Panic!!! Not neutered!!!

[exlibris]

Hi all,
Our new shelter kittens were meant to come neutered, but the RSPCA thought the foster person had done it, and the foster person thought the RSPCA had done it! I thought they weren't exhibiting normal behaviour, but put it down to them being older than the last time we adopted kittens. Thankfully I got very suspicious about the size of his testicular sack and got the RSPCA to double check.

Argh! I have a male and a female, 20 weeks old. The earliest I can get them in to the vets is in 4 days time. They are occasionally making odd noises. They are still a bit young, but are perilously close to sexual maturity. Has anyone else been in a similar situation? At this age should I be worrying? I wish I could get them in on Monday!

Again: arrrggghhhh!!!!!

[booktigger]

You should be fine, males normally mature later than females.

[exlibris]

You should be fine, males normally mature later than females.

That's good to know. She's started meowing incessantly - we think she's on heat. He's the same age, so hopefully he will remain disinterested for long enough.

[fjm]

Hmmmm... I think I would separate them as much as possible if she is showing signs of calling, just in case. You may have an early blooming boy, and it is only for a few days. If she is calling it may be safer to postpone spaying her until she has finished - it would be safer in the early stages of pregnancy if they do succeed in mating.

[exlibris]

Hmmmm... I think I would separate them as much as possible if she is showing signs of calling, just in case. You may have an early blooming boy, and it is only for a few days. If she is calling it may be safer to postpone spaying her until she has finished - it would be safer in the early stages of pregnancy if they do succeed in mating.

That would be awful, but might be the best option They came as a pair as they were very close, so keeping them separate would mean one of them going to my moth-in-law's, so a totally new house. I really want them to have positive kitten memories. Ooo - I'm really cross at the RSPCA, but it was a genuine mistake, just with far-reaching consequences.

[Mollycat]

I wouldn't trust them if she is starting to call and he is showing even the slightest interest and 4 days is a long time, plenty of time for whoopsy kittens. Don't see any reason why he couldn't be done asap and her after her season is over anyway, getting one fixed surely sorts the problem?

Must admit I'm not fond of the RSPCA, too many bad experiences, but that's a pretty bad mistake. Surely if they have their own vets they should be responsible and not leave it to the foster, and as a foster surely you can't be expected to foot these kind of bills ... hard to see how a mistake like that can be allowed to happen.

[booktigger]

If separating means different houses, I wouldn't do it if you have an appointment in 4 days, it could ruin both theirs and your relationship.

[exlibris]

Amusingly I can see how it was missed - the male kitten is black and fuzzy, thus his sack is also black and fuzzy - it's hard enough taking a normal photo of him, let alone spotting his, ahem, size down there. RSCPA and fosterer had complete faith in one another - I, however, am used to the universe doing this stuff to me and therefore am healthily sceptical. You have no idea how difficult it was to check my suspicions on a cat who is reluctant to be picked up and hard to get into natural light. I had to tire him out with a game of string to get to properly peek!
All the vets I've called have a 2 week waiting list, so I'm having to take a 30min drive to get to a town that had a space on Tuesday. Crazy.

[booktigger]

Wow, I've never known a vet have that kind of waiting list for a neuter! Regardless of colour, their procedures aren't good enough if something like that can be missed

[Kay]

I trust the RSPCA are footing the bill

[Mollycat]

Amusingly I can see how it was missed

On the cat maybe but you'd think they would keep records and have policies and procedures. So you're lucky one is a boy, and what if they gave two sisters out claiming they had been neutered? That's pretty poor from them and as Kay says they need to be paying.

[exlibris]

I trust the RSPCA are footing the bill

They are indeed, and very apologetic too.

And Mollycat is right - if I'd had two girls I could have ended up with 2 litters the first time I let them out!

[Lilith]

Ouch!

Call me a smartass, but didn't it occur to the RSPCA or the fosterer that a neutered 5 month old female kitten would have an op scar and a shaved patch? It took a couple of months, as I remember, for my shorthairs' fur to grow back in. It would indeed be harder to tell with a black fluffy boy of course.

