# Pregnant Cat Has Dark Brown Discharge...what is it?



## Dresden

I have a pregnant cat that has been having dark brown (red tinged) discharge since last Wednesday night. She is acting normal and eating, but I am wondering what this discharge is, and I'm slightly worried.

I took her to my vet last Thursday, and the vet did an x-ray and said there is one large kitten inside, and that she should have the kitten soon. The vet did not know what the discharge was, but when I called the vet a day or two later, she said that sometimes there is discharge the week prior to birth. She took a swab and examined it under a microscope for several minutes, but then said it was inconclusive.

If anyone has experience with something like this, or knows what it is, I would appreciate some advice.

thanks


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## Zalensia

Ive not known it to happen for a week.
I would go to a different vet. First of all this vet should have known better than to Xray a pregnant cat. This could damage the kitten inside.
Did the vet do tests on her? Or did the vet just presume it was this?


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## emma_pen

We would normally do an ultasound scan, but we have xrayed pregnant bitches before. I have alsoi never known a discharge to last for a week - I would be worried.


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## Dresden

Thanks guys. I'll bring her back to the vet. Like I said, she is acting healthy, but has the strange discharge.

Could the kitten be dead inside, or would the vet be able to tell if things inside were OK by doing an ultrasound? The vet said before that she could do a caesarean-section, but I would only want surgery as a last resort. The vet also said she could give her drugs to "make" the kitten come out.


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## Zalensia

an ultrasound is best first. You would be able to pick up the heart beat of the kitten with it.


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## Dresden

Hello guys, and thank you for the advice.

Here is the bad news. Her discharge went away for a few days, but came back a couple days ago and it smells bad. I took her to the vet and asked for an ultrasound, but none of the vets at the clinic I went to knew how to use the ultrasound machine. They recommended spaying my cat and removing her uterus, but I do not want to do that at all. How serious is this infection? The cat is not acting very sick and there is not allot of discharge. The vet I went to is pushing for me to spay her, but I think that is their business, and I do not want her spayed. Is surgery needed for this, or antibiotics and maybe flushing? The vet is saying she could die if not spayed. If anyone has experience, please let me know.

I had my doctor friend do an ultrasound, but they couldn't tell anything, I guess because they are used to doing humans. If I can find a vet that knows how to use their ultrasound, will they be able to tell if the kitten(s) has/have been expelled or are still inside?


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## Sol

Dresden said:


> Hello guys, and thank you for the advice.
> 
> Here is the bad news. Her discharge went away for a few days, but came back a couple days ago and it smells bad. I took her to the vet and asked for an ultrasound, but none of the vets at the clinic I went to knew how to use the ultrasound machine. They recommended spaying my cat and removing her uterus, but I do not want to do that at all. How serious is this infection? The cat is not acting very sick and there is not allot of discharge. The vet I went to is pushing for me to spay her, but I think that is their business, and I do not want her spayed. Is surgery needed for this, or antibiotics and maybe flushing? The vet is saying she could die if not spayed. If anyone has experience, please let me know.
> 
> I had my doctor friend do an ultrasound, but they couldn't tell anything, I guess because they are used to doing humans. If I can find a vet that knows how to use their ultrasound, will they be able to tell if the kitten(s) has/have been expelled or are still inside?


Worst case scenario, it's pyometra and that can kill a cat if left untreated. It almost killed my oldest female last summer. If it's an infection your cat, at the leats, needs antibiotics. I think you're primary concern right now should be to save your cat, even though it might mean losing the kittens. I do know of pregnant females that have been treated for pyometra and given birth to perfectly healthy litters thought. In these females the antibiotics have been given in doses high enough to keep the infection under control, but low enough not to cause any damage in the kittens. But, the females have all needed an ordinary treatment with antibiotics after the kittens have been born because the treatment they got during the pregnancy wasn't good enought to kill the infection off, just to hold it back.


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## Dresden

Thanks Sol. What was the treatment that was applied to your cat with pyometra...did she need surgery, or just antibiotics? I'm giving her antibiotics currently; as of today.


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## emma_pen

The poor cat needs to be speyed. Pyometra is very quickly fatal without surgery, and its most likely that the kittens inside her are dead already, so she'll have to have surgery to remove them. Please do what's best for your cat and follow your vets advice; why don't you want her speyed after she's been through such an awful experience?


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## Sol

Dresden said:


> Thanks Sol. What was the treatment that was applied to your cat with pyometra...did she need surgery, or just antibiotics? I'm giving her antibiotics currently; as of today.


My cat had to be spayed and given antibiotics. Only antibiotics wouldn't have worked for her. One can treat with antibiotics and hormones (prostaglandin). The hormone will however kill the kittens since the hormones are used in order to get the pus out of the uterues. The kittens will follow the pus out from the uterues.  In your case, spaying and antibiotics would be a better choice than hormones and antibiotics. Hormones are, to my knowledge, only used on females that aren't pregnant.


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## BamMcg

Since she is so close to her due date, why not induce labor, hope for the best, and flush, then provide antibiotics? With the infection, if the kittens aren't already dead, they might be soon, it might be best for mom and babies as well. I know it's not the same, but with our prize winning show milk goat, she got an infection and we did just that with no side effects or reprecussions. I know that decisions like these are hard. I was about 12 when I had to decide whether or not to give a med that if this goat had eaten what we thought she had would save her life but also kill her fetuses. I chose not to medicate her and all was well. It is hard, I know. I would get multiple opinions by other vets if I were you.


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## Dresden

Thanks for the advice guys. I have to decide on something today. I just got back from another vet that took x-rays. The x-rays show one kitten inside that the vet thinks is dead, and she wants to remove the uterus due to pyometra, and she says that she has never heard of Prostaglandins. They couldn't do an ultrasound either.

If the kitten is dead, I would like to try the hormone/non-surgery method before having an invasion. It is very difficult for me since these vets do not seem to really care or know what they are doing.


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## Sol

Dresden said:


> Thanks for the advice guys. I have to decide on something today. I just got back from another vet that took x-rays. The x-rays show one kitten inside that the vet thinks is dead, and she wants to remove the uterus due to pyometra, and she says that she has never heard of Prostaglandins. They couldn't do an ultrasound either.
> 
> If the kitten is dead, I would like to try the hormone/non-surgery method before having an invasion. It is very difficult for me since these vets do not seem to really care or know what they are doing.


Few vets know of the hormone + antibiotic treatment. You canr ead about prostaglandins here: http://www.homebirth.org.uk/pe2.htm

The hormone induces labor and drives the pus out of the uterus, and of course also kittens. Hormones are usually only used if it's a closed pyometra (no discharge comes out) because the uterues might burst if the pus doesn't get out.

And do think about what Heather Sharada wrote, pyometra tends to come back if the cat is left intact. If it's a breeding queen and one choose not to spay it's recommended to breed her as soon as she gets into heat again.


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## emma_pen

If the kitten is dead, she needs surgery to remove it. She will not give birth to a dead foetus. A dead kitten could be what is causing the infection in the first place, and if it is rotting inside her it will make her VERY sick. Even if the kitten is alive, a caesarian will give it a chance of life. I don't see that this is a hard decision at all. Save your cat, or don't save your cat.


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## Ianthe

I agree with Ems....she needs to have the kitten removed, and be spayed.


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## BamMcg

Why does the infection usually happen again after a first time? I just ask because I've never heard of this. We never had a problem with recurrence in these situations, at least on the farm but maybe house pets are different? Once, with a girl with a horrible infection, we had to clean her out with a hose once a day and she had absolutly no issues later after that, along with antibiotics etc. If the baby somehow died and then the infection happend, what makes you think that it will inevitably happen again? Then, if the infection happened, then the kitten died, why do you think that would happen again? Why does the vet think the kitten is dead? I think since the situation has escaladed, at least a c-section is in order like NOW. Is there no other vets willing to do an ultrasound to confirm the death of the kitten? If the vet I went to was uncaring and unknowledgable in a life or death situation like this, I would definatly find another vet ASAP for a second opinion. I'm not trying to be rude, I promise, or even try to turn this into a debate as I don't know exactly how sick the cat is, how elevated her white count is, etc. Just that if she has a nice breeding queen and there is some other way to fix this issue without endangering her further than needed, like bad odds of survival, and there is no reason to assume the infection can't be solved through any other meens, why spay her? Noone knows what the situation is exactly, and I know at least I am not a vet, though I do give shots, basic vet care, sub q fluids, and have assisted in hundreds of births, I even broke a finger once turning a breach when I miscalculated a contraction...ouch. She needs to find out all her options at a vet that cares and knows what they are talking about, am I right?


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## Sol

BamMcg said:


> Why does the infection usually happen again after a first time? I just ask because I've never heard of this. We never had a problem with recurrence in these situations, at least on the farm but maybe house pets are different? Once, with a girl with a horrible infection, we had to clean her out with a hose once a day and she had absolutly no issues later after that, along with antibiotics etc. If the baby somehow died and then the infection happend, what makes you think that it will inevitably happen again? Then, if the infection happened, then the kitten died, why do you think that would happen again? Why does the vet think the kitten is dead? I think since the situation has escaladed, at least a c-section is in order like NOW. Is there no other vets willing to do an ultrasound to confirm the death of the kitten? If the vet I went to was uncaring and unknowledgable in a life or death situation like this, I would definatly find another vet ASAP for a second opinion. I'm not trying to be rude, I promise, or even try to turn this into a debate as I don't know exactly how sick the cat is, how elevated her white count is, etc. Just that if she has a nice breeding queen and there is some other way to fix this issue without endangering her further than needed, like bad odds of survival, and there is no reason to assume the infection can't be solved through any other meens, why spay her? Noone knows what the situation is exactly, and I know at least I am not a vet, though I do give shots, basic vet care, sub q fluids, and have assisted in hundreds of births, I even broke a finger once turning a breach when I miscalculated a contraction...ouch. She needs to find out all her options at a vet that cares and knows what they are talking about, am I right?


Pyometra is likely to come back. If the infection is due to a dead foetus there's no reason to believe the infection will cause problems later on. Why pyometra tend to reoccur I don't know, but it's well known that it often reoccurs especially if it's only treated with antibiotics. The combination Baytil + Prostaglandins have shown to be a quite successful treatment of pyometra BUT still you need to breed the female again as soon as possible in order tp prevent the pyo from coming back. Some think it might be a hereditary factor involved (especially when young females are involved). An active breeding queen is quite unlikely to get pyo since she rarely have long periods between her litters. If a female has many "empty heats" she's more likely to develop pyo, the same goes for females on birth control.


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## BamMcg

Aha. Then if that's the case, and her breeding queen is a nice female, she might want to number one, make sure of what caused the infection, like how long has the kitten been dead as oposed to how long the infections has been there, etc? It would also explain to me why our animals might not have had this problem, they got bred every heat. But they only go into heat once a year. See, I learn something new every day.


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## ForJazz

Why do you not want to have her spayed after all of the stress she has endured?


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## BamMcg

Just because she got sick with one pregnancy doesn't mean she isn't a good canadate for the future. The stress right now doesn't mean a thing ecxept that it needs to be taken care of right now.


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## ForJazz

Maybe I'm not understanding this correctly -- I don't have experience with this so I'm trying to listen to what everyone says. If there is a very good chance that the pyometra could come back, and this is a very dangerous condition, why would you want to potentially put her through that again? Breed her again really quick and you reduce the risk that it will come back, right? Seems like that would be pretty crappy after having a horrible infection and a possible surgery. I am just trying to personify this cat, and I know that may be unreasonable. It's just me.  And if it IS in fact a hereditary trait...wouldn't a reputable breeder want to keep that out of a breeding program?


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## BamMcg

That's the thing I do agree with you on. If it IS something that will return over again, of course, have her spayed, but this vet doesn't sound like he knows what's going on at all. She needs to find out what type of infection this is, if it's from the dead kitten, if the kitten is actually dead etc. What I can't figure out is why people on the internet are saying that she needs to spay the cat when they don't know what's going on either, even less than the vet in question. So how can someone in good faith say it's a specific illness without even seeing the cat and having so little information about the circumstances and saying for certain the cat needs to be spayed? Let her get the facts from a vet savy in her specific area and get all the bits and peices missing from the puzzle. To me a hunch from someone over the internet is just not enough, again if it were me, to just go out and get my breeding animal spayed. See a good vet, get all your options after you figure out what happened, then make the decision.


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## Sol

*Dresden:* How are things going? Is the cat under treatment yet?


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## BamMcg

You can not give that type of advice over the internet. There are too many unknowns. The advice you can give is what your experiences are/were in similar situations as described by her, and to go to a better vet. How come nobody even mentions going to another vet? You guys haven't even seen this cat yet you are confident enough to tell her to spay the cat? That's what I'm getting at. Not that it isn't the right thing to spay her cat, just to make it an informed decision. It might be the right decision, but how do YOU know for sure? I would too like to know what happend with the poor cat...


