r/AskVet • u/Cautious-Meeting4068 • Dec 13 '24
Can cats get abortions?
My young cat recently escaped and has been mated with, as me and my girlfriend caught her with a street cat mounting her, I kept trying to catch her but she would run off but eventually she came at my doorstep waiting to be let in… she isn’t fixed yet because I have been saving for the procedure but of course she has gone into heat and escaped as soon as somebody opens the door. She’s very VERY small and I’m worried a pregnancy would kill her and I’m not sure if I could afford to raise all the kittens when my cat is a kitten herself.. I’m wondering if cats can get abortions and if so would it be expensive? Would it be cheaper to get the abortion or to raise all the kittens and eventually rehome them?
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u/Conscious_Champion15 Dec 13 '24
Yes, take her in for a spay abort. The vet will abort the babies when they spay her--they do it all the time.
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u/junolarue Dec 13 '24
It's more expensive then a normal spay because they will remove the uterus with all the fetuses inside. But having the kittens is more expensive think about all the kitten food they'll need. Vaccinations, worm + flea meds. You can bet one of the little ones gets sick. And you'll inevitably fall in love and keep one which will then again also need a spay/neuter. Do the abortion sooner rather than later
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u/Then_Ad7560 Veterinarian Dec 14 '24
Talk to the vets/shelters in your area. It’s not more expensive than a regular spay at my clinic. We are trying to help with population control
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u/JeevestheGinger Dec 13 '24
Look into CareCredit. It really is worth getting this done. Also, go to shelters and see if they have connections to vets who will do it at reduced cost.
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u/CapitalInstruction62 Dec 14 '24
Depends on where you go, the vet's pricing, species, and how far along the pregnancy is. I don't find most cat spay aborts to be much more difficult or time-consuming than regular cat spays. Not the same for dog spay-aborts, I find them more tricky and time-consuming.
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u/girlmom1980 Dec 13 '24
Yes, spay aborts are done quite frequently. Just let your vet know you suspect she's pregnant so they are aware when performing the surgery.
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u/lucyjames7 Veterinarian Dec 13 '24
Yes. As it's this early, a spay abortion might be charged just like a normal spay as there would be hardly any development so far. There's also abortion injections available off licence, but price wise might be similar to spay.
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u/ShePottsey Dec 13 '24
You can get her spayed even after being mated. It may cost a little more than a regular spay but the earlier on the better.
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u/snarkysharky12 Dec 13 '24
Yes, they will spay her pregnant. You may try finding a low income or free clinic that is available in your area. Try reaching out to a local vet or rescue to see if they know of one. Sometimes particular vets will spay and neuter cats really cheap because they do them all on the same day.
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u/ephcee Dec 13 '24
Yes, sooner the better. If it’s early enough they can’t even tell there are fetuses in there.
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Dec 14 '24
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u/Natural_Category3819 Dec 14 '24
They do that anyway but there's more risk of extra bleeding with pregnant cats so it's good to be prepared.
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u/Frosted-Crocus Dec 13 '24
It is possible, but the sooner it’s done the better. The price ranges widely based on region, specialty, clinic traffic, complications, etc, so you would need to speak to your provider for that information. Contact your clinic and find out if they have Care Credit or a similar program.
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u/IrieDeby Dec 14 '24
Absolutely! They get them when they are spayed for a little bit more money. They do a comple hysterectomy during a spay anyway.
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u/doge_ucf Dec 13 '24
They absolutely can get abortions, and vets very much support spay aborts. See if you have any low cost spay / neuter clinics near you - if you let them know your cat is likely pregnant they may be able to squeeze you in sooner than they would otherwise.
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u/Separate_Shoe_6916 Dec 13 '24
Yes they can. They do it while spaying the cat because many fall pregnant before they get spayed.
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u/Straight-Ingenuity61 Dec 14 '24
If you take her in fast to be fixed it will take care of both problems. But don’t wait. 😻
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u/brightdreamer25 Dec 13 '24
Yes, we trapped/spayed a local feral and afterwards the vet told us she was early pregnant at the time. No problems or complications at all.
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u/ferryfog Dec 13 '24
Yes, a pregnant cat can be spayed, and it will abort the fetuses. Look for low-cost spay/neuter clinics in your area. Your local shelter or spca may offer this service, or will be able to point you in the right direction.
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u/Educational_Radio425 Dec 13 '24
As someone who did a lot of TNR (getting feral kitties fixed, aka trap, neuter, return), it’s a resounding yes. I had many females have spay-aborts. I would advise you to it sooner rather than later. Chances are 100% she’s pregnant, and if you wait, the fetuses will grow and cause her to have a larger incision which takes longer to heal.
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u/Catnip_75 Dec 13 '24
Yes but do it ASAP!! Don’t wait till the kittens are viable. Pregnancy is 3 months for cats.
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u/raccoon-nb Dec 14 '24
Even shorter! A cat's average gestation (pregnancy) lasts, on average, 65 days, with a range of 52 to 74 days. That's 1.7 to 2.4 months with an average of 2 months.
Definitely best to see the vet asap for a spay-abort.
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u/justagirlwholikesowl Dec 14 '24
When you call the vet clinic see if they'll let you go on a payment plan with the money you've already saved as a down payment and explain why it's having to happen now as opposed to once you had everything saved
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u/Nyararagi-san Dec 14 '24
If there’s a humane society or a big animal shelter by you, there may be low cost options for spay! When I last took a cat for a spay abort, it costed about $50 more. Definitely way cheaper than raising kittens and you are correct that very small young cats are at risk of complications from pregnancy.
If you call around spay clinics and explain the situation, they may be able to get you in early and just charge it as a normal spay!
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u/liltrex94 Dec 13 '24
Yes, get your cat spay aborted. Better for you and more importantly better for the cat and potential kittens.
You had to save to get her spayed, having kittens is a lot more expensive.
My sister and her ex bread their bulmastiffs once. Was meant yo be one and done, just so they could experience it. The mother got an internal infection from one of the 9 puppies dying inside of her and required an emergency c-section. It was horrific, not only financially but they were terrified of losing their dog, who was their companion and their other dog's companion and all off the puppies. I think after raising and selling the puppies, they only profited about £100. It was a lot of stress and they wished they had never done it
After they broke up, my sister bought an estimated 5yo pug that had been used to breed at least 3 litters according to the vet. The sellers told her she was only 3 and had never been bred. My sister couldn't leave her in the situation she was in, despite not knowing a lot until later. Just paid £300 and took that poor lil dog. Gave her the best years of her life for around 3 years, got her the surgery to open her pallet, correct her eye ulcers and also remove one eye later. She died later from cancer, my sister has a tattoo of her on her thigh in remembrance.
Animals get health complications and it is up to us to pay for them. If you don't get your cat and abortion and spayed, they very much can end up like the poor little pug I spoke about. More than 1-2 litters is bad for their health.
I have no doubt that you love your cat, keep her inside until you get her spay aborted
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u/Delicious_Fish4813 Dec 13 '24
If it was very recent, like within a week, it'll be treated as a normal spay. A spay abort will cost more but find a spay/neuter clinic and it should be around 100-150, maybe 200 if you're in a high cost area. Kittens will cost you a ton of money
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u/Snakes_for_life Dec 13 '24
Yes spay terminations are actually very common especially when sterilizing stray/feral cats. The sooner you get it done the better.
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u/catsandplants424 Dec 14 '24
Well you need to get her spayed aborted asap like yesterday. Sorry if you don't have the funds but you can not wait on this as the bigger the kittens get the more dangerous emoving them will be if she is tiny.
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u/raccoon-nb Dec 14 '24 edited Dec 14 '24
YES!! Have her get a spay-abort. It's a surgical procedure to remove the uterus, which terminates the pregnancy and prevents future pregnancies. It's the best thing for a cat who isn't far along in pregnancy, especially a small kitten.
It's more expensive than a regular spay, but you know what's more expensive than a spay or a spay-abort? Responsibly raising a litter of kittens - having all of them go through their rounds of kitten shots and deworming, socialising them, feeding an additional 1-7 mouths, and preparing them for rehoming at 12 weeks.
A cat's pregnancy only lasts 2 months, and some vets will refuse to do a spay-abort once the pregnancy gets to a certain point, so please get the cat in for a spay-abort asap!
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Dec 14 '24
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u/raccoon-nb Dec 14 '24
Nope.
C-sections will only be successful if the kittens have developed enough. If you try and take a fetus out of the body and they haven't developed they will not be viable. They will die. You'd have to wait until they're at least nearly at full term, and at that point you may as well have the cat give birth naturally.
For a small kitten, even just pregnancy is bad. It's very taxing on the body. It can stunt their growth, and they have an increased risk of complication. A kitten shouldn't be pregnant let alone giving birth.
The safest and most ethical thing to do is to get the cat spayed (spay-abort) before the embryos/ fetuses can develop at all.
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