You just don't expect this sort of thing to happen, do you? The phrase that springs to mind is 'cock-up' ... errrm, sorry mods!

[booktigger]

Ouch!

Call me a smartass, but didn't it occur to the RSPCA or the fosterer that a neutered 5 month old female kitten would have an op scar and a shaved patch? It took a couple of months, as I remember, for my shorthairs' fur to grow back in. It would indeed be harder to tell with a black fluffy boy of course.

You just don't expect this sort of thing to happen, do you? The phrase that springs to mind is 'cock-up' ... errrm, sorry mods!

Depends on the age they neuter, when we neutered at 9 weeks, fur had already started growing back in 48 hours! I can only assume the fosterer handed them back expecting them to do all the vet stuff, and for some reason the RSPCA expected the opposite. Just to check, have they actually had their other vet treatment, flea/worm/vacc/microchip?

[exlibris]

Ouch!

Call me a smartass, but didn't it occur to the RSPCA or the fosterer that a neutered 5 month old female kitten would have an op scar and a shaved patch? It took a couple of months, as I remember, for my shorthairs' fur to grow back in. It would indeed be harder to tell with a black fluffy boy of course.

You just don't expect this sort of thing to happen, do you? The phrase that springs to mind is 'cock-up' ... errrm, sorry mods!

Depends on the age they neuter, when we neutered at 9 weeks, fur had already started growing back in 48 hours! I can only assume the fosterer handed them back expecting them to do all the vet stuff, and for some reason the RSPCA expected the opposite. Just to check, have they actually had their other vet treatment, flea/worm/vacc/microchip?

I have paperwork showing the vacs and microchipping,thank goodness, but I don't know when I should next put some spot on anti-flea on them. I dare say it won't matter if I do it now and it ends up being less than a months gap?

[booktigger]

I'd err on the side of caution with the flea treatment, especially as you have no other pets. It would be worth asking the question, although there is a chance no one knows that either.

[alanc]

Like Booktigger, I would err on the side of caution and not apply flea treatment until you know for certain the 4 week period has elapsed. Worth getting the vets to check the microchip is present and working as well!

[Ruth B]

I wouldn't worry too much about the flea treatment at the moment, they are both going to your vets (I am assuming) for neutering in the next few days, have a word then about checking the chip, defleaing and worming them. Neutering will knock them around for a day or two and some cats do react to the spot on treatments and can be under the weather for a day or so, so I wouldn't want them to suffer both at the same time. It could just as well be that your cats are ones that aren't effected by either and quickly bounce back, but I don't think it is worth the risk.

I would also advise giving Petlog a call to just check the chip has been registered. At one point there seemed to be a spate of chips not getting registered around here and every so often I still see a found cat advertised that is chipped but not registered.

[Mollycat]

Or registered incorrectly - my girl was added to my old household ie to my ex's address, just because my name was on two different accounts there. They refused to pay for their mistake, I got the practice manager out of her office and raised hell until they sorted and paid for it, but fact is they had registered my cat to a house she never lived in with an ex who had never met her.

[exlibris]

Or registered incorrectly - my girl was added to my old household ie to my ex's address, just because my name was on two different accounts there. They refused to pay for their mistake, I got the practice manager out of her office and raised hell until they sorted and paid for it, but fact is they had registered my cat to a house she never lived in with an ex who had never met her.

Finally - they are neutered!
While I was there I got the vet to check their microchip - just in case we'd been sold the wrong cats lol! They are correct.
However, another boo boo from the RSPCA, the vet said they were covered in fleas! Now either they hadn't defleaed them, or it was a while since they'd been done. Sigh!
However, our cats have no grudges against us, and were keen on the apology tin of tuna they shared.

[exlibris]

Oh, and one more thing.....I asked the RSPCA person when they were last defleaed. The rather snotty reply was when they had their last vaccination.....I looked on the forms and it was July! You're telling me that no-one trod a flea within an inch of these cats for the 2 months they weren't protected, with a major animal shelter? Ho hum, at least HOPEFULLY this will be the end of this and I never have to deal with these people again.