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## DylansMummy

At least two well established breeders have given very sound and very sensible advice. We may not be vets (Although Em_pen IS a vet nurse...) but members on this site have a wide range of knowledge on various subjects- please try and keep this thread respectful.

Edit: due to an abnormal amount of typos etc


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## BamMcg

I am sorry, really not trying to step on toes here. I probably have more experiences in births and birthing problems than most if not all on this thread. Here's the first couple of things that come to mind. The cat could've gone into labor and since the kitten was so big, gotten stuck haulting the labor, pinching the cord or already seperated afterbirth, killing the kitten and the labor never progressed. In this instance, the kitten could've also slipped back further into the uterus as well so even checking the birth canal or how seperate the hips have been wouldn't help pinpoint that. Another scenario, the kitten could've died in utero, then the infection started because of the dead kitten. She could've been slightly dialated and an infection could've "snuck" in that way, where as the kitten could still be alive if the infection hasn't killed it yet. The cat could've never gone into labor in the first place because there was only one kitten, sometimes that happens with an animal that usually produces more than one fetus, and then the kitten died and the infection started. There are so many possabilities to the start of the infection. A vet really needs to take a look, check the kitten for viability, and give the owner her options. We have NEVER had to spay an animal because of infection. We did have to spay a dog because of a phantom pregnancy where she ended up with mastitis that would'nt go away, put a goat down because of a torn uterus, we had a misscarriage on Christmas morning that was not so fun, of almost full term quads mind you, but never an infection so horendous the animal had to spayed. I have learned that almost every species' birth is just like another. However there are species that do fine birthing back feet first and some don't and a few other differences, minor differences. And don't get me wrong, we've had about 15 cats give birth on the farm and in the house, I'm just trying to say that I am not a novice either, I have so many birth experiences, but cats are way down there on the totum pole of my birthing experiences. I've always wanted to be a vet and have read and studied many books along with all my experiences and still have neighbors and old friends even from high school call me long distance to ask animal questions. However noone can know exactly for sure what is happening with this cat, therefor, all we can do is give our own personal experiences in relation to hers and hope for the best. We cannot diagnose anything on the internet, she just needs to find another vet. I'm really not trying to sound snobby, just wanted to reinforce my credibility. What I can do, if she hasn't done anything about the cat yet, though hopefully she has or the outcome looks pretty bad, is contact the vet I chat with via e-mail or home number and give her the info, but like I said, the cat needs tests and still, though she is a vet, the vet would be speculating on possibilities.


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## DylansMummy

Bam, may I ask, are you a breeder?


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## BamMcg

I have had the 15 cat births. About 250+ goat births. 200 rabbit births. A few chinchilla births(those are neat!) A few rats give birth, a hamster, my Aunt breeds dogs, I am on my first dog who will be bred in about a month, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. And a few other animals inbetween. This is not how many animals, this is how many labors. I have run into a few different problems, some more common than others. One time, a goat was pregnant with quads and seemed in trouble. We took her to the vet and the vet went in and pulled three(all boys) and said she would be fine with some antibiotics. Just looking at her, she looked like she had maybe one more to me, but I trusted the vet. We got her home and she still looked that way, so I felt her tummy and I still felt like there was something there. After washing up really well with iodine, I went in and found another baby, somewhat smaller than the rest in her second horn. It was a female. Now, since her labor was stalled, we will never know if that kid would have made it. I have never lost a newborn on my watch, except misscairages, but I have saved premies. I don't know if you'd consider me a breeder. Our cats were not pure bred, but does that make a difference in birth? I don't think it does. I can't give advice on which two cats to put together to compliment each other's faults. I could tell you how to pick a nice stud for your show goat lol, or look at a CKCS and tell you something about it, or even show chinchillas. But what I do know is that I have had experience with this same type of thing in the thread. It's almost that because I'm sort of new here, noone believes me or something. I don't know. The only real point I wanted to make is that she needed to see a good vet, find out what's wrong, and contimplate her choices on what to do about it. Nobody can give her a solid diagnosis on the internet, it's all speculation, so how can you give her the pronosis and tell her to spay her cat? You can say, in my experiences blah blah, but why "that cat needs to be spayed now"?


