'The vet messed up': Rescuer takes stray black cat in for a quick TNR, only for her to get unexpectedly pregnant, and then have 7 healthy babies, adopts another from a different litter, and finally get the spaying that she needed

Author image for Mariel Ruvinsky
Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor
Jul 16, 2026 1:30 PM EDT

Vets can make mistakes sometimes. 

As worried cat owners who only want what is best for their cats at all times, we rely on our vets so, so much. We bring our cats in, no matter how much our cats hate the vet, over every little thing that spooks us, and we take the vet's words as gospel. Not because we don't remember that vets are human and can make mistakes too, but because we believe that they know better than we do how to help our cats. Still, it is true that vets can make mistakes. It's true that vets can give you advice that you, in your heart of hearts, don't necessarily believe in. We know that they are human. We want to forgive. All that matters to us is that the cost of these mistakes won't be too high. 

Sometimes, the mistakes that vets make can be costly, but thankfully, that was not the case for this story that we found on r/Feral_Cats. All that happened was that the vet thought that a stray cat had already been spayed when, in reality, she wasn't. What's the worst thing that could happen, right? A cat gets pregnant? Happens all the time. Except that's not true. If the person who had brought her in for the initial TNR didn't care about her further, if they didn't check up on her, then this cat would have continued getting pregnant for the rest of her life without anyone doing anything about it - because everyone would have seen her ear and thought that she was already spayed. Thankfully, she did have good humans looking out for her, and out of this small mistake, what ended up happening was 7 itty bitty kitties being born and another kitten - from a different litter - getting a pawsome foster mom. 

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    "My TNR cat gave birth"

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    Alright, here's the final update on my cat Oolong, who I took to a TNR program to get spayed and then she gave birth to 7 kittens.
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    I trapped her in the fall of last year and took her to a local animal hospital that has a feral cat program. They informed me that they found a tattoo and scar so they just clipped her ear and did vaccines and sent us on our way.
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  • Honestly, we think we would have been a lot angrier than this person seems to be. God knows what would have happened to her throughout her life if you hadn't found her. 

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    I decided to try and socialize her, and we made some progress. Then in February she escaped to hook up with her. boyfriends, and when I was able to catch her again she was knocked up.
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    I of course did not know this, and then when I figured it out and tried to take her to the vet she said absolutely not and camped out in my ceiling fan.
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    She gave birth on April 26th to seven kittens: Matcha, Earl Grey, Rocket, Smoke, Stack, Pearline, and Tortellini. They are adorable and she has been an amazing mom.
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    She also took on another feral kitten I caught named Pixie, who was a few weeks older, and let her nurse with everyone else.
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    Over that time she became a completely different cat. What progress I had made to socialize her before she gave birth was nothing compared to the progress we made after.
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    街
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    She is so much more loving and trusting, and even lets me pick her up! It has been absolutely wonderful, and I attribute most of that to happy mama hormones.
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    Due to that progress, I was able to catch her and take her back to the vet hospital that did the original spay. They confirmed today that there was no tattoo or scar to be found, and did the spay.
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  • With that said, this is one of the cutest bunches of kittens that we have ever seen. They will have zero problem getting adopted. The only thing we ask for is that you do not give up on the momma. She's going to have a harder time finding a home. Keep her if you can't find one.

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    They did not charge me. There was nothing unusual in her anatomy, she simply was not fixed. It was their mistake, and I am so glad I did not release her. She would have continued to have kittens and appeared to be fixed to anyone who saw her tipped ear.
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    So tldr, the vet messed up, she was never spayed, she had kittens, and now she is fixed. No more babies for this little one.
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    I'm working with my local SPCA to get all the kittens fixed and into good homes, and I will be keeping Rocket, the fluffy tabby kitten.
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aww wholesome cat adorable tiny kitten cute cute cats adopted small pregnant smol Cats cute kittens
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