Nervous about having cat spayed at MSPCA

angela638x · Apr 3, 2013

Hi there,

I have posted here once before about my 2 year old cat, Lola, who scratches up the underside of my bed. I fixed that with the advice from you guys - so I'm back again for more!

Lola has not been spayed but I know she needs to be. She howls and is fairly ridiculous while in heat, and this apartment is too small to endure that. Plus, I feel as if it is only fair to her. However, I am totally terrified because I've never gone through this before.

I have an appointment for her tomorrow morning at Boston's MSPCA. I cannot afford surgery otherwise - the MSPCA does it for $110 and will give her shots and trim her nails as well. Has anybody had experience with spaying/neutering a cat at any MSPCA location? I am so nervous. I am sure everyone there is competent and caring but I don't know what I'd do if something happened to Lola.

I have the carrier ready (not where she can see it). Because she is fiestier than my other cat (who is extremely mellow and older), I will put the carrier on its end in the bathroom (it's a small place so if she escapes she cannot hide), take Lola in her favorite blanket and drop her in. I know it will upset her but what else can I do?

I am nervous about afterward, too. I know she will be woozy so my plan was to keep her in the carrier in my room, with the carrier door open so she can get up if she feels like it. I will keep water and food nearby. My other cat, like I said, is mellow but I want to keep them apart for the first night. Does this sound good?

Also - I cannot take another day off of work, so I have no choice but to leave Lola alone on Friday. I am up at 5am and will of course check on her, but I won't return till 4pm or so... ack.

Thank you in advance for your help!

Angela

catkiki · Apr 3, 2013

I don't live in Boston, but I took my two girls in for their spays at a low cost clinic here. I am sure she will be fine and will be much healthier for it.

di and bob · Apr 3, 2013

All your plans sound really good, just make sure your cats are 're-introduced' when she comes back, the vet smells on her might drive your other cat to attack her. I've always set the carrier out the night before so they get used to it, and maybe it's not so scary. She'll be so much calmer and happier once you get through this, it IS worth it! I'll be thinking of you, please tell us how it goes.

mewlittle · Apr 3, 2013

angela638x said:
Hi there,

I have posted here once before about my 2 year old cat, Lola, who scratches up the underside of my bed. I fixed that with the advice from you guys - so I'm back again for more!

Lola has not been spayed but I know she needs to be. She howls and is fairly ridiculous while in heat, and this apartment is too small to endure that. Plus, I feel as if it is only fair to her. However, I am totally terrified because I've never gone through this before.

I have an appointment for her tomorrow morning at Boston's MSPCA. I cannot afford surgery otherwise - the MSPCA does it for $110 and will give her shots and trim her nails as well. Has anybody had experience with spaying/neutering a cat at any MSPCA location? I am so nervous. I am sure everyone there is competent and caring but I don't know what I'd do if something happened to Lola.

I have the carrier ready (not where she can see it). Because she is fiestier than my other cat (who is extremely mellow and older), I will put the carrier on its end in the bathroom (it's a small place so if she escapes she cannot hide), take Lola in her favorite blanket and drop her in. I know it will upset her but what else can I do?

I am nervous about afterward, too. I know she will be woozy so my plan was to keep her in the carrier in my room, with the carrier door open so she can get up if she feels like it. I will keep water and food nearby. My other cat, like I said, is mellow but I want to keep them apart for the first night. Does this sound good?

Also - I cannot take another day off of work, so I have no choice but to leave Lola alone on Friday. I am up at 5am and will of course check on her, but I won't return till 4pm or so... ack.

Thank you in advance for your help!

Angela

110 dollars for a spay? i pay 65-75 wen i had my cats done thats a ridiculous price

i'm sure she'll be fine and its not a bad idea to keep her away from the other cat

angela638x · Apr 3, 2013

I'm not sure where you live, but here in the city the prices for spay/neuter are usually between $250-400. So, in the scheme of things, $110 is reasonable.

Willowy · Apr 3, 2013

Mewlittle said:
110 dollars for a spay? i pay 65-75 wen i had my cats done thats a ridiculous price

In some places, the vets charge several hundred dollars. Not everyone lives in a low cost-of-living area. $65-$75 is incredibly low and you should be grateful. It's about $100-$120 for a cat spay here, not including shots, using regular vets, and this is not a high cost-of-living area.

I've actually had better outcomes using lower-cost spay/neuter clinics. They do so many surgeries that they're much more practiced at it than a lot of vets. So she should be fine. They'll give you an after-care sheet, but your plan of keeping her in your bedroom for a night or 2 sounds fine.

angela638x · Apr 3, 2013

Ah, yes, I live in the heart of Boston. Not quite as expensive as NYC, but still most things are pricey.

