Baby Kitty

[Rainier]

Four days ago we took Baby Kitty (her name is actually Morticia but she is suddenly deaf when we call her that) to get spayed. We were so worried about her having another litter that we applied for and took her to a low-cost (free for us) clinic. She has kittens that are 7 weeks old and we were so worried about her getting pregnant again that we didn't wait.

Today she got in my bed (odd for her) and was crying and wanted to be petted at 4 am. I looked her over really well. Her incision looked good, no swelling, belly was flat, wasn't hot to the touch and no puss or other type of fluids anywhere near her incision. I thought she was doing it because she was in pain. They did not give us any pain medications for her and said that the 24 hour shot would control the pain. I put her in the crate and left her to sleep. For the most part she slept all day but would occasionally cry but would quite when we petted her.

At 7 pm she crawled out of the carrier and wanted on the bed. We were petting her and I realized she was doing agonal breathing. I quickly went and got DD2 and within 15 minutes she was gone.

I had to sit there helpless while Baby Kitty died, watch my daughters heart shatter into a million pieces and it is mostly our fault. We were in such a rush to get her spayed and didn't wait until we had extra money in case something went wrong so we could rush her to the vet.

I have all this helpless rage and all I can do is listen to my daughters heartbroken sobs while tears run down my face.

RIP Baby Kitty

 

[hennible]

I'm so sorry to hear this. My condolences...
Some times the right thing backfires on us....
I've been there.

Maybe this will make you kids feel better...

 

[Rainier]

The vet who did her necropsy called us. He said that the knot to the vessel to her ovary came undone.

Baby Kitty slowly bleed to death.

While DD2 was heartbroken last night now she's heartbroken and angry.

 

[Stacykins]

Every surgical procedure, even minor or routine ones, carry a risk. I am sorry you lost your sweet little girl after her spay.

 

[Rainier]

I emailed the clinic to let them know what happened and they are paying for the necropsy.

 

[Bunnylady]

I'm sorry you lost your beloved cat. As Stacykins said, there is always a risk. At the low-cost clinic, they probably have done thousands of these procedures, so I have to believe this was a fluke.

Surgery comes with a risk, but so does having babies. I could give you a long list of animals that I have known that have died as a complication of pregnancy, delivery, or lactation. Shoot, I even knew a woman who went into the hospital to have a baby, and came out minus a leg!

You were trying to protect your pet, and things went horribly wrong. Ii'm sorry for your family.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I'm so sorry you lost your pet. This is one of the hardest things to deal with emotionally in the world of veterinary medicine and I'm sure the vet who did the procedure feels just awful. Whenever this happens, there are always thousands of "what-ifs" that go through your head, owner and vet alike.

Despite this tragedy, you still did what was right for your cat. Even if you had money to bring her to the vet, bleeding out happens fairly quick and it probably would not have changed the outcome. These things truly are flukes but unfortunately they still happen sometimes.

Many [[hugs]]

 

[AnimalsRmyLife]

I'm sorry for your loss of Baby Kitty.

Things like these are never easy.

Take good care of her kittens!

 

[Rainier]

I got a copy of the necropsy report. My understanding after talking to the Vet on the phone is different than what the necropsy report states.

Report states: "Cat was spayed at XXXXXX spay station 9/26. This morning she was acting differently and vocalizing; owner found her deceased this afternoon. Her skin incisions and abdominal incisions were intact. A large amount of free blood was found in the abdomen (150 ml + several large clots). The right pedicle appeared to be knotted back on its self and the knot was intact. There was no knot or ligature associated with the left pedicle, and a large blood clot extending from the pedicle down to the uterine stump. There was a single ligature around the uterine stump that appeared intact. The other abdominal organs appeared normal".

What does that mean? It means our original understanding that the knot came undone was wrong. They forgot to tie off the left pedicle completely.

Baby Kitty died from incompetence on the part of the vet who did the surgery.

There was a misunderstanding at the vet hospital and they sent Baby Kitty to have a mass cremation and disposed of instead of an individual one so we could get her ashes back!

 

[Bunnylady]

What does that mean? It means our original understanding that the knot came undone was wrong. They forgot to tie off the left pedicle completely.

I disagree with your assessment. The Vet said the vessel came untied, and that sounds exactly like what was found in the necropsy. If I tie a knot in a rope and the knot comes untied, there is no knot any more, is there? If a knot in a blood vessel loosened, it could leak and still be there, or it could come completely untied. If there was a ligature on one side and not on the other, that indicates a possible oversight, but you can't assume that the pedicle wasn't ever tied just because it wasn't tied when the necropsy was done.

But the mixup over the ashes is annoying. Particularly since you went to the bother and expense of a necropsy, it kinda follows that you'd probably want her ashes back - you'd think they'd have made extra sure.