AIBU to want veterinary advice?

[Almostalive]

Long story short.
Vet confirmed the female kitten I bought was indeed a female also not pedigree, Domestic shorthair. Cat was booked in today to be neutered as she is desperate to go outside and I didn't want her to get randomly pregnant and endanger her health at such a young age. Approx 5 months.
Receive a call from the vet today. Female cat is a boy, testicles removed and ovaries searched for? Cat is actually a different breed than they thought. Pedigree cat is not a Domestic Shorthair but a British Blue. Surely I should have been notified before my cat went through 2 operations (3 if you count the microchip I also requested). Can this really happen? My poor boy.

As an ex vet nurse Patchwork has hit the nail on the head here as those were my thoughts too.

OP, you need to clarify where the incisions are? You say “underneath” - do you mean a midline abdominal (tummy) wound, or two small wounds in the scrotum, or both?

If the testicles were retained, they would either be removed via an abdominal incision, or via skin incisions somewhere between the legs, but not as far back as the actual scrotum. Can you photograph the various incisions so we can see where they are, and what happened?

Yes, he has 2 incisions where testicles were removed and left to heal. One large stitched flank wound where they say they searched for ovaries as they thought he was intersex?

Best pics I could get.

I'm starting to think they are just covering their backs. The cat was sexed and had injections with vet 1. Operated by vet 2. Returned by vet 3 and had a check-up today with vet 4.
They gave me complimentary pain relief after the operation and I their own words 'we don't normally do this'. They want to see him on Monday and initially said to use pain relief for 3 days. Now I'm to continue it until the appointment as his flank wound is swollen. I will request signed paperwork on Monday to see what I actually agreed to.

Your photos look like you'd expect routine castrate wounds to look a day or two post op - a tiny incision in each side of the scrotum. It looks unlikely that the testicles were anywhere other than in the right place. Ask more questions about what happened and the sequence of events. I'd want to speak to vet 2 and find out what happened. If they made a silly mistake and apologise profusely that's one thing - we are all human and cock things up. If they are lying to cover it up rather than admitting it and revising their procedures that's much more serious.

Can't see the incisions but if they are on the testicle sacks then they weren't retained as they've said. Retained testicles are usually removed through an abdominal incision and he would have his abdomen shaved. I think the fact they've possibly lied to you is a major issue and I'd be taking it further. If they just hadn't checked and discovered he was a boy during the op then they should have owned up to that and apologised.

Exactly! Why 2 operation sites? Thank you!!!

I replied to you yesterday OP, but now see it didn't save. I agree with others - I think your cat was wrongly identified as female, clipped and prepped for spay, then vet couldn't find uterus or ovaries. So cat checked between legs, testicles discovered, flank wound sutured up, then normal castration performed through scrotum.

They should have been honest with you, rather than concocting a story about the cat being intersex. Would they open the abdomen of every male cat to check whether it was intersex? I think not.

With regards to two incision sites, was that just to see where the testes were if they were retained? If they had not descended they may have been checking they were not being retained in the abdominal area?

But they must have been descended into the scrotum, otherwise why woukd they have made two scrotal incisions?

Vet didn't check the sex before operating. It's a mistake on their part. However, they should have been completely honest and consulted you throughout.

It seems like they are hoping through naivety you won't notice their mistake.

I hope that they haven't charged you for the op. I would complain.

It happened at a vet I used to work for. The difference being that the vet was open and honest with the owner, requested permission for the new procedure, and didn't charge.

My kitten had retained testicles, he had a large patch on his belly shaved and a long incision down the middle. The vet phoned beforehand to get consent because it was a different type of surgery required.

The vet is, IMO, bullshitting you. Any fool can see the testicular sacs. If it were a female, there would be 2 holes, not just the anus. Utter shite, OP. I’d be having serious words with your vet, possible a formal complaint to the RCVS and change vets immediately. Presumably they made you pay for everything before handing the kitten back?

And how can a vet decide breed? Without a DNA test (with known sire and dam dna too), that’s pretty impossible from sight alone.

No one noticed your female cat had testicles? We had a kitten we were told was female, but as she got to be a bit older, it was obvious she wasn't. The testicles are easy to see.

As a vet nurse for 15 years I have never seen an intersex cat, nor have any of the vets I work with. It is absolutely NOT common as someone up thread said, it is extremely rare and most people will go through their entire veterinary career without seeing a case in real life.
It seems pretty clear that the cat was admitted without re-checking sex, clipped and prepped for surgery, the vet also did not check prior to surgery, the flank was opened, wound extended as they could not find uterus/ovaries, then someone has lifted the drape and discovered a big stonking pair of balls. It seems a simple case of lots of failures along the way, and they have hoped to bamboozle you with jargon and a concocted story about an intersex animal to excuse their failure.
The main thing is that the cat has come through the op ok, is now neutered etc. They should be telling you the truth though. I hope they have changed their protocol to ensure this does not happen again.

Your vet is covering their own arse (assuming they can actually find it) - and has thrown in a completely unprovable comment about your cat's breed to try to make you feel better.
Your cat is very cute btw (grey cats are best) and he really won't care about the vet's mistake.
Change your vet.

Yes, I agree. They have tried to bamboozle me with talk of intersex and breed. As the flank wound was swollen he has a check-up on Monday. I will request to see the paperwork I signed on Wednesday. I was charged in full before they would release my cat and there was a lot of back and forth deciding what the fee should be even though it was all agreed before the operation.

Did they charge you more than you'd initially agreed to pay? When if the sex was identified correctly a castration would have been significantly cheaper than a spay so it is their mistake that has led to unnecessary more extensive surgery??
I have been a vet for 20 years and in that time I've seen one intersex cat.

@Patchworksack they charged me for a spay and microchip. The spay was around 70 and microchip about 12. They did not charge me for pain relief or follow up appointments. Thanks for your invaluable advice it's much appreciated.

I think you should only have paid for a castration and chip. (I am a vet too, and have never seen an intersex cat).

Thank you. Hopefully he will get a clean bill of health on Monday and then I will be asking some serious questions and changing my Vet!
I really do appreciate all the replies and the knowledge you have passed on. 💐

Almostalive

Your most recent pictures show that he is very clearly male, and that the testicles were eventually removed via the normal method.

The vet did not check the sex and I would be querying this at the next appointment.

The practice I work at would have been completely honest about the fiasco and would have charged you nothing.

Certainly you should not have paid for a spay. A castration is about half the cost.

I'm really shocked by this. It's such a rookie mistake not to check the sex prior to neutering.

I feel for you, and I would be angry and asking serious questions about this, especially as they appear to be trying to mislead you with a story about him being intersex!

I've known this happen twice (been a vn for 30 yrs) but agree with others, if the testicles were retained there would not be the typical castration wounds. Retained means they have not descended so would not be in the typical place. It can be hard to sex young kittens but a final check should always be done before neutering.
Also the mistakes in both instances were fully owned up to and not charged for!

You should definitely only pay for a castration so reasonable to ask for a refund of the difference.