Treatment of a Recurrent Pyometra by Surgical Uterine Drainage in a Main Coon Cat

SIMPLE SUMMARY: A 3-year-old Main Coon female cat was referred for recurrent pyometra, previously treated with aglepristone and cloprostenol. Due to its high reproductive value, ovariohysterectomy was not an option so, being the medical treatment ineffective, a uterine drainage and flushing were performed. Under general anesthesia, the patient underwent a laparotomy; a sterile urinary catheter was inserted in the uterine horns and 150 mL of milky and thick liquid was collected. A lavage with lukewarm sterile saline was also associated. After surgery, aglepristone and antibiotics were administered. The cat showed no recurrence six months after surgery and had an uneventful pregnancy. ABSTRACT: Pyometra is a uterine disease typical of the luteal phase of the estrus cycle. For selected patients, such as breeding subjects, ovariohysterectomy is not a valid resolutive option. Medical treatments involving cloprostenol and aglepristone have been developed for the cats, but they can be ineffective in rare cases. Transcervical drainage and flushing have been described for the dogs, as well as for large wild cats. However, to the author’s knowledge, there are no report of uterine drainage in cats. The present case describes an alternative treatment of pyometra in a 3-year-old Main Coon previously treated with aglepristone. The patient underwent a laparotomy: the uterus was exposed, and a sterile urinary catheter was inserted into each horn, through the wall of the uterus, to allow the drainage of pathological collection and a subsequent lavage with lukewarm sterile saline. Medical treatment with aglepristone and marbofloxacin was associated. After treatment, no recurrence was reported, and the cat had an uneventful pregnancy. Although it is a unique case report, the results presented are promising, as the technique appears to have provided healing and preserved fertility. Further studies are needed to confirm its efficacy in the long-term prevention of recurrence.