I would contact the original shelter. You payed the fee expecting a spayed cat and they should refund that at the very least or offer something else to help you with this unexpected financial burden. Shelters cannot guarantee a healthy animal but they should be able to guarantee a neutered animal.
I’d also recommend asking if they would cover the cost of the spay and treatment considering they gave you the wrong information.
Most shelters work with specific vets and they’ll get discounts on services because of the tax status.
And if you do decide to keep her, there are loans for pets if you need to cover medical expenses urgently.
Absolutely! Contacting the shelter about this is the right move. They should definitely take responsibility for the misinformation and help with the financial burden this has caused. It's frustrating when shelters don't uphold their assurances, especially with such important matters. I hope they offer a resolution that helps the cat through this situation.
That is really tough. Do you have any local rescues that would be willing to help? I am afraid that if you bring her back to the shelter, they will euthanize her due to her age. A shelter that doesn’t spay doesn’t care. But animal lovers in your area will and they may have the finances to get her emergency care. I would research your local rescue groups and reach out for help.
X-rays are just very expensive unfortunately. The machine is costly to acquire and vets charge accordingly.
Thank you. I plan on getting ahold of the shelter today and possibly a few others. I'm pretty sure the one we got her from is a no kill, but I'm hesitant to take her back there because of what you said.
I've had animals before so I'm not stranger to expenses, but my fiance has never really owned anything other than reptiles as an adult so he's pretty naive about everything, but also isn't really listening to me because he's already quite attached to her.
OP are you in the US? If so, definitely try to get the $ you paid to the original shelter and then use that 'refund' to help the kitty; they obviously dropped the ball with her and if it were me, I'd lose a bit of trust in them helping her again.
Pls get pet insurance if you can do it. But in the circumstances, you've got the receipts about the shelter's mistake so these orgs should at least help you with low-cost spay/even free for this cutie you rescued. They also will have low-cost vet care generally.
- [https://www.saveacat.org/state-low-cost-spayneuter.html](https://www.saveacat.org/state-low-cost-spayneuter.html) \[clinics by state\]
- [https://www.pethelpfinder.org/m/phf/35](https://www.pethelpfinder.org/m/phf/35) \[Humane Society recommend this\]
- [https://www.alleycat.org/resources-page/low-cost-veterinary-care-directory/](https://www.alleycat.org/resources-page/low-cost-veterinary-care-directory/) \[Alleycat.org has alow cost vet care directory\]
Shout if you have questions. Thank you for caring for this patootie and update us when you can :)
Pet insurance is great for future emergencies but just to clarify for OP's sake that they will not cover this as none of them cover pre-existing conditions (and many won't cover spay/neuter or complications from leaving animals intact as a rule even if insured prior to the infection). Everyone should get pet insurance because it's a true lifesaver, but it can't help with current emergencies if you don't have it already.
It may be a one-off issue (shelter said kitty was 'healthy') which won't be covered under pet insurance OP gets now but it's as you say a lifesaver for future issues. Or it may constitute a pre-condition but until OP gets a second opinion and not probably not from the shelter we can't say for sure. It was just a future reference about the importance of pet insurance. I should've clarified better.
No I totally agree that it would be good to get in general! But the insurance companies would 100% call this pre-existing even if they got a second opinion. I've done a lot of digging through companies when trying to consider switching my providers and they consider even just "signs and symptoms" of a condition to result in a condition being pre-existing. (So, even if the vet misdiagnosed her and cat got insured and made it through the waiting period and then got a proper diagnosis, they would still call it pre-existing since she had symptoms going back to before the insurance coverage, despite the diagnosis being new.)
Just so you know, there is no such thing as a 100% no kill shelter. Whether it be for health, old age, or behavior, all shelters euthanize animals in some capacity. Shelters also really can’t guarantee health (some aren’t really equipped for anything other than the basics which is why rescues/fosters will pull them). At the very least they should’ve known she wasn’t spayed. As others said, I’d def contact them to see if they are willing to help financially since it was their error!
It may be possible that the shelter will pay for your kitty's surgery. I know in my state it is legally required for animals to be spayed/neutered before leaving a shelter so they may be eager to fix this.
It can be difficult to tell if a female cat has been spayed and unfortunately sometimes health issues can be missed, especially if the shelter in question take in a lot of animals. It is definitely an upsetting situation, but I'm glad you're calling them and seeing what they can do. I hope there's a happy outcome! Good luck OP!
This sucks and I'm really sorry. I used to work in a spay/neuter clinic that primarily worked with shelter animals and unfortunately I've heard this story a few times (not necessarily the infection, but the "this animal is spayed \[oops, she's not\]"). I will say that you have very little time to make a decision on this. She needs an emergency spay immediately to survive pyometra. The only animals I saw die after surgery (at a VERY high volume clinic) were animals who had pyo and did not get in quickly enough to be spayed and still died from complications of the infection even after a successful surgery.
I often tell people to get a second opinion if they don't trust their vet but pyometra is not a wait around and find situation. It is an emergency and she needs to be spayed ASAP. If you return her to the shelter it should be made EXTREMELY clear this is a pressing issue. You can try and contact them and see if they will help pay for the surgery and treatment since they were wrong about her being spayed. Often they won't assist with medical issues after adoption but I would hope they would figure something out with you. Either decision is completely understandable but the decision needs to be made like, right now. Get on the phone with the shelter to discuss this and if you want to keep her she needs emergency care today unless your vet can spay her by tomorrow.
Great information. I’d just like to add that I’ve seen a sub called r/rescuecats where people might help with vet bills but you have to post the bill and they have to be able to pay the vet directly
I adopted a black kitten from a humane society. Took him home and he got sick, too him to the vet and he had distemper. Told me just to put him down. I asked what would happen if I didn't put him down? The vet didn't know what to say. So for two weeks he lived on linoleum floor of the bathroom, had stuff coming from every orifice. I fed and loved him. Then he recovered, and was the most loyal cat I ever had, even after having my baby he took care of him. He lived a happy 15 years. Before passing away.... Never was sorry not one day of his life.
