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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Neutered cat. 4 kittens

21 replies

hanaka88 · 15/05/2014 13:23

Hi, this is going to sound very strange but a couple of years ago I got my female cat neutered through cats protection. It was at a time where my little boy was very poorly and he was in and out if hospital so I don't remember if there were scars or anything I just was on auto pilot.

Anyway. The other week my cat was found with a litter of 4 kittens under someone's wood shed. Apparently she had been visiting the shed for weeks, no other cats have been near and he'd only found the kittens as he was pulling wood out and we just managed to get them all out before any fell.

I didn't notice that she was pregnant at all but she has a very saggy stomach now. When we moved her and the kittens into my house she rejected them instantly and is hissing and growling at them and won't go near them. They're about 5 weeks old so luckily they are starting solids and are being bottle fed kitten formula and doing well.

But I was wondering how this could have happened? I can't think of any answers? Could she have adopted a litter that had been dumped (it happens sometimes as we live near woods) or could she not have been neutered and the vets forgot to tell me?

I have contacted cats protection and the vets but they have both not got back to me as yet.

The kittens look remarkably like a male long haired cat that we rescued as someone a friend knew was about to dump him! He was in a terrible condition and I got him neutered within the week but the vets told me it could take up to 3 weeks for it to 'take' so not to let him out until that time had passed. I wasn't concerned as I thought my female cat was neutered anyway so I thought we were safe as long as I didn't let him out for a few weeks :/

OP posts:
thecatneuterer · 15/05/2014 13:39

Well I really have no idea! It's possible that there was a mix up at the vets when you got her done and they sent her back to you without actually operating at all. She would have had a big shaved patch when she was done that would have been very visible for a few weeks. i'd be amazed if you could have managed to not notice that.

However if that were the case and your cat is now two years old, she would have had at least three litters before these (assuming she isn't an indoor cat), so again it's unlikely you wouldn't have noticed this.

Cats do sometimes adopt abandoned kittens, but they can't usually produce milk if they do. If she has large swollen teats then they are her kittens. A vet should be able to tell you for sure. Regardless I would get her checked for a spay scar.

However if they are her kittens then it's unlikely she would now reject them like that.

So the first step is to get a vet to check if she has given birth. If she hasn't then you really need to see if you can find the real mother (assuming she's still alive). I would start by leaving food where you found the kittens. You will then need a charity's help to find and trap her so she doesn't carry on producing more kittens

Well done for taking the kittens in. Hopefully CP should be able to advise and help you with them and with homing.

Original poster
hanaka88 · 15/05/2014 13:49

She doesn't have swollen teets (the first thing I checked) but does have a very saggy stomach. She's only a little cat and got a bit fat over winter but I assumed that was just winter fat because it got cold?

The neighbours said that no other cats have been near (I kept asking them because she has been neutered) but they said it's definitely just been her coming for a long time and she was always just going into the shed.

She is a cat that's allowed outside, but she doesn't usually venture out of the garden and I haven't seen any other cats bothering her, but no other cats seem to come I to our garden because we have a very very old, fat, female rescue cat who doesn't want anything else in her garden and is very vocal about it. The kittens looked very skinny when we got them out. They have little chunky stomachs now like kittens should.

The thing that's confusing me is that they're clearly a long haired cross (their fur looks shorter than the male cats but longer than normal kittens) and the male rescue cat is the only one of those around here. They also have massive paws with long fur inbetween the toes like he has. But he wasn't let out for 3 weeks after neutering.

OP posts:
Original poster
hanaka88 · 15/05/2014 13:51

Homing isn't a problem. I have three very good and lovely friends who want two each. We only have 4 kittens so it's going to be a toss up. I'm not promising them to anyone until I'm sure they'll survive. Its proving to be a very busy (and expensive) task to make sure they're properly looked after. I didn't think I'd ever be making up bottles with formula again!

OP posts:
thecatneuterer · 15/05/2014 13:51

You don't remember a big shaved patch for weeks?

You really need to get her to a vet to get her checked for a spay scar.

