Getting Back From The Vet

gravekandi · Dec 15, 2013

Currently my kitten is getting fixed as I type this, I'm a first time cat owner so I don't know what to expect when I get her back. What should I expect when I get her back? Should I do anything differently? I want her to be at her utmost comfort when she gets back.

ritz · Dec 15, 2013

First, thank you for getting your cat spayed. She'll be much happier and healthier.

I remember I was a nervous wreck when Ritz was spayed but in my defense Ritz was my first cat ever.

She was groggy, a little out of it, and threw up (the vet warned me she might do that). For once she wasn't particularly hungry.

Although recommended, I did not use special litter. I opted not to get a cone, but Ritz isn't the type of cat who chews stuff (like cords) so I didn't think that would be a problem, and it wasn't.

Are the stitches dissolving ones or will you have to take her back to get the stitches out?

99.99% (well I guessed at that) of the time there are no problems. DO take a sneak peak at the incision: if it looks really really red, inflamed or of course if you see puss from the incision, call your vet.

Ritz sleeps with me and I was concerned about her jumping up on to the bed with me. So I slept on the floor with her.

She was back to normal in a day or two.

cprcheetah · Dec 15, 2013

Are they keeping her overnight or are you picking her up today? If you are picking up today, be prepared for her to be a little groggy following the procedure. It is best to let her be somewhere quiet where she can sleep it off. Ask the vet for pain medications if it isn't already included in the procedure as it is quite a painful procedure. It is normal for them not to have a bowel movement for 24 hours to 48 hours following abdominal surgery. It is best to only feed a portion of her normal food tonight when you get her home. The anesthesia can upset their system so feeding normal amounts can cause vomiting. Keep an eye on the sutures/incision on a daily basis. Watch for any signs of redness or swelling or discharge.

gravekandi · Dec 15, 2013

Ritz said:
First, thank you for getting your cat spayed. She'll be much happier and healthier.

I remember I was a nervous wreck when Ritz was spayed but in my defense Ritz was my first cat ever.

She was groggy, a little out of it, and threw up (the vet warned me she might do that). For once she wasn't particularly hungry.

Although recommended, I did not use special litter. I opted not to get a cone, but Ritz isn't the type of cat who chews stuff (like cords) so I didn't think that would be a problem, and it wasn't.

Are the stitches dissolving ones or will you have to take her back to get the stitches out?

99.99% (well I guessed at that) of the time there are no problems. DO take a sneak peak at the incision: if it looks really really red, inflamed or of course if you see puss from the incision, call your vet.

Ritz sleeps with me and I was concerned about her jumping up on to the bed with me. So I slept on the floor with her.

She was back to normal in a day or two.

Ziggy is my first cat so I always over worry about things with her >.< They told me that they didn't want her cleaning the area, I tried putting the cone on and that failed miserably, besides feeling like a terrible person because she clearly hated it she also managed to rip/pop it off 3 times. I kinda gave up on the cone. I don't think it looks inflamed or red. I'm going to assume they are dissolving ones since they didn't say i had to come back or do anything special.

cprcheetah said:
Are they keeping her overnight or are you picking her up today? If you are picking up today, be prepared for her to be a little groggy following the procedure. It is best to let her be somewhere quiet where she can sleep it off. Ask the vet for pain medications if it isn't already included in the procedure as it is quite a painful procedure. It is normal for them not to have a bowel movement for 24 hours to 48 hours following abdominal surgery. It is best to only feed a portion of her normal food tonight when you get her home. The anesthesia can upset their system so feeding normal amounts can cause vomiting. Keep an eye on the sutures/incision on a daily basis. Watch for any signs of redness or swelling or discharge.

I just got back home with her, we were told not to use any pain meds on them and we weren't given any. I gave her half the amount she normally eats, she doesn't seem quite happy about that she keeps asking for more. We've been home with her for almost 2hours now and she hasn't taken a nap but she also did just poop on my parents bed. Is that normal? Shes never pooped any where but her litter box

stephanietx · Dec 15, 2013

She may still be a bit out of it from the anesthesia and any pain meds they might have given her. That may cause the inappropriate pooping. You might try putting her in one room with food, water, litter and see if that helps the inappropriate pooping. I wouldn't worry about the cone unless she starts to lick the incision.

ritz · Dec 16, 2013

Ritz had a shot of pain meds while she was being spayed.
I was given Metacam to give her, but hearing all the bad side effects Metacam can have, I opted not to give her the pain meds. I also knew the pain would wear off shortly. (I'm not opposed to pain meds in other circumstances, just this particular one.)

stephanietx · Dec 16, 2013

Good job on not giving the metacam! How's she feeling today?

gravekandi · Dec 17, 2013

Ritz said:
Ritz had a shot of pain meds while she was being spayed.
I was given Metacam to give her, but hearing all the bad side effects Metacam can have, I opted not to give her the pain meds. I also knew the pain would wear off shortly. (I'm not opposed to pain meds in other circumstances, just this particular one.)

I wasn't given anything, is that normal?

stephanietx said:
She may still be a bit out of it from the anesthesia and any pain meds they might have given her. That may cause the inappropriate pooping. You might try putting her in one room with food, water, litter and see if that helps the inappropriate pooping. I wouldn't worry about the cone unless she starts to lick the incision.

