To spay or not to spay

Hello everyone.

My baby's name is Cappuccino. She's 1 year 4 months old. She lives inside an it's so difficult to find a mate for her. When she's in heat, she suffers so much. I was waiting to find a mate for her and i would like to have her kittens. But i don't want to risk her life anymore.

I also gave her "contrasex" 3 times (she has been in heat 3 times). My vet said that i did wrong and i've to get her spayed immediately. Also she has a little cyst on her ovary. 

I'm planning to take her to the surgery next week. But, i'm afraid of losing her (because she's an adult cat). My vet says that everything will be ok.

And also, i've read that her character could change after operation. Is it right? 

And another stupid question more: I want to leave her at vet office at least a day after spay operation and i'm afraid of that she'll forget or hate me for leaving her there. 

I put her photo. 

Thanks for advises. Have a good day!

Millions of cats get spayed every year and most of them have no problems at all.  Also she is far better off at home than at the vets as soon as she is over the anaesthetic. 

Please don't hesitate, leaving her entire puts her at risk of pyometra (very serious infection in the uterus) and every time she calls increases her risk of breast cancer.

And please don't even try to breed her - there are far, far too many cats & kittens in rescues in most countries without homes. 

Welcome to TCS!

Cappuccino will be SO much happier spayed.  You know what she goes through whenever she's on heat, and there are so many health benefits.

It's unlikely her character will change at all.. and if it does it would be because she's become less stressed and more contented.

I'm not sure why you want to leave her at the vets afterwards.  I agree with shunra that she'd be a lot happier at home.

She's a very beautiful girl..

All of our vets require the females to stay overnight for observation (they also recieve IV pain medication.) The reasoning behind this is so that the cat moves around as little as possible during the first 24 hrs post-op. I always go check on them that evening to check their incisions and make sure they are coming off anesthesia ok.

I think Cappacino would be just fine staying the extra time at the vet (make sure they will be giving her pain Meds.)

As for behavior change, if anything, she wlll become more affectionate to you (and, yes, a lot less stressed!)

You are making the best decision for your kitty that you can make.  I'm proud of you for doing it.  It's normal to be anxious for the surgery and the negative side effects, but if you're really very concerned, ask the vet to do pre-surgery bloodwork to make sure everything looks good.

She is a very beautiful cat! Spaying is VERY safe anymore, adult feral females are spayed much older then yours and are released after only one day. We will all hope for the best for you and your baby, I'm sure everything will be all right. Request that they call you right after the surgery, the worrying is the worst. Return to this site if you have any questions afterwards, it would put your mind at ease whether everything is normal, most of us have been through lots of spayings. My cat was MUCH 'better' after, no more crying non-stop and calmer. Besides, your cat should have that cyst removed anyway, so why not with the spaying? I understand you wanting to leave her there, talk to your vet which would be better, there or at home? She would be much calmer at home with you. Either way you go, good luck and best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Thanks a lot for the replies. I feel a little bit better now and i hope everything will be fine. I'm so happy to find this site and to communicate with the real cat lovers.

Kisses to all of you!  

CatPack said:

All of our vets require the females to stay overnight for observation (they also recieve IV pain medication.) The reasoning behind this is so that the cat moves around as little as possible during the first 24 hrs post-op. I always go check on them that evening to check their incisions and make sure they are coming off anesthesia ok.

I think Cappacino would be just fine staying the extra time at the vet (make sure they will be giving her pain Meds.)

As for behavior change, if anything, she wlll become more affectionate to you (and, yes, a lot less stressed!)

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Good grief!  Mine had always been home as soon as they have recovered from the anasthetic (that doesn't take long) and they have been just fine.  I am in the UK, though, so it's a flank spay which might be easier to get over.

I am in NJ and only know one vet that required the cat to stay overnight.  Most are drop off at 8 and ready to go home around 3ish.  That is the regular vets and all clinics near me do not have overnight staff.  They will courtesy board a feral a night for free.

I have had dozens fixed an all did great-aged 7 weeks to over 10 years.  Even some pretty thin/not treated right cats came out fine.

Make sure if leaving her overnight that someone will be there!  Her personality may calm down a bit but nothing bad will change.

You are making the right decision especially if she has a cyst on her ovaries.  Spaying is generally a pretty safe procedure.  I do recommend talking to your vet about having pre-surgical bloodwork done, that tests things like liver and kidney values which are the organs that process, handle and rid the body of the anesthesia. Your kitty should do just fine.  I have had many cats spayed over the years and they have all done just fine. 

In some countries it is normal to keep a cat for 24 hours at the vets after any surgery. It was always done like that when I lived in Bosnia. But professional observation post-operative can be very reassuring for nervous or inexperienced owners. I am sure your cat will be fine and it will be much better for her. And no, she won't forget you or blame you - she will just be very pleased to see you.

Agree it can be a great thing IF someone is physically there.  The one clinic I had to use REQUIRED overnight had no one there and was so happy to find another clinic that had someone.  Not a good situation when you have to use a place that keeps them with no one around due to money factor.

Look into it now of what is normal/not far as some licking/redness.  Much easier when your clear headed to research.  Also get the number of some vet be it them or er to call for concerns.

Hi everyone,

Finally i got her spayed. She stayed overnight at the clinic. The next day i brought her home. She ate as usual and popped she's so calm and sleepy. But i guess, nothing changed. She's my little baby. The vet gave me some liquid to clean her incision twice a day during 10 days. Then he'll check her again.

During this processes i felt more frightened and nervous than her but we're great now. Thank a lot for advices :* :* kisses!

Awesome  Glad to hear all went well and she is back home.

That's great! Beautiful Cappucino will be so much happier for it.

I am so glad all went well. Is she wearing a plastic collar to stop her licking herself? Since the vet told you to clean her incision I guess she has no dressing on it. So try to make sure she does not worry at it. When you clean it look for any signs of red around the scar - a little swelling and red is normal for a day or two but if it starts to get redder or develop streaks then an infection could be setting in and she will need to go back to the vet earlier. I am not trying to frighten you - most cats do fine but it is as well to be aware of any signs to look out for.

Thank you... No she's not wearing a collar. But she has a dress on her. When i need to clean her i take it off, then tie it again. For now everything looks fine. There's no any redness on it.

But the only reason that worries me is that she has fleas... When i looked at her shaved area i saw one of them. I'm afraid of that the fleas could cause a problem in the incision. I hope the liquid that i clean the scar, could keep them away from the scar.

I'm so glad she is doing well. Try to keep her from scratching that area. The fleas will make her try to scratch if they get in the vicinity of the incision. Talk to the vet and find out when you can treat her for the fleas. Frontline works great. I use it because it also kills ticks. A few of my cats go out in the daytime, so they are exposed to ticks and fleas. Wishing her a speedy recovery!

CatPack said:

All of our vets require the females to stay overnight for observation (they also recieve IV pain medication.) The reasoning behind this is so that the cat moves around as little as possible during the first 24 hrs post-op. I always go check on them that evening to check their incisions and make sure they are coming off anesthesia ok.

I think Cappacino would be just fine staying the extra time at the vet (make sure they will be giving her pain Meds.)

As for behavior change, if anything, she wlll become more affectionate to you (and, yes, a lot less stressed!)

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Mine are sent home as soon as they start waking up.