I couldn't resist adding this cartoon:)

Neutered cat. 4 kittens
Original poster
hanaka88 · 15/05/2014 13:56

No I don't remember at all :( I wish I took
More notice but in context they were taken to be neutered in the same week that my son was misdiagnosed with neuro degenerate disorder and I was told he would die in childhood, so I really wasn't 'with it' for a good few months until we found out that they were wrong and should never have told us that :(

OP posts:
Original poster
hanaka88 · 15/05/2014 13:59

I hazily remember thinking something was odd about the shaved patch. I can't remember what it was though or if I'm just imagining it now.

OP posts:
SummerRain · 15/05/2014 14:03

It sounds like she wasn't spayed, or that a mistake was made whilst spaying (I've heard of vets failing to find one ovary and leaving it in). The fact that she hasn't had kittens before suggests she's certainly not very fertile, although it's also possible she has and you didn't know... It sounds like you'd never have known about this litter of your neighbour hadn't informed you.

cozietoesie · 15/05/2014 14:03

It sounds as if someone may have boo-boo'd on the spay. Best get her up to the vets for a check, keeping CPL informed because you'll probably want to get them to meet any costs.

At least they'll be rehomed - that's good news.

Original poster
hanaka88 · 15/05/2014 14:07

Oh no! I didn't even consider that she might have had other litters and we didn't know :( that would be terrible! I keep thinking about what would have happened to these lovely little kittens if they hadn't been found.

This time last year, some little girls from the street found a 6 week old kitten in a hedge in the woods alone and brought it to me and we sat by the hedge all day with food out to see if any mum turned up and then got it vet checked and rehomed it. It was very dehydrated and half starved :(

OP posts:
Lonecatwithkitten · 15/05/2014 20:54

I have come across cats where vets have attempted a flank spay failed to find a uterus and assumed that cat was already spayed. On three occasions I have gone in midline and found a perfectly good entire uterus. I always spay midline and in particular for cats of unknown origin so I can actually find that cervical stump to satisfy me the cat has already been spayed.

Original poster
hanaka88 · 15/05/2014 20:59

Thank you lone cat... But I'm really clueless as to what most of that means Blush sorry :( does that mean it could have been messed up?

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 15/05/2014 21:00

Thanks for that, Lone. Useful.

But wouldn't a vet's first instinct be to go back and look for old spay scars on the skin surface as a double check?

cozietoesie · 15/05/2014 21:01

Yes, hanaka. 'Could' being the operative word.

Original poster
hanaka88 · 15/05/2014 21:05

She was 5 months old when she went in to be spade, and is had her since she was tiny. Surely they would t have thought she could possibly have already been spade?

OP posts:
Original poster
hanaka88 · 15/05/2014 21:06

Spade? Spayed

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 15/05/2014 21:09

Homer could have nodded if they were doing a lot on that day. You certainly need to have it checked with a vet to see if she's birthed - as TCN suggested. Then you'll have to have her spayed right away if so: as an outside cat who has recently had kittens, it's not impossible that she could already be pregnant again unless she really was spayed. (That will be the conversation with CPL to see who pays for it if finances are tight.)

Original poster
hanaka88 · 16/05/2014 03:32

Up here CPL offer free neutering anyway. Dumped kittens or cats bought as kittens and taken to shelters as adult cats is rife here unfortunately :(

That won't happen to my kittens. I've found wonderful homes for them with the stipulation that they're brought right back here if any extenuating circumstances mean they can't be kept. I'm sure that won't happen though

OP posts:
Lonecatwithkitten · 16/05/2014 07:42

Cozie actually surgical scars are rarely visible. Flank spay does give you as full a view of the abdomen hence my preference (and all the worlds accept the UK) for midline spay.

cozietoesie · 16/05/2014 08:03

Thanks for that, Lone.

Original poster
hanaka88 · 18/05/2014 19:37

Cats protection have just rang and said it can either be because she had a duplicate uterus or that her uterus was in a funny place so they thought she'd already been done. So they're doing her and all the kittens for me when they're 10 weeks.

OP posts:
Fluffycloudland77 · 18/05/2014 20:29

Well at least there won't be any more kittens. What a shock for you though.

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