can you spay a cat when its pregnant or will it kill the kittens?

Question

so im a little upset... i brought my cat to the vet a while ago and she said that my cat was very pregnant... and that she should be having kittens soon. The last few days my cat has been acting strange and i thought maybe she was having problems with her pregnancy so I called the vet and explained the symptoms. The vet said that it sounded like she was in heat and if that was the case she may not be pregnant because when theyre in heat their tummy swells. (why in the f*ck did she tell me she was gonna be having kittens any day when she wasnt sure!) anyways she said that i should wait about one more week and if she dosent have them to get her spayed. Well im not going to get her spayed if it'll hurt the babies cuz we dont know if shes pregnant or not now... the vet said the only way to tell is an x-ray and i dont have that money right now. I dont know what to do or to think

k... you some of you are getting mad at me for not spaying the cat before it got pregnant? well I just got her about two weeks ago... she was homeless, hungry, and freezing, and i took her in, took her to the vet and am now taking care of her.

Answer 1

A similar thing happened to me. I found a skinny cat with a heavy abdomen in my backyard scared to death, so I lured her in. I never had a cat before, but suspected she was pregnant and took her to the vet. The vet said she was pregnant and offered to spay her, but I said not until after they're born. Several weeks later she was acting weird and I thought she was in labor; I took her to the vet who said she was in heat. I don't know whether she had been pregnant or not, since she seemed very malnourished when I found her and may not have been able to carry the litter to term. When I brought her back to be spayed, the vet said she was pregnant again. I said by whom? Both the dogs are neutered! On spaying her, the vet confirmed she wasn't pregnant. I think they assume that any unspayed female is pregnant because they get pregnant so easily.

Answer 2

Here's the deal. If it's close to time for the kittens to be born, your vet can perform a c-section to remove the live kittens then spay the mother at the same time. If it is not close enough to full term, yes, spaying the cat will abort the kittens (BUT that saves a lot of kitten lives at the animal shelter and might actually be for the best). An x-ray would be the very best idea to see if there are actually kittens in there. An x-ray is normally performed around 52 days when the kittens' skeletal systems are visible. It won't harm them to perform one x-ray.

Something I would worry about is a possible false pregnancy or pyometra. Both may look like a real pregnancy but can cause lots of problems, in the case of pyometra can be fatal. Cure is a spay and antibiotics.

I would recommend consulting with another vet and perhaps applying for Care Credit or seeking the assistance of a local rescue or humane group.

Answer 3

If you Spay a Cat when its pregnant it will definatly kill the kittens...The Vet is removing the womb and overies..I guess if the kitens are far enough along he could do a C-section of sorts while spaying her and the kittens would be OK...Does She have Milk? All you have to do is squeeze her boobs to check that...I would scrape up the money for the x-ray if she doesnt have the Kittens(If they are there) or Go ahead for the spay one because she may be having some kind of complications that will cost you a hell of a lot more than a $50 x-ray!...Good Luck ..Keep Us Posted!

Answer 4

A cat is normally pregnant for around 63 days. If she were close to having her kittens you should have noticed her belly grow and her nipples become more prominent. If she is still slim but is now going around meowing loudly and often it sounds as though she is in heat. If that's the case then you should take her in and get her spayed before she becomes pregnant. A spay is the removal of the uterus and ovaries so yes spaying will end a pregnancy. But spaying also has lots of health benefits for her. The sooner you do it the less likely she will be to develop mammary tumors later on in life. Cats can get breast cancer too and spaying them early helps decrease this risk. Also, she will be less likely to roam looking for a mate which reduces her risk of being hit by a car, attacked by a predator or any number of things that can happen to outdoor kitties.

Answer 5

You should have had her spayed when you got her. You can't spay a pregnant cat. And perhaps the vet wasn't sure because an X-ray is the only way to tell, and you can't afford an X-ray. She was just giving you her best guess. Sounds like this tummy-swelling thing is rare, which is why she concluded first that it was a pregnancy. If I were you I'd just find the cash for the X-ray.

Answer 6

Yes, it will kill the kittens. I'd go to another vet, pronto, or better yet contact a cat rescue group in your area. They may have a vet that you can see for a reduced rate that will be more experienced in cat pregnancies and spaying. Might I also suggest asking the cat rescue group to help you in placing the kittens when they're ready for adoption (8 weeks)? If you can't afford money for an x-ray you surely can't afford to feed several kittens, too. I'm in Orlando - if you're in Florida contact me and I'll see if I can help you out (I work with a cat rescue group). Good luck!

Answer 7

spaying a cat, among other things, removes its uterus and would certainly end the life of any kitties she may be carrying. Keep a close eye on your kitty to monitor her for signs of giving birth. Also, keep her in the house in case she is in heat and not pregnant after all....you don't want her getting pregnant and have to wait all over again to get her spayed. Have you tried rubbing on her belly to see if she is growing, you can feel kittens or notice any movement?

Answer 8

Get a new vet!!!!
A pregnant cat cannot be spayed because spaying removed the uterus in which the kittens are growing. Most vets would NOT X ray a pregnant cat either. the safest option is a scan.
keep the cat in and see what happens. Scans etc take money, perhaps there is a shelter locally which would be willing to give you advice;

Answer 9

You need a new vet and to seriously ask yourself why you didn't sapy your cat in the firstplace and why you were so irresponsible to allow an unspayed cat access to other cats.

If you don't have the money to get your cat the proper vet care that she needs, then you shouldn't have the cat. Find a new vet, explain what's been going on, and follow this new vet's advice.

Answer 10

Yes, spaying a pregnant cat kills the kittens.