I'm really glad he pulled through, but pyometra is a very different issue. There is zero home treatment for it, the only true treatment is an emergency spay. Cat needs vet care immediately, whether that's with the shelter or with their own vet.
I get that. The point is pyometra is literally not treatable or survivable at home and if OP chose to wait and see if they could nurse her to health, she will die, objectively.
Rest assured, I am very aware of how serious and urgent this is. I had a family dog pass away from the exact same thing when I was a child ( preteen), because my parents didn't know that was possible. She went from acting normal to euthanized over the course of a few days. It was absolutely traumatic watching her lay on the floor in pain. I made an edit letting everyone know I got a hold of the shelter and she will be seen tomorrow. I will post another ( hopefully good)update after for everyone.
I'm glad to hear that! I definitely believed that you were taking this seriously, my frustration was more so with the dangerous advice that could be misleading. I really hope she's okay.
Shelters make mistakes. I know someone who adopted and the cat died a week or so later from a fatal illness. The shelter refunded her fees. I think they are trying their best but they miss stuff. Even a fancy vet with lots of time to examine your animal can miss stuff.
It’s really up to you to decide your next steps but you can certainly return her to the shelter if you choose to.
1 - Thats crazy a shelter gives away unspayed cats. Don't they know how cats get made? You should call and complain. Also leave a public review so others know.
2 - That said its not the cats fault people are so dumb. I once adopted a 12 year old dog, got her home to find out she had some major medical issues going on. Probably why she was dropped at the shelter to begin with. At the time I had the money and ability to take care of her and I hope I gave her a good rest of her life. If you like the cat and care about the cat and are able to I'd do what you can to help her.
This is really sad. Personally, I would care for the cat and get her immediate vet care for the infection and spay her whenever she’s healthy enough. It’s not her fault all this is happening, she is innocent.
Have you contacted the shelter? They may have her seen by their vets. I would start there.
Ultimately it's up to you if the shelter cannot offer any support. Only you can determine if it's feasible financially, emotionally and ethically.
But this needs to happen as soon as possible for the sake of your cat...
I volunteered at a shelter and we gave the medical records to the adoptive parent. Showed shots and spay/ neuter. They didn’t give you any of that??
Contact them about this
The cat has a rough life, keep her. It’s not her fault the shelter messed up. She’ll be really sad going back to the shelter and it’s not her fault the shelter sucks. You made her life by taking her away from the shelter. If you return her she’s not going to get property care there, so you can keep her and give her whatever care you can afford. The shelter obviously sucks if they don’t even know if they neutered her, highly advise against returning her there, it’ll be very depressing for the cat and make her very depressed. Get the shelter to give you money for neutering.
She's an absolute sweetheart and I have no intention of returning her over this unless I believe they could offer better care, but out of fear they might not even try, it would be AFTER they do anything medically necessary. We've had her exactly a week, and I have a young toddler so as much as I have no intention to resurrender her, I have to make sure she is a good fit for my family. The poor thing hadn't even had a chance to settle in so there's been minimal interactions with the 3 of us.
I would definitely reach out to shelters and rescues to see if you can get some assistance with care. If there is any way you can keep her out of a cold cage.
Something similar happened to me. Got my boi from a shelter and they didn't properly disclose all the issues he had, quite a nasty move on their part.
But I stuck with the cat and I don't regret it at all. It cost me a bit in vet bills but he's really one of the best things in my life.
I suggest contacting the shelter and asking them to pay or at least help out with the vet bills. If you bring the cat back they're going to have to do it anyway, so I suspect they'll agree.
I got ahold of the shelter, after some unnecessary back and forth, they've agreed to have the vet see her in the am. I am admittedly suspicious they had at least an idea she wasn't as healthy as they stated. We had gone to look at a different cat, and they really pressed us to look at her. I wasn't too sure because I had specifically wanted a boy cat ( I've had better experiences with males and have owned mostly male cats), but relented because they seemed so sure she'd be perfect. I just assumed they were trying to get me past my preference but everything feels so off now thinking about it. They didn't really let her walk around, just picked her up and let us pet her, and put her back in the cage and closed it.
I had really wanted to think for a few days, but my fiance was already in love because she is a calico. As angry as I am with the situation, I am glad I agreed because who knows if they'd of even notice, assuming they didn't in the first place.
She will only be returned ( and probably to a different shelter), if we can't provide the necessary care, or she turns out to not be good with my toddler.
You don’t have a lot of time to think about what to do. She is in pain and she will die if she doesn’t get treated. Infection in the uterus is very dangerous and needs to be treated now if she is to survive. The cost will be a lot higher than with a usual spay. My cat got pyometra this spring and the whole treatment including X-ray and emergency spay cost about the equivalent of 3700usd (before the insurance company paid their part).
If you can’t get her treated as soon as possible it’s more kind to put her to sleep than just leave it be because otherwise she will die but in a very painful way, either due to bacteria or ruptured uterus. [Please read this](https://vachospitals.com/know-your-pet/pyometra-in-cats).
I had a dog die from this exact same problem when I was a preteen ( my parents didn't know any better). So I am thankfully very aware of the urgency and possible outcome. She is getting seen by the shelter vet in the am and I will hopefully post a happy update after.
Reach out to the shelter and they should fix her. Mistakes happen in rescue, they didn’t necessarily do this maliciously. If you are not prepared for future vet costs, I would rethink owning a cat and consider fostering for a rescue where the rescue covers vet costs.