She's started licking around the incision and I keep freaking out that she will lick it and hurt herself. For the most part she doenst seem out of it anymore. She sleeps a lot more now! I bought her some of her favorite food and I also bought a calming aid. Is that alright to use in this case?

pushylady · Dec 17, 2013

What is the calming aid? Feliway?

gravekandi · Dec 17, 2013

pushylady said:
What is the calming aid? Feliway?

This:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=10870891

pushylady · Dec 17, 2013

Hmmm, my gut reaction is to not use that, particularly as it has 13% alcohol in it. I would worry about interactions between what's still in her system.

stephanietx · Dec 17, 2013

I wouldn't use it because of the alcohol content. If she's acting a bit wild, it's probably just the anesthesia. My Tumbles acted like a wild child when he was neutered. She may be sleeping more because they gave her a pain med after her spay and/or she's experiencing the discomfort of the spay.

ritz · Dec 18, 2013

I wouldn't be worried if the vet didn't give me any pain meds; the pain will go away in time and it doesn't prevent her from doing anything. (Pain meds are indicated with some illnesses, like a UTI. If the cat associates pain with peeing, he may not pee.)
Feliway is a calming agent, a plug in, usually used long term for stress.
I agree with the other posters, no alcohol based drugs.
She's been through surgery, her body needs rest to heal.
Just give her lots of TLC and hugs/kisses (even if psychically).

susank521 · Dec 19, 2013

How is Ziggy doing today?

gravekandi · Dec 21, 2013

Susank521 said:
How is Ziggy doing today?

Her activity level is returning to normal more so now but I fear that shes starving herself or too depressed to eat? The vet told me too feed her half of what I normally feed her and I have been but I've been lucky if I can get her to get half of that! She just takes a bite and leaves. She use to eat 3 times a day 2-3 oz each time. Shes a 5month old kitten and now shes been eating maybe 1 once a day, 2 onces on good days since I got her back. What Could cause this? I havent changed her diet drastically at all.

Quote:

Ritz said:
I wouldn't be worried if the vet didn't give me any pain meds; the pain will go away in time and it doesn't prevent her from doing anything. (Pain meds are indicated with some illnesses, like a UTI. If the cat associates pain with peeing, he may not pee.)
Feliway is a calming agent, a plug in, usually used long term for stress.
I agree with the other posters, no alcohol based drugs.
She's been through surgery, her body needs rest to heal.
Just give her lots of TLC and hugs/kisses (even if psychically).

She seems to be in a more lovey mood then before she got spayed. Wants more kisses and cuddles all the time, so thats nice (:

stephanietx said:
I wouldn't use it because of the alcohol content. If she's acting a bit wild, it's probably just the anesthesia. My Tumbles acted like a wild child when he was neutered. She may be sleeping more because they gave her a pain med after her spay and/or she's experiencing the discomfort of the spay.

She either acts wild or completly depressed :/

pushylady said:
Hmmm, my gut reaction is to not use that, particularly as it has 13% alcohol in it. I would worry about interactions between what's still in her system.

So dont use that product at all?

cprcheetah · Dec 21, 2013

I would call the vet and DEMAND pain medications. A spay is a VERY painful operation and the not eating is most likely due to the pain your cat is in. As far as restriction of the food, that is normally for only 24 hours as their system gets back following a surgery. If you feed them the normal amount a lot of times their systems are upset from the anesthesia and they can throw up. The restriction to feed only half should have only been for 12-24 hours following the surgery.

denice · Dec 21, 2013

My vet is also in the no pain meds camp. She believes that the pain keeps them from doing things they shouldn't be doing. She was spayed 5 days ago she should be eating normally by now. Mine were eating normally by the following day.

susank521 · Dec 21, 2013

Her appetite should definitely be back to normal by now. Maybe try another food, like a Fancy Feast pate and couple of plates of it in various locations. It's nice that she is more affectionate. Does the incision look ok? Since her activity level is normal this is doubtful, but does she feel like she's running a fever?

I don't administer pain meds after a spay, either. I don't like seeing any of them uncomfortable, but, as Denice stated, pain keeps them from doing things they shouldn't, like licking and aggravating the wound. Nor do I use a cone. Mine are all strays or ferals and they are confined to a cage for 3 days post op. I have used the pain meds for other situations, but not for a spay.

stephanietx · Dec 21, 2013

Try some wet food. Warm it up in the microwave for a few seconds to enhance the aroma. See if that will entice her to eat. If she doesn't eat on her own, you'll need to assist feed her or you'll be dealing with a whole different problem. You can ask the vet for an appetite stimulant, too, to see if that helps. Also, she might have picked up an upper respiratory infection from the vet's. Is she sneezy or does she have weepy eyes?

gravekandi · Dec 21, 2013

stephanietx said:
Try some wet food. Warm it up in the microwave for a few seconds to enhance the aroma. See if that will entice her to eat. If she doesn't eat on her own, you'll need to assist feed her or you'll be dealing with a whole different problem. You can ask the vet for an appetite stimulant, too, to see if that helps. Also, she might have picked up an upper respiratory infection from the vet's. Is she sneezy or does she have weepy eyes?

I've tried that, best I get is a couple of bites and then the "digging" motion. I Spent an hour feeding her an oz of Fancy Feast this morning before work. