I know it is difficult...

[Desley (booktigger)]

My best one was a stray that I had asked someone to get scanned in case it had an owner - vet said it was a neutered tom. When he arrived, I was giving him a once over and found what looked suspiciously like a testicle (although only one), and by that evening, you could tell he was unneutered by the smell!! It was blatantly obvious, so no idea how the vet missed that!!

[Angiew]

Was it a young vet? I know some of the young'uns round here say the only way to tell is to do an ultrasound.

I've had one I thought was heavily pregnant but when she was finally spayed it turned out that she was full of cysts.

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

Oh, yes Lesley I can fully believe that.  Just because they give them a nice shiney degree it does not mean they have commonsense.  One of our good and trusted vets had a stray handed in. They scanned it and found THREE fully functioning, registered chips!!  Not only was it a nightmare trying to decide who was the rightful owner, it also meant that two other vets and shoved a new chip in without scanning puss either before or after!  Not sure what eventually happened to puss but the idea of a time share was discussed. 

[LesleyW]

Some vets are better at cats than others.  We seek out the cat experts and use them as our usual vets but I have come across clueless vets who talk nonsense and ask ME what I think is wrong the with cat. 

One of the worst ones round our way is a "cat specialist" vet but so far they have passed on to me a "pregnant" queen, who had actually already had a litter and was nursing but they did not take any details so could not trace the kittens.  Then they took in a cat I had re-homed three years ago but had been found straying but was still chipped to me so I took him back.   When I asked them before I collected the cat if he had been neutered, (he was only ten weeks old when I had initially re-homed him) they told me it was a girl!!!!!  When I went to collect he was obviously a neutered male.

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

Some vets are better at cats than others.  We seek out the cat experts and use them as our usual vets but I have come across clueless vets who talk nonsense and ask ME what I think is wrong the with cat. 

[Bazsmum]

Im sure the vet when he examined CC's "Tia" said this also..... She was not pregnant either? Big ball of wind maybe?     

[dabs]

Sometimes the Mums can reabsorb the kittens - it happened with our feral Diva - ultrasound showed kittens so we waitied and waited and nothing - she was speyed 12 weeks later and has been a member of the Clan ever since couldn't let her go as she had been inside to long

I know that they can reabsorb, but not usually that late on in their gestation. I personally do not think she was ever preggie. Anyway she has already been rehomed, bless her.

[Liz]

Sometimes the Mums can reabsorb the kittens - it happened with our feral Diva - ultrasound showed kittens so we waitied and waited and nothing - she was speyed 12 weeks later and has been a member of the Clan ever since couldn't let her go as she had been inside to long

[Millys Mum]

  i know poos can be mistaken for kittens but claiming ribs was a bit much 

[dabs]

to assess pregnancy in a cat by palputation alone but this is ridiculous.

A stray female turned up at a fosterers on 23rd December. She was full of fleas, earmites and very thirsty and hungry. On the 24th she was whipped off the fosterers local vets who said that this wee one was heavily in kitten and would be giving birth in the two weeks after the New Year. He stated that he could feel the kittens ribs, which I intially thought was a bit strange when I heard it.

Anyway little Holly came to me and for a cat that was supposed to be due anyday she bounced on and off the top of wardrobes, bounced over the beds at alarming speed and took off up and down the hall like a jet fighter. She did not really have a belly on her at all and did not act like a heavily expectant queen.

I spent the best part of last week trying to make up my mind if she was or not and it was no use asking her anyway! So a quick trip to the vets for a poke, prod and scan confirms that she has indeed been lying to get free bed and board and that she was not in any way shape or form been flaunting it around the local tom population, so she has had her cases packed and gone back to her original fosterer who clearly is in love with her and I suspect may well be keeping her. 

I know that it is difficult but what on earth was that vet feeling when he said he could feel the ribs! Strangest thing I have ever heard. I have had cats in before that I was convinced were in the family way and it turned out to be worms, wind or constipation, but to say that you can feel the ribs?!