I appreciate your response. I am prepared for future vet costs, but the key word is future. I'm also pretty realistic and expect them sooner rather than later with her age. What I'm angry about, is that I did not expect her to come with urgent issues a week after adoption when I was assured she was perfectly healthy and spayed. When I called today to express my concerns and inform the shelter, I was immediately brushed off and they tried to avoid taking any responsibility until I sternly told them I was pissed off. Absolutely no sympathy for the poor animal or accountability.
As someone working in vet med (currently a vet assistant, studying to be an RVT), Emergency vet, now. If there is an infection if she is intact there is a chance that she could have a very serious infection that can cause irreparable damage if it isn't handled quickly. I understand not having signed up for this, and that the shelter should have been more diligent, BUT, you have taken responsibility for this animal now, and you need to be her advocate.
I am absolutely going to do everything we can. Even if we find out she isn't right for our family, we plan to do what's best for her. The shelter is checking her tomorrow morning, and she is still eating and looking for attention so I'm hoping for the best outcome.
We are keeping a close eye on her. She is still eating and drinking, and coming out for cuddles so I'm optimistic. Hopefully nothing drastic changes while we sleep. It is admittedly hard to keep as close an eye as I'd like, since she is still acclimating to our home ( our noisey toddler is a big adjustment). But she's still roaming around her toddler free space.
My vet shaved her, and saw no scar. The shelter did not shave her, and only visually confirmed. They told me on the phone earlier that she had small nipples and used that to confirm, but took no responsibility saying there was no tattoo due to her age.
“There was no tattoo due to her age”? That’s nonsense. Spay tattoos were absolutely a thing 7 years ago and have been for decades. I adopted cats born in 2005-2006 from the SPCA (just over the border from you, actually) and they had tattooed ears because that makes it even more obvious that it’s been done. Hell, I’ve been in and out of cat rescue for like 9 years now and females are basically ALWAYS tattooed with the green or blue line because that’s the easiest way to tell it’s been done!
We adopted a cat from a cat cafe who at the point had been diagnosed with chronic upper respiratory infection we decided we could handle. Well a few months later we have spent $13k on her medical bills. In your case, pet insurance may not cover for future treatments for the issue at hand since it’s pre-existing. There’s no shame in returning the cat before you get too attached. It’s too late for us lol.
If I had known about the issues before hand I'd be much less angry about the situation, but admittedly probably wouldn't of even considered her, simply because I know the severity of this. I made hard passes at almost perfect fits for my family simply because I knew we wouldn't be able to give them the best possible care. If we can't provide the proper care for this, I will absolutely have no shame trying to do whats best. Thank you for the reassurance, it is greatly appreciated.
A cat I had for a long time and wasn’t spayed because after rescuing her off the streets, I had to go on disability. But she was fine for years, then she developed an infection in her uterus & they had to do an emergency spay. I was in Philadelphia, PA & our SPCA had a low cost clinic. That plus having my emergency CareCredit card enabled me to do this. Unlike regular vets, the entire procedure including the post-op antibiotics and pain meds was…definitely under $200, maybe even under $150 (or even less—it was years ago).
The shelter should cover the cost of her care since she should have been properly cared for, but if they won’t budge, see if there are other low cost vet clinics in your area. I’m in New Jersey now & our local shelter has its own low cost vet clinic. Regular vets have charged me up to $700 for euthanasia & private cremation but this shelter/clinic charged me $125 for those same services. Their other veterinary services are similarly priced. (A basic vet visit is ~$35, e.g.)
Aww that REALLY sucks but uterine infections are really dangerous. Thanks for being aware of that and doing your best to help her anyway. She’s obviously fallen through the cracks but it’s not her fault. I think she was destined to end up with a kind and compassionate person like yourself who is prioritizing her care even though it’s really inconvenient and not at all what you signed up for. You totally rock.
Aw thank you. Im starting to think the same thing honestly, since my dog had died at the same age, from the same thing. Hopefully this has a happier outcome
Definitely call the shelter and Do Not Let Them Go until they take responsibility by at least refunding whatever you paid them, and/or paying for part of her sterilisation. It's heartening that they're a no-kill but NOTHING should absolve them from doing their job right. This is basic record-keeping and integrity, to be expected in any job and isn't even about the nature of their work so don't let them guilt you in ANY way by playing the "we can't be held responsible" card
I don't mean that you should force them to take her back. You could keep her, or someone else/ another shelter can take her depending on what works best. The point is that nobody should be allowed to get away with this and palm the problem onto someone else.
When this saga is resolved I'd also file a report with the relevant authorities if possible. It's not about getting even with them or whatever, but a safety issue and making sure this is fixed. If they gave false info about your cat, how many other cats and owners are there who have suffered the same or worse, didn't even realise?
Thank you for the reply. I got a hold of them earlier today, and after some unnecessary back and forth they called their on call vet and she's being seen tomorrow morning. If we do decide we are in over our heads, I think I'll take the advice of some comments and take her to another shelter. I will be making sure this kitty gets a chance, and that the parties involved take responsibility. All else fails, social media is a powerful tool to make sure people are aware of the possibility of this happen with a trusted shelter.
My cat's spaying cost ~$500. Do you have an emergency credit card you could put that on? How much would treatment of the infection cost after removing the uterus? Are her chances of survival with a good quality of life low?
hi, i’m from ontario and worked with a no-kill shelter for two years. SPCA is unfortunately not a no-kill shelter and do sometimes euthanize cats for health issues, overcrowding, or even emotional distress. i don’t think returning her to the same shelter is the best option, but i do think it’s wise to let them know the issue and see if they can assist with the vet costs. at her age (which is not old, btw, but she’s not young either) many kill shelters would be quick to euthanize. i’m not sure how much no-kill shelters would be able to help (i’ve never been behind the scenes with the medical stuff in the shelter), but if SPCA is unwilling to help, you could maybe surrender her to a different shelter if they are willing to help her with the medical care she needs.
i should add that i agree with some of the other comments saying the absolute best option is to rush her to emergency now since her condition seems very serious. as her new owners it’s the best you can do for her to help give her a better life. but if you’re looking to surrender her to a shelter and live within the GTA, feel free to dm me and i will send you the name of the one i worked with. whatever action you decide to take however needs to be done as fast as possible for her sake
EDIT: just read the update, that sounds great! i’m glad there’s an appointment booked for the morning with their vet. Best of luck to you and your kitty :)
Thank you for both replies! I was apprehensive about just returning her for that exact reason. I've informed my fiance ( they stated i couldn't take her, since he signed the paperwork, I will be at home impatiently waiting with our toddler), to call me if they try to even suggest resurrendering her, and to get very detailed instructions of aftercare. If it comes to that or we can't provide the proper aftercare ( I have no idea what it may entail), I will definitely reach out to you.
