Lessons in Sterilization
When we decided to move to Spain with our four indoor cats, establishing a cat sanctuary was never our intention. Yet, here we are, two years later, with a transformed chicken coop that now serves as our cat hotel, and five successful cat rescues under our belt!
Even with our growing experience working with stray cats, we still encounter surprises.
Our first spay and neuter experience didn't go as smoothly as we had hoped. After taking one of our residents to the vet for neutering, he somehow managed to rip out his stitches in the carrier on the way home. When he jumped out of the carrier, to my shock, it looked like a murder scene! We rushed him back to the vet for re-stitching, and he's now back to his usual spot, working "security" in the neighborhood.
Cora, formerly known as Mamá G, Smokey’s friend and partner in crime, was pregnant with four kittens when we brought her in. Fortunately, she wasn't far along, so the vet was able to terminate the pregnancy, spay her, and give her the chance for a happy, healthy life.
After five days of recovery, I let Smokey and Cora out. She immediately started rolling around with her boyfriend, Grande Nueces (Big Nuts). However, ten days after the vet visit, I noticed something red hanging from her belly as she emerged from the coop.
When she saw me, she took off, and I didn't see her again for a couple of days. When she finally reappeared in our yard, I discovered that what I had hoped was a piece of mulch was actually her stomach hanging out from the stitches that had ripped open.
If spayed cats don't heal for 15 days, their stomachs can swell, causing the stitches to burst open. It’s not a pretty sight!
I embarked on an endless search to find her and get her the help she needed. The problem was, every time I got close, she would take off, her exposed innards vulnerable to infection.
The helplessness and guilt I felt for letting her out too early was overwhelming. I roamed our property constantly, searching for her everywhere.
One day, I spotted her with another stray cat we call Señor Bigotes on a roof near our avocado tree. I tried using chicken and beef in a live trap to capture her, but she was too smart for that. I even attempted to serve her food with a pizza oven paddle, but she got scared and jumped over the fence into a vacant field.
After five days, I was feeling desperate and pleaded with her to let me help. On the sixth day, early in the morning, it was pouring rain. I checked the live trap—it was empty—but I had a gut feeling to check the hotel. To my surprise, there was a white figure on top of the table! I quickly shut the door and brought her to the vet that morning. I was so nervous they’d tell us we had to say goodbye, but they did everything they could to save her. After 17 days of recovery, she is still alive and healthy. We now call her Cora, short for Corajuda (brave) in Spanish. She’s become our little garden shadow following us everywhere, yelling for attention.
Following Cora’s recovery, we were able to capture and bring in Señor Bigotes. He hurt his paw, his tooth was infected, and was hot and bothered! He was ready and asking us for help. He was so easy to care for, and now he’s loving life, Chasing Cora and climbing up trees.
Shortly after, we brought in Guillermo, formerly known as Ojo Loco (Crazy Eye). For over a year he has had an awful eye infection, but wouldn’t allow us to come close. Finally, he would sleep in the cubbies of the hotel, and would trust us more and more. We were able to bring him in and give him the eye drops and care he needed, after 12 days of healing, his eye has almost made a full recovery.
We almost have our capture and recovery system down, but this last rescue caught us by surprise. Our friends had noticed a little black Bombay cat hiding under their car for the past 3-4 weeks. The cat had a red bump on its eye, was miserable with fleas, and in need of some good meals. It was skittish at first but gradually became more social and friendly. My friend offered to cover the costs and find it a home if I could help it heal and recover in our cat hotel.
It was such a generous offer, and the cat was so sweet that we couldn’t refuse. With my panther gloves and carrier in hand, I was ready. I quickly grabbed the cat and put it in our carrier—but it popped right out! After a second attempt, we were on our way to the vet.
We expected the usual wellness treatments: FIV test, deworming, eye check, and spaying or neutering. A few hours later, I got a text from the vet with a photo of a tick they had pulled from its eyelid—the red bump was actually the tick’s blood-filled body!
When we picked up the cat, the vet informed us that they hadn't found any testicles, so they sedated the cat and made an incision to begin the spay procedure.
Unexpectedly, there was no uterus! It turned out the cat had already been neutered, which made me wonder if it belonged to someone. I asked if they could check for a chip.
Though the vet said it wasn’t common to find a chip here, to our surprise, the cat had one! The vet called the number listed, and the owner answered, shocked—they hadn’t seen their cat in a month and thought it was dead. The family, along with their two children, quickly arrived, eager to reunite with their long-lost companion.
Despite having an incision and the stress of being captured, this cat was so loving that it couldn't resist rubbing against our hands and getting pet. I think it was just happy to have that tick removed from its eyelid and to have a home once again.
Rescuing stray cats is always unpredictable, challenging, a little stressful at times, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. Here are some lessons I've learned from my adventures in sterilization:
Scan for a chip before capturing.
Ensure they make a full recovery before letting them loose.
Always wear gloves and protect yourself.
Be mindful of your energy—cats are sensitive and can pick up on your stress and fear.
Give them plenty of love, attention, and playtime while they're in recovery to keep their spirits up.
Make sure you're absolutely certain they don't have testicles!
