Time for a spay!

kiwideus

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I noticed that Stella is exhibiting behaviour that indicates that she is in heat - thank goodness my two boys are neutered!

So off to the vet she is going on Thursday...two more days of this and then hopefully it is over! I am a bit nervous about this but it has to be done, for both her and my sake!


I always thought that the cat will stay overnight while getting spayed but she will be back home on the same day.

Is there anything I can do for when she comes home as she may (obviously) be sore?

I have only had male cats or cats that have already been spayed/neutered and so this is my first spay.

Thanks!
 

mrblanche

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So Stella is doing the dirty kitty girl dance, huh? We watch for that at the shelter, too. Can cause some interesting problems.
 
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kiwideus

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Originally Posted by mrblanche

So Stella is doing the dirty kitty girl dance, huh? We watch for that at the shelter, too. Can cause some interesting problems.
Yep - whenever I pet her...she does that thing.
 

GoldyCat

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All of my girls went in early in the morning and were home by 4:00 PM. I know some vets give pain meds, but mine didn't. The kittens were 16 weeks when they were spayed and they just bounced out of the carrier as if nothing had happened. The ones who were a year old or older when they were spayed didn't eat much the first day and were moving more slowly than usual for a few days. Shareena had a bad reaction to the sutures and probably some infection. I took her back to the vet after four days and got an antibiotic for her. 24 hours after I started the antibiotic she was back to her normal self, tearing around the house so fast I was afraid she would rip out her stitches.

I would say just watch her carefully. Make sure she has food and water where she can get to it easily. If you have a deep litter boxes, you might want to put out one shallower pan so she won't have to climb or jump to get in and out.
 
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kiwideus

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Thanks for the tips - Stella is approximately 6 months old...the vet is not sure yet as she was found as a stray.

I will follow your tips for her spay and I hope that she will be okay.


Thanks!
 

ldg

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Yup - our girls all came home the same day. It's the ferals that spent the night at the vet - for their own protection - they were released the next day. But for our girls we could keep an eye on them.

Ours were kinda groggy after the spay, and when they're groggy, they want lots of love.
None of ours needed a collar, and some licking is normal - but keep an eye on it, just to make sure they're not pulling at it or inflaming the area.

The lower litter box is a good idea - but we didn't change litter box set up. And yes, they definitely didn't feel like eating much the first day, and not as much as normal day 2, but after that eating seemed normal.

and that all will go well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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kiwideus

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The vet just texted Jake...Stella was indeed in heat and so it cost a wee bit more to spay her (Does anyone know why? Is the procedure more complicated if she is?) and she is fine and in recovery - we get to pick her up earlier than we expected.


I won't get to see her until tonight when I get home from class.
 

mews2much

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It cost more because there is more blood and it is a little more complicated.
I paid $16 dollars more for mine when they were in heat.
They all came home the same day.
 
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kiwideus

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Originally Posted by mews2much

It cost more because there is more blood and it is a little more complicated.
I paid $16 dollars more for mine when they were in heat.
They all came home the same day.
Thanks for clarifying that. Stella is a wee trooper so I know she is okay.
 

cheylink

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I would definitely separate her for atleast 24-48 hours from the other kitties. She will need peaceful rest time, and will discourage any rejection from the other boys when she comes back home.
 

strange_wings

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All the vets here have us pick them up the next day - preferably in the morning so they can have the space open.

Generally they feel ok when they first get home, but will get a bit sore later in the day. If your boys behave themselves don't really worry about keeping your girl completely locked away, maybe put her up at night.
She'll get sore, walk a little slower, try to jump and realize it's a bad idea. You may get some "Why did you do this to me?" looks... A couple of days from now she'll be feeling better and should be moving around normally.

I have yet to have one of my cats that come home the day after a procedure and not be hungry. Offer food like you normally would.

Watch the incision. If at anytime it starts getting red, swollen, hot, or looks like there's anything oozing out you have to get her back to the vet. There's been a past thread or two where someone did post a picture of what an infected incision looked like.


I just took a girl in last week for a spay (turns out she already was...). Despite her incision being larger than normal she's fine. In fact I just heard her threatening one of the boys behind me.

I didn't lock her away because she's a very clingy cat who likes to be near people - doing so would have caused her far more stress and when she's stressed she grooms and picks at herself more. Your kitty may not mind it as much as mine do, though.
 

rosiemac

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Originally Posted by Kiwideus

Stella was indeed in heat and so it cost a wee bit more to spay her (Does anyone know why? Is the procedure more complicated if she is?)
When Rosie went in at 6 months they thought she was in heat and were unsure whether to proceed with the spay or not. I was told when their in heat it's more complicated as the organs being removed are more fragile and can fall apart easily.

The nurse came out and asked me if she had been crying much, showing her backside and generally being more loving than normal, but i had to explain that Rosie was a chatty, loving little girl like she is today so i couldn't tell?!.

After another examination of her thankfully they went ahead
 

rapunzel47

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Cindy and Fawn were already done when we got them -- just a few days before, but very much back to normal activity. They were 5 months old.

Suzy and Sam were 6 months, the vet kept them overnight for observation, but reported that Sam was up and at 'em almost immediately. They were messing with stitches a little at first, so we did the e-collar thing, but they were miserable, so we opted for just keeping an eye on them and it was fine. Belly inspection every morning was cute.
I don't recall them having any loss of appetite or lack of energy
; they were not given pain meds to bring home, and we never had reason to doubt that decision.

Shasta was about 6 months old as well, but that's a long time ago, so I don't remember details. I guess that means that there was nothing remarkable to remember.
 
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kiwideus

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Stella is acting like nothing happened.
She is being very affectionate, nothing to indicate that she is upset with us for taking her to be spayed or hurt. She is being really sweet.


The incision looks really good, I can almost not see it - the vet did a really good job.
 
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