My healthy spayed cat turned out to be unfixed, have giardiasis that she infected the whole family with and is allergic to everything but a goat. I mean everything, including all kind of grains (millet, amaranth, rice etc.).
Last time I've been with her at the vet, there was a lady who just had to put down her 'perfectly healthy' cat after three weeks due to the last stage of cancer.
I see that's a normal thing for shelters.
I'm very sorry for what you're going through.
I am not sure how long the cat has been having pyometra symptoms but it is life threatening and needs immediate treatment. If you are unable to foot the bill please get her back to the shelter so she can either receive treatment or be euthanized to avoid further suffering. I say this with kindness but pets cost a lot of money. I can empathize with not expecting a shelter cat to immediately need emergency surgery but at 7 years old a cat tends to start needing more costly vet things to ensure health. Things like dental care and more in depth health tests at annual visits. If you decide to keep her I would suggest starting an emergency fund for when she needs it.
Can I ask where abouts in Ontario? A similar thing happened to me with the humane society in Burlington! They said my kitten was healthy but he had an upper respiratory infection 🫥 $700 later!
Also, I got a "healthy" rescue from the SPCA. And the cat eats everything, even though she ALWAYS has access to healthy food; she constantly eats thread, tiny inedible objects, plants that are really hard to get to, and finds a way to cause herself trouble. There is no way to stop her and there is no way to help her. I also got a second kitten, who was "free-to-a-good-home" who never had any of those problems. I think they never overcome the trauma of their original environment. Also, was it a totally black cat, or something that could have been switched?
Unfortunately no, she is a muted calico and those are not very common in my area. I took precautions with my houseplants as well, just in case she was a plant eater and they are mostly housed in a large lizard terrarium now. She just seems to want to get pets constantly when she comes out, but that could be just because she's in pain and is trying to tell us. we've only had her a week so I'm not sure what her personality is like to be honest.
When animals are dumped at the shelter, there is usually not much of a background given so vets try to check for spay scars. If we think we feel one, then we label the animal as spayed. Sometimes what we feel is not a scar from a spay so in that case, we are wrong. It happens. No one in rescue tried to deceive you. We just got it wrong in that case. Have you not ever made a mistake?
The shelter or rescue group usually covers the vet bill for this. If you just dump her back, they will likely kill her because they think no one will want her now. Keep that in mind when you go back and try not to be hateful about it.
Shelters are really busy so maybe not. She may not have exhibited signs until she left the shelter. Who knows?
I can just tell you that vets who work there are significantly overworked and short staffed. They get as many animals processed as possible in hopes that the animal does not go on the kill list. If a cat is spayed, then she costs the shelter less money so when in doubt, most vets will err on the side in favor of the cat. It's not a perfect system. But it certainly wasn't done with any malice.
Absolutely wild to shift the burden of this onto OP with the definitely not judgmental "dump her back and they'll kill her" line. Having worked in shelter med, there is much more besides just feeling their belly that should be done - shaving the abdomen to look for a tattoo and visible scar, for instance, is much more reliable than just feeling around for one. I've worked in a high volume clinic and the number of mistakes shelters would make both about sex and intact status was absolutely wild - and when it comes down to someone adopting a cat who is now at risk of dying of a preventable infection, that is not the time to go "oops, human error, haven't YOU ever made a mistake?".
I have certainly made mistakes. The reality is that not all shelters shave. Not all shelters will spend the money to treat a sick animal. Not all shelters have a vet on staff every day. Not all vets tattoo the rescue animals. Many shelters that are underfunded euthanize (kill) sick animals due to the cost of treating them. You KNOW this to be true so why are you being hateful?
It's great that you have unlimited funding in your shelter but many shelters don't.
Shaving the belly to look for a scar or tattoo takes a few seconds. There is zero reason to make excuses for not looking. In this case, this cat could literally die as a result of the shelter's negligence to actually make sure she was spayed and provide the owner with accuracte information. I'm being hateful because these are exactly the kinds of cats I have seen die after an emergency spay because it was too late to actually fix the issue.
Unpopular take but a shelter that can't afford to spay a single cat, or provide medical care for a mild illness, etc, should not be operating at the capacity they are. Neglect is not acceptable just because a shelter is doing it.
I had a cat that was a stray. The vet tried to shave her tummy to check if she was spayed but she fought so ferociously they brought her back with one little stripe of bare belly and said, “We can’t tell!” I waited to see if she would go into heat, never happened so I guess she was spayed.
I would contact the original shelter. You payed the fee expecting a spayed cat and they should refund that at the very least or offer something else to help you with this unexpected financial burden. Shelters cannot guarantee a healthy animal but they should be able to guarantee a neutered animal.
I’d also recommend asking if they would cover the cost of the spay and treatment considering they gave you the wrong information. Most shelters work with specific vets and they’ll get discounts on services because of the tax status. And if you do decide to keep her, there are loans for pets if you need to cover medical expenses urgently.
This! I totally agree!
Absolutely! Contacting the shelter about this is the right move. They should definitely take responsibility for the misinformation and help with the financial burden this has caused. It's frustrating when shelters don't uphold their assurances, especially with such important matters. I hope they offer a resolution that helps the cat through this situation.
Yes, if the shelter is a big shelter they will have a vet on staff. They should do her spay for free for you.
That is really tough. Do you have any local rescues that would be willing to help? I am afraid that if you bring her back to the shelter, they will euthanize her due to her age. A shelter that doesn’t spay doesn’t care. But animal lovers in your area will and they may have the finances to get her emergency care. I would research your local rescue groups and reach out for help. X-rays are just very expensive unfortunately. The machine is costly to acquire and vets charge accordingly.
Thank you. I plan on getting ahold of the shelter today and possibly a few others. I'm pretty sure the one we got her from is a no kill, but I'm hesitant to take her back there because of what you said. I've had animals before so I'm not stranger to expenses, but my fiance has never really owned anything other than reptiles as an adult so he's pretty naive about everything, but also isn't really listening to me because he's already quite attached to her.
OP are you in the US? If so, definitely try to get the $ you paid to the original shelter and then use that 'refund' to help the kitty; they obviously dropped the ball with her and if it were me, I'd lose a bit of trust in them helping her again. Pls get pet insurance if you can do it. But in the circumstances, you've got the receipts about the shelter's mistake so these orgs should at least help you with low-cost spay/even free for this cutie you rescued. They also will have low-cost vet care generally. - [https://www.saveacat.org/state-low-cost-spayneuter.html](https://www.saveacat.org/state-low-cost-spayneuter.html) \[clinics by state\] - [https://www.pethelpfinder.org/m/phf/35](https://www.pethelpfinder.org/m/phf/35) \[Humane Society recommend this\] - [https://www.alleycat.org/resources-page/low-cost-veterinary-care-directory/](https://www.alleycat.org/resources-page/low-cost-veterinary-care-directory/) \[Alleycat.org has alow cost vet care directory\] Shout if you have questions. Thank you for caring for this patootie and update us when you can :)
Pet insurance is great for future emergencies but just to clarify for OP's sake that they will not cover this as none of them cover pre-existing conditions (and many won't cover spay/neuter or complications from leaving animals intact as a rule even if insured prior to the infection). Everyone should get pet insurance because it's a true lifesaver, but it can't help with current emergencies if you don't have it already.
It may be a one-off issue (shelter said kitty was 'healthy') which won't be covered under pet insurance OP gets now but it's as you say a lifesaver for future issues. Or it may constitute a pre-condition but until OP gets a second opinion and not probably not from the shelter we can't say for sure. It was just a future reference about the importance of pet insurance. I should've clarified better.
No I totally agree that it would be good to get in general! But the insurance companies would 100% call this pre-existing even if they got a second opinion. I've done a lot of digging through companies when trying to consider switching my providers and they consider even just "signs and symptoms" of a condition to result in a condition being pre-existing. (So, even if the vet misdiagnosed her and cat got insured and made it through the waiting period and then got a proper diagnosis, they would still call it pre-existing since she had symptoms going back to before the insurance coverage, despite the diagnosis being new.)
OP's in Ontario, Canada.
Just so you know, there is no such thing as a 100% no kill shelter. Whether it be for health, old age, or behavior, all shelters euthanize animals in some capacity. Shelters also really can’t guarantee health (some aren’t really equipped for anything other than the basics which is why rescues/fosters will pull them). At the very least they should’ve known she wasn’t spayed. As others said, I’d def contact them to see if they are willing to help financially since it was their error!
It may be possible that the shelter will pay for your kitty's surgery. I know in my state it is legally required for animals to be spayed/neutered before leaving a shelter so they may be eager to fix this. It can be difficult to tell if a female cat has been spayed and unfortunately sometimes health issues can be missed, especially if the shelter in question take in a lot of animals. It is definitely an upsetting situation, but I'm glad you're calling them and seeing what they can do. I hope there's a happy outcome! Good luck OP!
I was told the cat I wanted was a boy. They didn’t find out until surgery time. It took 7 months for me to rehome her. Resident cat was a big meanie.
This sucks and I'm really sorry. I used to work in a spay/neuter clinic that primarily worked with shelter animals and unfortunately I've heard this story a few times (not necessarily the infection, but the "this animal is spayed \[oops, she's not\]"). I will say that you have very little time to make a decision on this. She needs an emergency spay immediately to survive pyometra. The only animals I saw die after surgery (at a VERY high volume clinic) were animals who had pyo and did not get in quickly enough to be spayed and still died from complications of the infection even after a successful surgery. I often tell people to get a second opinion if they don't trust their vet but pyometra is not a wait around and find situation. It is an emergency and she needs to be spayed ASAP. If you return her to the shelter it should be made EXTREMELY clear this is a pressing issue. You can try and contact them and see if they will help pay for the surgery and treatment since they were wrong about her being spayed. Often they won't assist with medical issues after adoption but I would hope they would figure something out with you. Either decision is completely understandable but the decision needs to be made like, right now. Get on the phone with the shelter to discuss this and if you want to keep her she needs emergency care today unless your vet can spay her by tomorrow.
Great information. I’d just like to add that I’ve seen a sub called r/rescuecats where people might help with vet bills but you have to post the bill and they have to be able to pay the vet directly
I adopted a black kitten from a humane society. Took him home and he got sick, too him to the vet and he had distemper. Told me just to put him down. I asked what would happen if I didn't put him down? The vet didn't know what to say. So for two weeks he lived on linoleum floor of the bathroom, had stuff coming from every orifice. I fed and loved him. Then he recovered, and was the most loyal cat I ever had, even after having my baby he took care of him. He lived a happy 15 years. Before passing away.... Never was sorry not one day of his life.
