As I reflect on starting our veterinary career in Urbana, it brought up many memories of a number of situations that sometimes were awkward, other times embarrassing or made us question why that incident happened. While proud that my late wife, Dr. Judy and I had successfully graduated from veterinary school we weren’t so confident in starting a veterinary practice. Well at least Dr. Judy would tell you that she was scared. She would have also added that I had more than enough confidence for both of us. I couldn’t help it! My own Mom drilled into each of her four boys that we weren’t to be quitters and moreover to be confident on life and our endeavors.

While the local newspaper, The Urbana Citizen, did a nice story about our coming to town to set up a veterinary practice, there were many details that needed to be addressed if we were to be successful. Early on before we had a full line-up of medical equipment, we were invited socially to be part of the country club set. Dr. Judy and I were just a couple of country plain folk but were grateful for the support of anyone regardless of social status.

One physician’s wife, Pat, adopted us and spread the word we were the new vets in town. She was especially hospitable to us even throwing a surprise birthday party for me and on another occasion inviting Dr. Judy to a “girl’s night out”. During the first evening to Pat and her physician husband, John’s house she introduced us to her Schnauzer dog and two cats. The dog, Mitzi, tended towards having a “grass allergy” skin condition which we were happy to advise Pat on the appropriate management and treatment. However it was the two cats that was her major concern.

One cat, Toby, was a big strong tiger colored male cat with a broad head “Adonis-like” body and trophy-sized testicles readily visible under his tail. The other cat, Lucy, was a feminine-appearing fine-bone structured matted long-haired yellow female cat that Pat reported Toby regularly mounted and bred. Pat was concerned that if Lucy wasn’t already pregnant she soon would be. After I palpated Lucy’s abdomen, I told Pat, “Lucy isn’t pregnant, at least yet.” Shortly after that conversation we had gotten our improvised clinic fully equipped and organized to accept patients.

Pat made an appointment to bring Lucy in to be spayed. I told Pat, “You don’t have to bring her in until the morning surgery is scheduled, provided you withhold food and water from her the evening and morning prior to the surgery.” Pat agreed, so the appointment was made for the following Tuesday.

Pat brought Lucy to the clinic for the surgery at the appointed time. After she left, Dr. Judy and I got busy. We gave the cat a pre-anesthetic, followed up with thiopental, intubated and connected to the gas anesthesia machine. While Dr. Judy scrubbed, prepped and gloved her hands for the surgical procedure on Lucy I placed the sleeping cat on her back and tethered her legs to the restraints on the edge of the table.

I followed with a thorough job of clipping Lucy’s mid-line, shaving the stubble then four surgical scrubs over the incision site just behind Lucy’s umbilicus. Dr. Judy by now was prepped, gowned and gloved to start the surgery. She organized her sterile instruments on the instrument stand then made the incision through the abdominal wall. Five minutes into it, Dr. Judy opined, “This cat has to have been spayed previously. There isn’t a uterus or ovaries.”

Another five minutes and I opted to call Pat to ask, “Do you know the full history of Lucy? Is there any chance that this cat had been spayed previous to the cat arriving at your house?” Pat said. “Not that I know of as Lucy appeared at our doorstep when she was about half grown.”

After reporting my conversation to Dr. Judy, she said, “Check to see if Lucy is really a female.” I reached under the surgical drape to palpate Lucy’s perineal area. Lo and behold, Lucy had two small testicles buried in his matted hair. What an embarrassment! No one would have known of our faux pas if I hadn’t called Pat to ask about Lucy’s medical history.

Regarding Lucky (no longer Lucy), he made a full recovery but it took a while for my pride to recover. I suspect Toby would be next on the list for surgery – a castration rather than a spay!

Years later sitting around with other veterinarians at lunch during a meeting I learned that many veterinarians at some time in their career had “spayed” a tomcat.