AbbysMom · Apr 3, 2013

I've never dealt with the MSPCA, but I haven't heard anything bad about them either. My vet is in Taunton and I think it is at least $200 for a spay.

When Abby came back from her spay she was very woozy and couldn't stand or keep food down. Make sure they give you discharge and care instructions!!!!!!! I didn't get any and kind of freaked when she couldn't walk or keep food down. I think keeping her by herself the first night s a good idea.

Here are a few new articles:

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/spaying-and-neutering-what-to-look-for-after-surgery

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/spaying-and-neutering-what-to-ask-before-the-surgery

Good luck and let us know how things go! :vibes:

mewlittle · Apr 3, 2013

i knew someone that paid 200 for a spay and it was in the same area :/

ritz · Apr 3, 2013

She'll be woozy, may vomit once or twice; should keep her away from the other cat because of the difference in smell. Be careful of what kind of pain meds they give her and/or prescribe; avoid Metacam.

She'll be fine; like Willowy, I'd rather a high volume (low cost) s/n center spay/neuter my cat than a regular vet; they know what can go wrong and how to fix it quick.

I had Ritz spayed about a month after I got her; she sleeps with me. So that she wouldn't jump and maybe mess up her stitches, I slept on the floor with her. She was jumping around like normal the next day.

And, when I had to get a foster cat neutered suddenly--couldn't wait for a low cost appointment--I was quoted anywhere from $300 to $1,000 (I lived near Washington, DC, in Prince George's County, a middle class to lower middle class area.)

angela638x · Apr 3, 2013

Mewlittle said:
i knew someone that paid 200 for a spay and it was in the same area :/

$200 is way out of my budget. I can't even afford this- I have to put it on a credit card. Doing the best I can here.

angela638x · Apr 3, 2013

Ritz said:
She'll be woozy, may vomit once or twice; should keep her away from the other cat because of the difference in smell. Be careful of what kind of pain meds they give her and/or prescribe; avoid Metacam.
She'll be fine; like Willowy, I'd rather a high volume (low cost) s/n center spay/neuter my cat than a regular vet; they know what can go wrong and how to fix it quick.
I had Ritz spayed about a month after I got her; she sleeps with me. So that she wouldn't jump and maybe mess up her stitches, I slept on the floor with her. She was jumping around like normal the next day.
And, when I had to get a foster cat neutered suddenly--couldn't wait for a low cost appointment--I was quoted anywhere from $300 to $1,000 (I lived near Washington, DC, in Prince George's County, a middle class to lower middle class area.)

It is so expensive! I don't have a car, so I can't access any vets outside of the public transit system. Vets in the city where I live are very pricey, and while $200 may seem reasonable to some, for me it is not feasible. I'm a graduate student with little income but I want to do what's right for my pet!

What is wrong with that specific med? Out of curiosity.

Willowy · Apr 3, 2013

Metacam is approved only for one-time use in cats, and that's usually during spay/neuter :/. I've never asked if my vet uses it; I probably should. But any other use is off-label for cats, and it has been linked to a lot of bad side effects. So if they try to give you some for later use, don't accept it, ask for bupro or another painkiller. But I don't know if they'll even give you any take-home painkillers; the shot they give them during surgery is usually enough for young cats. If you think she'll be hurting more than usual, since she's been in heat, you can ask for something extra.

ritz · Apr 4, 2013

Metacam can cause renal failure leading to death--which is why it is only approved by the FDA for a one-time shot.

duckdodgers · Apr 4, 2013

Mewlittle said:
110 dollars for a spay? i pay 65-75 wen i had my cats done thats a ridiculous price

i'm sure she'll be fine and its not a bad idea to keep her away from the other cat

My regular vet here would have charged $200. It would have been $300 for my vet back at home. Thankfully, we do have a low-cost clinic here. You can't really deem whether or not it's "ridiculous" for a particular area unless you have called and inquired about the prices of other places.

I had my kitten spayed at the local low-cost clinic and everything went perfectly well. The staff/volunteers are very organized, and they seem to have a smooth running operation. Unfortunately they had a very narrow drop off and pick up window (I guess they have a tight schedule to keep) so when I picked up Stella I had to literally pick her up at 7.30, listen to discharge instructions, dash home, throw her in the bathroom, and make it to class for an 8.15 test. She was just fine when I returned later that day.

I was very nervous about sending her to the low cost clinic because I had heard from my vet that they regularly have clients bring in cats who have some sort of reaction to the surgical glue that they use to close the wounds. I had a friend who had this happen to her cat, but she recovered just fine. I was nervous for these reasons, but it was worth it to save $150.

Nervous about having cat spayed at MSPCA

angela638x

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catkiki

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di and bob

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mewlittle

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angela638x

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Willowy

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angela638x

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AbbysMom

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mewlittle

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ritz

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angela638x

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