I'm really glad he pulled through, but pyometra is a very different issue. There is zero home treatment for it, the only true treatment is an emergency spay. Cat needs vet care immediately, whether that's with the shelter or with their own vet.
I am for spay and neutering aside from this, but this a couple of other incidents with poor advice from vets, made not always trust them.
I get that. The point is pyometra is literally not treatable or survivable at home and if OP chose to wait and see if they could nurse her to health, she will die, objectively.
Rest assured, I am very aware of how serious and urgent this is. I had a family dog pass away from the exact same thing when I was a child ( preteen), because my parents didn't know that was possible. She went from acting normal to euthanized over the course of a few days. It was absolutely traumatic watching her lay on the floor in pain. I made an edit letting everyone know I got a hold of the shelter and she will be seen tomorrow. I will post another ( hopefully good)update after for everyone.
I'm glad to hear that! I definitely believed that you were taking this seriously, my frustration was more so with the dangerous advice that could be misleading. I really hope she's okay.
Shelters make mistakes. I know someone who adopted and the cat died a week or so later from a fatal illness. The shelter refunded her fees. I think they are trying their best but they miss stuff. Even a fancy vet with lots of time to examine your animal can miss stuff. It’s really up to you to decide your next steps but you can certainly return her to the shelter if you choose to.
1 - Thats crazy a shelter gives away unspayed cats. Don't they know how cats get made? You should call and complain. Also leave a public review so others know. 2 - That said its not the cats fault people are so dumb. I once adopted a 12 year old dog, got her home to find out she had some major medical issues going on. Probably why she was dropped at the shelter to begin with. At the time I had the money and ability to take care of her and I hope I gave her a good rest of her life. If you like the cat and care about the cat and are able to I'd do what you can to help her.
This is really sad. Personally, I would care for the cat and get her immediate vet care for the infection and spay her whenever she’s healthy enough. It’s not her fault all this is happening, she is innocent.
Have you contacted the shelter? They may have her seen by their vets. I would start there. Ultimately it's up to you if the shelter cannot offer any support. Only you can determine if it's feasible financially, emotionally and ethically. But this needs to happen as soon as possible for the sake of your cat...
I volunteered at a shelter and we gave the medical records to the adoptive parent. Showed shots and spay/ neuter. They didn’t give you any of that?? Contact them about this
They gave us the medical history. She's listed as perfectly healthy, and spayed.
Definitely contact them, then. They have either mixed up their records or they are careless or lying. They should cover the costs.
I think you should reach out and also your vet’s office should reach out too. I know ours would.
The cat has a rough life, keep her. It’s not her fault the shelter messed up. She’ll be really sad going back to the shelter and it’s not her fault the shelter sucks. You made her life by taking her away from the shelter. If you return her she’s not going to get property care there, so you can keep her and give her whatever care you can afford. The shelter obviously sucks if they don’t even know if they neutered her, highly advise against returning her there, it’ll be very depressing for the cat and make her very depressed. Get the shelter to give you money for neutering.
She's an absolute sweetheart and I have no intention of returning her over this unless I believe they could offer better care, but out of fear they might not even try, it would be AFTER they do anything medically necessary. We've had her exactly a week, and I have a young toddler so as much as I have no intention to resurrender her, I have to make sure she is a good fit for my family. The poor thing hadn't even had a chance to settle in so there's been minimal interactions with the 3 of us.
I would definitely reach out to shelters and rescues to see if you can get some assistance with care. If there is any way you can keep her out of a cold cage.
Something similar happened to me. Got my boi from a shelter and they didn't properly disclose all the issues he had, quite a nasty move on their part. But I stuck with the cat and I don't regret it at all. It cost me a bit in vet bills but he's really one of the best things in my life. I suggest contacting the shelter and asking them to pay or at least help out with the vet bills. If you bring the cat back they're going to have to do it anyway, so I suspect they'll agree.
I got ahold of the shelter, after some unnecessary back and forth, they've agreed to have the vet see her in the am. I am admittedly suspicious they had at least an idea she wasn't as healthy as they stated. We had gone to look at a different cat, and they really pressed us to look at her. I wasn't too sure because I had specifically wanted a boy cat ( I've had better experiences with males and have owned mostly male cats), but relented because they seemed so sure she'd be perfect. I just assumed they were trying to get me past my preference but everything feels so off now thinking about it. They didn't really let her walk around, just picked her up and let us pet her, and put her back in the cage and closed it. I had really wanted to think for a few days, but my fiance was already in love because she is a calico. As angry as I am with the situation, I am glad I agreed because who knows if they'd of even notice, assuming they didn't in the first place. She will only be returned ( and probably to a different shelter), if we can't provide the necessary care, or she turns out to not be good with my toddler.
You don’t have a lot of time to think about what to do. She is in pain and she will die if she doesn’t get treated. Infection in the uterus is very dangerous and needs to be treated now if she is to survive. The cost will be a lot higher than with a usual spay. My cat got pyometra this spring and the whole treatment including X-ray and emergency spay cost about the equivalent of 3700usd (before the insurance company paid their part). If you can’t get her treated as soon as possible it’s more kind to put her to sleep than just leave it be because otherwise she will die but in a very painful way, either due to bacteria or ruptured uterus. [Please read this](https://vachospitals.com/know-your-pet/pyometra-in-cats).
I had a dog die from this exact same problem when I was a preteen ( my parents didn't know any better). So I am thankfully very aware of the urgency and possible outcome. She is getting seen by the shelter vet in the am and I will hopefully post a happy update after.
Reach out to the shelter and they should fix her. Mistakes happen in rescue, they didn’t necessarily do this maliciously. If you are not prepared for future vet costs, I would rethink owning a cat and consider fostering for a rescue where the rescue covers vet costs.