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## ForJazz

Please don't get defensive -- I for one believe you, and I believe you are giving the best advice you know how to in your experience. I think what has happened here is that this board is FULL of spay/neuter advocates, so that is the way most people will lean in any situation. To a non-breeder, it seems the simplest way to avoid further stress and complications. This This board is NOT full of breeders, but there are a few here. However, most people are speaking from the mind of a person who keeps cats as pets first and foremost -- not from the mind of a breeder who spent a good amount of money and research finding a breeding queen and won't be quick in deciding to spay the cat if it might not be necessary -- that is all. That's the difference, I think. Sol is a breeder -- and she also said that if it is pyometra, then to avoid a reoccurence, the queen would need to be bred again as soon as possible. So, you are not alone. 

I also think one difference might be that most people here are not advocates of knowingly breeding non-purebred cats due to the overpopulation problem. But that doesn't mean that you are any less-experienced in dealing with a cat birth -- so don't worry, this is NOT personal. I think it's just a difference in people's priorities. 

You are right -- there is no second opinion on this cat -- and a vet would need to do that. Unfortunately the person who started this thread hasn't responded to tell us what happened, so no one is any better off and the thread remains full of "ifs."


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## Dresden

Hi guys. She is thankfully home safe now after surgery. It turns out that it was not pyometra like the first three vets said it was.

I found a good vet that specialized in reproduction and actually cared to do a full examination before just removing her uterus. There was no fluid build up in the uterus, and the discharge was the result of a single dead kitten that was decomposing. They did surgery to remove the dead kitten, and she is now on antobiotics and should fully recover and be back to normal.

Thanks guys


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## ForJazz

Thanks for updating and not leaving us hanging.  Glad to hear she is doing just fine.


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## Sol

Sounds great that you finally found a vet who knew what to do and that your cat is doing better


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## BamMcg

That's awsome. I am so glad to hear that all went okay. That would've been what I thought. I am also so glad that you found an experienced vet but am sorry for the loss of the kitten. Hope all goes better in the future and thanks for the update!


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## BamMcg

Thank you ForJazz. I do agree with you. I believe in spay and neuter as well, my cat just got neutered on Monday, but it is different with a breeder. However, breeders are first pets, but if it's not nessesary, you don't have to spay, as shown here. All of our animals if not intended for breeding have all been fixed. The cats were barn cats and we let them reproduce for more we did want. I hope I didn't sound defensive, just wanted to help people understand I wasn't trying to be all know it all without the experiences to back it up. I do know people who would sit on the internet and pretend and I know people really don't know me from Tom, Dick, or Harry lol.


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## ForJazz

BamMcg said:


> The cats were barn cats and we let them reproduce for more we did want.


I think if it were me, and I wanted more barn cats, I would adopt them from the humane society. I would never adopt a cat that was social and friendly and could be adopted into an indoor home in order to make it a barn cat, but our humane society has a "friends of ferals" program in which feral cats or cats who just will not tolerate the inside are up for adoption for a very reduced fee. These cats are spayed and neutered. It's a great program. Because for every non-purebred cat we knowingly bring into the world, there is another in a shelter who is deprived of a home.


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## BamMcg

I understand you completely. It was my parent's house, not my choice. And I know we didn't have the money to adopt any animals, the cats were already there. Dad was just laid off from work, mom borowed cloth diapers from a friend, we drank only the goats milk(sis is allergic to cow's milk too), good thing we had a well for water, the house belonged to my grandfather, we borrowed a tractor and seed for the garden so we had vegitables, chickens for eggs, rabbits for meat, you get the picture. We always made sure the animals were taken care of, if we didn't, we wouldn't have that night's meal. I also know there is welfare, but my family believes in providing for itself and was a great lesson for me. I also know thaty there was no shelter for about an hour's drive on the freeway, and I'm not sure looking back if our car, "Big Red and Ugly" as we called it, would've made the trip, I only remember going to church in it. I know it sounds like a bunch of excuses.


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## ForJazz

BamMcg said:


> I know it sounds like a bunch of excuses.


You don't have to worry about saying things like this -- it's okay. It sounds like you have had a very interesting life and learned a lot. Maybe we should not go off-topic any further though, as the matter of this thread has been resolved.


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## BamMcg

Yes, we are off topic of this thread. I for one think the thread was very informative and ended on a very high note. Issue resolved! Yay, and good luck with future pregnancies.


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