Boots gets neutered tomorrow

speakhandsforme

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I just made Boots' neutering appointment for tomorrow.


He's almost 4 months old. The vet tech told me over the phone not to give him food or water after midnight tonight. I drop him off by 8am tomorrow and I can pick him up anytime before 6; needless to say, I'll be racing straight to the vet after class ends at 3!

This is where his appointment will be. http://lowcostanimalhospital.com/ Oh, and he's getting his rabies vaccine too. Total cost will be about $100.

He's my little baby... Is there anything special I should know about neutering a kitten? Will he need special attention after the appointment or should I leave him alone? Should I keep him separated from Kramer? (Kramer is his best buddy, they have no fighting issues)

Thank you in advance for all the advice
 

gareth

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Bring the cat home ASAP. Most cats experience a great deal of stress while riding in the car and stress can impede healing, so minimizing travel time is vital.

Allow the cat to rest. Place the cat in a quiet location to rest after surgery, away from children and other pets. The cat may be in pain, which can cause a normally friendly animal to lash out. The potential for a cat bite or fight between the cat and other pets is great immediately following neutering or any other operation. Keeping the cat isolated will eliminate this risk. A bathroom, spare bedroom or home office is an ideal location for the cat to rest, but don't forget to include a litter box!

Expect odd behavior. The visible effects of the anesthesia will affect the cat for 12-18 hours after the operation. This may cause the cat to exhibit a lack of coordination, excessive sleeping and grogginess.

Eating and drinking after surgery. Offer water and a moderate amount of food in the evening after the neutering. Anesthesia makes cats nauseous for several hours, so many pets will not eat until the following day; others may eat within 12 hours. Vomiting is not uncommon during the cat's recovery from anesthesia.

In addition, many cats will urinate excessively following a surgical procedure. During the operation, the veterinarian will inject fluids to help the cat's body to better cope with the operation. This causes frequent urination in the hours following surgery.

On occasion, a cat may sleep so soundly after anesthesia that he may urinate in his bed. It's fairly uncommon, but it can occur, so as cat owners check on their cat throughout the night, also check the litter box. If the cat has not urinated, it can help to bring the cat to the litter box to encourage him to do his "business."

Most of all, try not to worry. My wife is a vet, and you wouldn't believe how many dogs and cats they get through in a day. It really is very routine these days and complications are relatively rare. He'll just be feeling a little beaten up and will need a little time to recover, just as you would from a surgery.
 

mrblanche

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Some male cats act like they've been through nothing. Others are pretty obviously in some pain. Keep on eye on him.

We found that some cats coming out of anesthesia would stand up and start walking, almost falling in any direction they started, often running into hard objects. To combat that, we put them in a high-sided box if they show any such tendencies. That way, they can't hurt themselves. We figure once they're alert enough to get out of the box, they're alert enough to be left on their own.
 

rewboss

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Originally Posted by Gareth

It really is very routine these days
And quick and simple. The incision is so tiny, you wouldn't notice if they didn't have to shave the area first. Our Clyde didn't even have stitches, and I gather that's pretty standard. He seemed to be in a little discomfort for a day or two, but not actually in pain.

And you might want to keep him isolated from Kramer for a while. In addition to what Gareth said about pain causing them to lash out, Boots may smell strange to Kramer. Clyde attacked Bonnie the first time she peed after her operation, due, we are very certain, to the anaesthetic and other fluids working their way through her kidneys (the same fluids Gareth mentioned). Cats recognise each other primarily by smell; it was another 24 hours before we could re-introduce Bonnie and Clyde to each other.
 
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speakhandsforme

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Oh, good. I had assumed that neutering was less invasive than spaying, but I didn't know it was THAT easy. Is neutering more like castration, or more like a vasectomy?

And I'll definitely keep him separated from Kramer, at least until he's not groggy or affected visibly by his medicine. I guess the best course of action after that would be a staggered introduction, like you would introduce two cats who had never met each other, but maybe sped up since these guys already know each other
 

Willowy

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It's a full castration. . .that's actually the proper terminology. Since neutering a cat is done as much for behavioral reasons as for birth control, a vasectomy would only do half the job. A tomcat is extremely difficult to live with.

Vibes for Boots! At his age I'm sure he'll bounce right back. It's just a quick snip snip for boys anyway
.
 
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speakhandsforme

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Okay, I dropped him off. The car ride was only 10 or 15 minutes so I hope it didn't stress him out too bad. The waiting room was quiet and empty, and the receptionist was nice.

BUT they said to wait until at least 2:30 to call to check on him!! GAHH!!!!
It's going to be torture.

I know it's just minor surgery... but he's my baby.


For now,


And a very large thank you to Gareth, mrblanche, Willowy, and rewboss for the advice!!
 

momto3boys

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Oh the wait is the killer!

I'm sure you and him will both be relieved once you get him back home again


Some vibes for a speedy recovery
 

amandak21

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I was wondering the same things (my little guy is between 3 and 4 months and will be going soon)so...great question!


that cost sounds so reasonable I think mine will be around 220\t
 
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speakhandsforme

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Okay, he's home.