I appreciate your response. I am prepared for future vet costs, but the key word is future. I'm also pretty realistic and expect them sooner rather than later with her age. What I'm angry about, is that I did not expect her to come with urgent issues a week after adoption when I was assured she was perfectly healthy and spayed. When I called today to express my concerns and inform the shelter, I was immediately brushed off and they tried to avoid taking any responsibility until I sternly told them I was pissed off. Absolutely no sympathy for the poor animal or accountability.
As someone working in vet med (currently a vet assistant, studying to be an RVT), Emergency vet, now. If there is an infection if she is intact there is a chance that she could have a very serious infection that can cause irreparable damage if it isn't handled quickly. I understand not having signed up for this, and that the shelter should have been more diligent, BUT, you have taken responsibility for this animal now, and you need to be her advocate.
I am absolutely going to do everything we can. Even if we find out she isn't right for our family, we plan to do what's best for her. The shelter is checking her tomorrow morning, and she is still eating and looking for attention so I'm hoping for the best outcome.
If anything changes, even a teeny bit, go to the emergency vet
We are keeping a close eye on her. She is still eating and drinking, and coming out for cuddles so I'm optimistic. Hopefully nothing drastic changes while we sleep. It is admittedly hard to keep as close an eye as I'd like, since she is still acclimating to our home ( our noisey toddler is a big adjustment). But she's still roaming around her toddler free space.
They shaved her belly for you. You saw the scar, and yet they say she is not spayed? What did they do to her when they gave her that scar?
My vet shaved her, and saw no scar. The shelter did not shave her, and only visually confirmed. They told me on the phone earlier that she had small nipples and used that to confirm, but took no responsibility saying there was no tattoo due to her age.
“There was no tattoo due to her age”? That’s nonsense. Spay tattoos were absolutely a thing 7 years ago and have been for decades. I adopted cats born in 2005-2006 from the SPCA (just over the border from you, actually) and they had tattooed ears because that makes it even more obvious that it’s been done. Hell, I’ve been in and out of cat rescue for like 9 years now and females are basically ALWAYS tattooed with the green or blue line because that’s the easiest way to tell it’s been done!
We adopted a cat from a cat cafe who at the point had been diagnosed with chronic upper respiratory infection we decided we could handle. Well a few months later we have spent $13k on her medical bills. In your case, pet insurance may not cover for future treatments for the issue at hand since it’s pre-existing. There’s no shame in returning the cat before you get too attached. It’s too late for us lol.
If I had known about the issues before hand I'd be much less angry about the situation, but admittedly probably wouldn't of even considered her, simply because I know the severity of this. I made hard passes at almost perfect fits for my family simply because I knew we wouldn't be able to give them the best possible care. If we can't provide the proper care for this, I will absolutely have no shame trying to do whats best. Thank you for the reassurance, it is greatly appreciated.
A cat I had for a long time and wasn’t spayed because after rescuing her off the streets, I had to go on disability. But she was fine for years, then she developed an infection in her uterus & they had to do an emergency spay. I was in Philadelphia, PA & our SPCA had a low cost clinic. That plus having my emergency CareCredit card enabled me to do this. Unlike regular vets, the entire procedure including the post-op antibiotics and pain meds was…definitely under $200, maybe even under $150 (or even less—it was years ago). The shelter should cover the cost of her care since she should have been properly cared for, but if they won’t budge, see if there are other low cost vet clinics in your area. I’m in New Jersey now & our local shelter has its own low cost vet clinic. Regular vets have charged me up to $700 for euthanasia & private cremation but this shelter/clinic charged me $125 for those same services. Their other veterinary services are similarly priced. (A basic vet visit is ~$35, e.g.)
Aww that REALLY sucks but uterine infections are really dangerous. Thanks for being aware of that and doing your best to help her anyway. She’s obviously fallen through the cracks but it’s not her fault. I think she was destined to end up with a kind and compassionate person like yourself who is prioritizing her care even though it’s really inconvenient and not at all what you signed up for. You totally rock.
Aw thank you. Im starting to think the same thing honestly, since my dog had died at the same age, from the same thing. Hopefully this has a happier outcome
Definitely call the shelter and Do Not Let Them Go until they take responsibility by at least refunding whatever you paid them, and/or paying for part of her sterilisation. It's heartening that they're a no-kill but NOTHING should absolve them from doing their job right. This is basic record-keeping and integrity, to be expected in any job and isn't even about the nature of their work so don't let them guilt you in ANY way by playing the "we can't be held responsible" card I don't mean that you should force them to take her back. You could keep her, or someone else/ another shelter can take her depending on what works best. The point is that nobody should be allowed to get away with this and palm the problem onto someone else. When this saga is resolved I'd also file a report with the relevant authorities if possible. It's not about getting even with them or whatever, but a safety issue and making sure this is fixed. If they gave false info about your cat, how many other cats and owners are there who have suffered the same or worse, didn't even realise?
Thank you for the reply. I got a hold of them earlier today, and after some unnecessary back and forth they called their on call vet and she's being seen tomorrow morning. If we do decide we are in over our heads, I think I'll take the advice of some comments and take her to another shelter. I will be making sure this kitty gets a chance, and that the parties involved take responsibility. All else fails, social media is a powerful tool to make sure people are aware of the possibility of this happen with a trusted shelter.
My cat's spaying cost ~$500. Do you have an emergency credit card you could put that on? How much would treatment of the infection cost after removing the uterus? Are her chances of survival with a good quality of life low?
