept drop-offs for surgery. I think that alone can cut out miscommunication tremendously.
One vet I worked for (very briefly) actually opened a cat for spay only to find out it was male after the fact (then tried to charge the owners for surgery!) He would spay and if they were pregnant they were thrown in the surgery pail with the trash. (I think euthansia would be more humane)

He would euthanize at owners request, even perfectly healthy animals. If animals weren't taken home for burial, they were thrown in the dumpster. He would tell the owners he had a contract with the city for pickup (yeah on trash day)
If anyone read the fine print on the euthansia consent- he was able to dispose of as necessary.
His boarding contract stated any animal left for 7 days past scheduled pick up date would be euthanized if the owners failed to contact the clinic.

I strongly urge people to fully read anything you sign with your vet, kennel facility, or groomer. If the form doesn't address your questions or concerns- speak with the vet.

Meghane- it sounds like you have worked with vets that perform their job to the best of their ability and with compassion. I have not been that fortunate and it has really opened my eyes at how some doctors can be unethical and lack professionalism. I wish there were more like you and the vets you have worked with in our area, we could really use you!

Groomingal, it's astonishing that someone like that even wants to be a Vet. It doesn't sound like he likes animals at all. What a jerk.

Let's see, cats can go into heat while they're pregnant? I guess I knew that, since they can have litters with more than one father, but I just didn't put it together. Well, I'm adding that little tidbit to the butt licking thing as to reasons I'm glad I'm not a cat! lol

Sally