Vet confuses male cat for female with 'fluffy butt' while spaying and operates on the wrong side. Instead of apologizing, he calls it 'cheaper'

A cat owner recently shared a troubling experience involving their pet’s visit to the vet. The incident, posted on Reddit on November 23, 2025, revealed a major mistake made during a routine spaying procedure. The first-time cat parent took her to the vet to have her spayed, only to be told later that the cat was male, not female, as originally thought. This revelation came after the cat was neutered rather than spayed. But the owner was even more appalled when the vet dismissively called the surgery a cheaper solution. 

As reported by Newsweek on Thursday, November 27, 2025, the Reddit user, u/lildirtfoot, explained that the mix-up occurred when the vet initially examined the cat and concluded she was female. After running tests and performing a thorough examination, the vet proceeded with the surgery, believing the cat was female. "The vet did a 1.5-hour exam and told me she was a girl," the user wrote in the post. However, during the surgery, the vet realized that the cat was actually male. "They cut into him for a spay only to not find ovaries," the user added. It wasn’t until the vet instructed a technician to check for male anatomy that they confirmed the error. Despite this, the vet nonchalantly told the owner to "be happy because it’s a cheaper surgery."

The owner, understandably upset, described the aftermath of the surgery, saying the cat was now "very swollen" and seemed unusually lethargic. "He won’t do anything but sleep and snuggle," the owner wrote. While the behavior was cute, it also made them worried. They also mentioned that the vet had defended the error by saying the cat’s "fluffy butt" had led them to misidentify the gender. "Their excuse was that his butt was too fluffy and that they are just humans who make mistakes." Seeking guidance, the user turned to Reddit for advice. They revealed the cat was still in pain. "He is quite swollen on his spay scar, but it isn’t warm or seeping," the owner added.

Supportive comments flooded in, with users offering advice and different reactions. u/Gamerfreak-777 mentioned, "Mistaking a cat's gender happens when they're kittens, sure. But not when you're actually going to cut them open." A vet nurse (u/amosant) wrote, "I would get legit fired if I failed to notice this." u/hiitsmeyourwife noted, "The behavior seems normal after surgery, just keep an eye out if you don't see improvement after a few days." The picture in the post showed the cat wearing a special harness to prevent him from licking his wounds, prompting many users to suggest removing it. After taking the advice, the user reported, "I removed the cat suit for some supervised grooming time, and he got much more spunky." Despite some improvement, the owner still wasn’t sure about the next steps. Feeling that the vet's mistake was serious, they decided to report the incident to the appropriate agencies.