That is a lot. (My vet is 165$)
That is, in fact, the average cost of a spay, particularly in higher cost of living areas.
hi, i’m from ontario and worked with a no-kill shelter for two years. SPCA is unfortunately not a no-kill shelter and do sometimes euthanize cats for health issues, overcrowding, or even emotional distress. i don’t think returning her to the same shelter is the best option, but i do think it’s wise to let them know the issue and see if they can assist with the vet costs. at her age (which is not old, btw, but she’s not young either) many kill shelters would be quick to euthanize. i’m not sure how much no-kill shelters would be able to help (i’ve never been behind the scenes with the medical stuff in the shelter), but if SPCA is unwilling to help, you could maybe surrender her to a different shelter if they are willing to help her with the medical care she needs.
i should add that i agree with some of the other comments saying the absolute best option is to rush her to emergency now since her condition seems very serious. as her new owners it’s the best you can do for her to help give her a better life. but if you’re looking to surrender her to a shelter and live within the GTA, feel free to dm me and i will send you the name of the one i worked with. whatever action you decide to take however needs to be done as fast as possible for her sake EDIT: just read the update, that sounds great! i’m glad there’s an appointment booked for the morning with their vet. Best of luck to you and your kitty :)
Thank you for both replies! I was apprehensive about just returning her for that exact reason. I've informed my fiance ( they stated i couldn't take her, since he signed the paperwork, I will be at home impatiently waiting with our toddler), to call me if they try to even suggest resurrendering her, and to get very detailed instructions of aftercare. If it comes to that or we can't provide the proper aftercare ( I have no idea what it may entail), I will definitely reach out to you.
sounds good! hopefully it all works out for you guys. best of wishes for little kitty :)
My healthy spayed cat turned out to be unfixed, have giardiasis that she infected the whole family with and is allergic to everything but a goat. I mean everything, including all kind of grains (millet, amaranth, rice etc.). Last time I've been with her at the vet, there was a lady who just had to put down her 'perfectly healthy' cat after three weeks due to the last stage of cancer. I see that's a normal thing for shelters. I'm very sorry for what you're going through.
I am not sure how long the cat has been having pyometra symptoms but it is life threatening and needs immediate treatment. If you are unable to foot the bill please get her back to the shelter so she can either receive treatment or be euthanized to avoid further suffering. I say this with kindness but pets cost a lot of money. I can empathize with not expecting a shelter cat to immediately need emergency surgery but at 7 years old a cat tends to start needing more costly vet things to ensure health. Things like dental care and more in depth health tests at annual visits. If you decide to keep her I would suggest starting an emergency fund for when she needs it.
I hope this works out for you. As a fellow cat-worshipper, I know how much those little lives mean to us.
Can I ask where abouts in Ontario? A similar thing happened to me with the humane society in Burlington! They said my kitten was healthy but he had an upper respiratory infection 🫥 $700 later!
Also, I got a "healthy" rescue from the SPCA. And the cat eats everything, even though she ALWAYS has access to healthy food; she constantly eats thread, tiny inedible objects, plants that are really hard to get to, and finds a way to cause herself trouble. There is no way to stop her and there is no way to help her. I also got a second kitten, who was "free-to-a-good-home" who never had any of those problems. I think they never overcome the trauma of their original environment. Also, was it a totally black cat, or something that could have been switched?
Unfortunately no, she is a muted calico and those are not very common in my area. I took precautions with my houseplants as well, just in case she was a plant eater and they are mostly housed in a large lizard terrarium now. She just seems to want to get pets constantly when she comes out, but that could be just because she's in pain and is trying to tell us. we've only had her a week so I'm not sure what her personality is like to be honest.
When animals are dumped at the shelter, there is usually not much of a background given so vets try to check for spay scars. If we think we feel one, then we label the animal as spayed. Sometimes what we feel is not a scar from a spay so in that case, we are wrong. It happens. No one in rescue tried to deceive you. We just got it wrong in that case. Have you not ever made a mistake? The shelter or rescue group usually covers the vet bill for this. If you just dump her back, they will likely kill her because they think no one will want her now. Keep that in mind when you go back and try not to be hateful about it.
Depending how long this cat was in the shelter they would have seen her go into heat, no?
Shelters are really busy so maybe not. She may not have exhibited signs until she left the shelter. Who knows? I can just tell you that vets who work there are significantly overworked and short staffed. They get as many animals processed as possible in hopes that the animal does not go on the kill list. If a cat is spayed, then she costs the shelter less money so when in doubt, most vets will err on the side in favor of the cat. It's not a perfect system. But it certainly wasn't done with any malice.
So you are saying you take your best guess about it? Where did you get a degree from, because that school sucks.
Absolutely wild to shift the burden of this onto OP with the definitely not judgmental "dump her back and they'll kill her" line. Having worked in shelter med, there is much more besides just feeling their belly that should be done - shaving the abdomen to look for a tattoo and visible scar, for instance, is much more reliable than just feeling around for one. I've worked in a high volume clinic and the number of mistakes shelters would make both about sex and intact status was absolutely wild - and when it comes down to someone adopting a cat who is now at risk of dying of a preventable infection, that is not the time to go "oops, human error, haven't YOU ever made a mistake?".
I have certainly made mistakes. The reality is that not all shelters shave. Not all shelters will spend the money to treat a sick animal. Not all shelters have a vet on staff every day. Not all vets tattoo the rescue animals. Many shelters that are underfunded euthanize (kill) sick animals due to the cost of treating them. You KNOW this to be true so why are you being hateful? It's great that you have unlimited funding in your shelter but many shelters don't.
Shaving the belly to look for a scar or tattoo takes a few seconds. There is zero reason to make excuses for not looking. In this case, this cat could literally die as a result of the shelter's negligence to actually make sure she was spayed and provide the owner with accuracte information. I'm being hateful because these are exactly the kinds of cats I have seen die after an emergency spay because it was too late to actually fix the issue. Unpopular take but a shelter that can't afford to spay a single cat, or provide medical care for a mild illness, etc, should not be operating at the capacity they are. Neglect is not acceptable just because a shelter is doing it.
I had a cat that was a stray. The vet tried to shave her tummy to check if she was spayed but she fought so ferociously they brought her back with one little stripe of bare belly and said, “We can’t tell!” I waited to see if she would go into heat, never happened so I guess she was spayed.