# Li'l Smokie's spay



## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

We're going to bring her in on either Thursday or Friday to get her spayed and if she's pregnant, the kittens will be aborted. Chances are, she's going to need an e-collar so she won't bother her stitches, but since she's so little, I'm afraid that it will be too big for her. I'm also worried about the actual cone shape. If possible, I'd like to use a soft e-collar, but I'm not sure where I can get one. Any ideas?


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## oceanmist (Feb 12, 2011)

Not sure if this is an option for cats, but when our last dog had to have one we got a blow up one that's just like a blown up collar. Like this: http://www.petconnection.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/collarringimage.jpg

Of course it didn't work too well...


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## raecarrow (Oct 27, 2009)

They do have small e-collars.

Here is this soft e-collar that I think will work better for cats.
Amazon.com: Trimline Veterinary Soft Recovery Collar for Cats & Small Dogs: Kitchen & Dining

I also think that you should probably keep her caged when you aren't around so that she doesn't hurt herself while her stitches are healing.


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## Ritzpg (Dec 7, 2010)

Will she let you put a sweater on her?


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## Abbie (Jan 13, 2011)

I had Evie spayed last week. She's a licker, so we really thought she'd bother her stitches- we stocked up on 'early baby babygros', she wore them happily and after two days we took it off and she hasn't bothered with her stitches. I'd recommend them, they're much less cumbersome than a collar.


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## MinkaMuffin (Apr 1, 2011)

Petco carries them, and probably Petsmart too.


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## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

MinkaMuffin said:


> Petco carries them, and probably Petsmart too.


Thanks for the info. We have a Petco about two blocks away from us, so I'll talk to David and see if I can convince him to get her one. And, speaking of him, he's fallen for her. I think Li'l Smokie will be a definite keeper. =)

She's definitely getting bigger, so I have one more vet to call to see if I can get a lower price and this vet is closer to us than one we have been going to, so that will be a big plus.


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## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

Okay, well I called the vet that's closer to us and their quote was about $10 higher than our regular vet. I called the regular vet and scheduled Li'l Shmoo for her spay...however, they forgot to quote one of the required prices ($85!!) So here is what we're looking at for our regular vet to spay her:

$45.00 - spay
$45.00 - if she's pregnant and they need to abort kittens
$60.00 - for fluids if she is pregnant and may or may not need (if she doesn't, they won't charge)
$27.50 - vaccines
$40.00 - FIV/FeLV (optional, but after Mr. Smokey, I'm getting it done)
$85.00 - blood test to see if she'll be okay to go under anesthesia (this is the one they forgot to tell me about)
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$302.50 grand total 

Soooooooooooooo, I'll be calling the vet who is closer to us *again* and getting a complete quote (and NO forgotten charges) to see if they can do this cheaper. But looking at our regular vet's charges, is this normal or is this too much? And they didn't say anything about pain medication, either. I don't want my new baby girl to suffer.


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## Abbie (Jan 13, 2011)

Goodness me that seems a lot. I know a lot of the costs are affected by her possible pregnancy. 

Can I ask why she needs the blood test beforehand?

Evie's spay was £45, about $75. So it is more expensive than a basic spay in the US, but there were no other costs.


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## Abbie (Jan 13, 2011)

Oh- I should add we paid about £50 for Evie's vaccs, so just over $80 inc. FeLV and FIV.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

That is the Gold package for spays! wow.. The low cost ones dont do blood work, they charge maybe $25 more if the cat is found pregnant or lactating. then vaccinate them $15 and send em home.. pretty basic. 

Depends on the cat whether the soft e collar works or not. Some are so clever they figure out how to bend them and get to their stitches. then you have to put a baby t shirt on them so theyll leave the stitches alone.

Hope all goes smooth for Smokie II spay.. sending prayers for her.


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## raecarrow (Oct 27, 2009)

When I got Leo, one vet wanted over 400 to give him the snip.

I eventually found someone to do it for $200. I couldn't do a low cost program because a) my income was too high b) They were booked for MONTHS and I didn't want to keep him shut up in the bathroom that long.


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## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

Well, we dropped Li'l Smokie off at the vet this morning at 9:30. I had the option of having the $85 blood test done, but I chose not to do it. There was an option for pain meds for her, which was an additional $35, so of course I chose it since she was more than likely pregnant and I'm sure she'll be uncomfortable without it. I also had them test her for FIV/FeLV...which I'm assuming she tested negative for because the vet hasn't called me all day. When Shmoo tested positive, the vet called me immediately. So no news is good news, right? Anyway, she'll be ready to be picked up in less than two hours. My ex-husband is going to go get her on his way home from work, though I may catch the bus to the vet's office and meet him there. I miss her.


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## BotanyBlack (Apr 6, 2011)

Wow.. i must say I love the Vet I had when my cats were done. I took in 3 cats, He did 2 neuters , 1 spay and charged me a grand total of $75. and that was with a complete physical and all shots...

Too bad he retired..


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## konstargirl (Feb 4, 2011)

When Francis came along, he had to be spayed at the shelter before he went home. I don't know how much it was though.

I hope the kitty's operation is successful.


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## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

SHE'S HOME!! and she came through the spay with flying colors! She was about seven weeks pregnant and she had six kittens in her. While I still feel a little uncomfortable with aborting the kittens, considering her small frame and her age (she's about five months old), she wouldn't have survived giving birth. So getting her spayed was definitely the best decision for her.

Oh, and the best part? She tested NEGATIVE for FIV/FeLV!! I'm so happy I could cry...


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Oh, I'm so glad! Now she can start to settle in and enjoy her new home and new family.


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## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

MowMow said:


> Oh, I'm so glad! Now she can start to settle in and enjoy her new home and new family.


Thanks, Krissy! Poor thing...she wants to come out and explore, but I'm not going to let her do that until her stitches come out in two weeks. I want to be sure that she's all healed up before allowing her to meet her big brothers (who are sooooooooo curious) and her big sister. I think she'll be a perfect fit. :love2:love2


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## konstargirl (Feb 4, 2011)

Yay! I'm glad she's well. So she probably gotten pregnant at 3 months? Yikes. Too young. ><

How long cats are pregnant before they are due?


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## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

konstargirl said:


> Yay! I'm glad she's well. So she probably gotten pregnant at 3 months? Yikes. Too young. ><
> 
> How long cats are pregnant before they are due?


Cat pregnancies are usually about 63 days, give or take a day or two. The vet who spayed her gave her the birth date of November 29, 2010, making her five months old. But his partner, the female vet, said she's closer to six months, maybe even seven months...so I'm just gonna stick with the birth date that the spaying vet gave her.


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## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

Li'l Smokie's belly before the spay:









Can you believe that there were SIX kittens in her? _AND _that she was about seven weeks along??










Here you can see that her little teats were beginning to pick up in anticipation of impending birth.


And after spay:









This was about 20 minutes after she came home.









Cuddling with Smokey's old toy.









It's slightly blurry, but she's snuggled against my oldest son's head.


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