Doing well so far. Very woozy from the anesthesia; can't really walk right, but all he seems to want to do is lay in my lap (on a towel to protect against accidents
) and sleep/lick his backside, so it's okay for now. He's so sleepy that he's falling asleep mid-groom.


Breathing seems normal, although I noticed his backside is kind of wet, but I'm not sure if that's just from his licking it or what. They didn't give him a plastic head cone thing, do you think I need one?

You're right, I can't see the incision or anything. No bleeding. It looks like they did a good job. The tech said he was a very routine kitty and gave them no trouble. They gave me some metacom for him for tomorrow and the next day.
They also said if anything weird goes on to call and bring him back, and they'll cover anything surgery-related if I bring him back within two weeks.

I decided to let Kramer in the room after Boots was sound asleep on a towel on the couch, because Kramer had been very anxious all day about Boots being gone, walking around trying to find him and meowing. Kramer came up, smelled him quietly, then gave him a lick on the ear and proceeded to go check out his crate.
Now they're both sleeping quietly on the couch with me, acting totally normal other than the anesthesia thing. Later, when I help Boots to the litter box, I'll make sure Kramer stays out of the room. Likewise, if Boots wakes up for anything tonight I'll quarantine him until he goes back to sleep. They'll be sleeping in my bedroom like normal.

Thank you for all your kind words and vibes!
 

catsallaround

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Never had to use a cone for any cat male or female. If hes that tired he may be drooling a little on site. Glad it went well and Kramer took so well to him going-usually I will hear a few hisses on return being they smell like the vets.
 

catbehaviors

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So glad that everything went well!
Wessie was neutered before we got him, but I know I'd be a wreck if he wasn't!
I've read up on both spaying and neutering, and neutering is a much safer/ easier operation.

Since I don't have much knowledge on this, all I can say is what you're doing sounds good to me!
 
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speakhandsforme

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Quick and funny update:

Boots is good with walking short distances now (i.e. from the couch to the kitchen). But, he's still quite sleepy, so when he gets to wherever he's going, he generally falls back asleep on whatever surface he stops on.

Including right in front of the food bowl. He got done eating about 2 tsp of wet food and just zonked out right there.


 
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speakhandsforme

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On an unrelated note: Eileen, I just read through your adorable Wessie blog.


OMG, how in the world did you not, pardon my French, flip a total $^#% when that neighbor SHOT him? I would have absolutely freaked.

Wessie is so cute! And seems to be doing well despite the shot.
 

rewboss

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Originally Posted by speakhandsforme

They didn't give him a plastic head cone thing, do you think I need one?
Not for a castration, no. No stitches to pull out, just a small cut that probably itches but needs to be kept clean, which is what licking is for -- don't forget that saliva is also mildly antiseptic (nature is very good about catering for very minor injuries like this).

Bonnie didn't even need a cone when she was spayed, although some vets might have given her one. She gave us a bit of a scare once she'd recovered from her anaesthetic and started mountaineering in the living room and the kitchen, but the plaster stayed firmly on and she seemed to ignore it. When she went to have the stitches out, Bonnie, who normally doesn't let strangers touch her at all, not only allowed herself to be manhandled by an assistant without protest, but actually looked on with apparent interest as the vet first peeled off the plaster (which must have smarted) and then removed the stitches.
 
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speakhandsforme

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Oh okay, good. I was a little worried that he would infect himself by licking the wound too much. But I didn't know that their saliva is antiseptic, that's fascinating!

He got back to his normal self around 4am... waking me up at ungodly hours by pouncing on my feet, knocking over things on my nightstand, etc. He's currently stalking a bug that got into the house.
 

crumbandharvey

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Thinking of trying to get Harvey into the free neuter van this weekend here in NYC... I waited until 6-7 months with Crumb, but Harvey is a big 4.5 months. Maybe this Saturday should be the date! Thanks for the reassurance that everything went fine at that young an age.
 
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speakhandsforme

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I probably could have waited longer with Boots. He's indoor only, so he wouldn't be out courting anyway. But I had two reasons for doing it sooner rather than later:

1. I don't want him to start spraying to mark his territory... apartment landlord would flip

2. I wanted to get the stress of a surgery over with before I impose the stress of holiday travel/living temporarily with a dog when we go home to my parents' for Thanksgiving and Christmas. And ditto on the spraying at my parents' house too.
 

rewboss

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Originally Posted by speakhandsforme

But I didn't know that their saliva is antiseptic
Mildly. But so's ours, and when you think about it, for good reason: anywhere germs could enter the body, and particularly an orifice actually designed for the very purpose of inserting things into, you might want at least some protection.

(This shouldn't be taken as a green light to let dogs lick your face. It's very mild, not industrial strength.)

On the right time for the visit to the vet: that's debated. Some experts think operating too early can damage the urethra, others disagree. We had ours done a couple of weeks earlier than originally planned, because Clyde had started exhibiting behaviour that suggested he was an early developer. On the other hand, one British shorthair our family adopted didn't need fixing until he was about two years old.
 
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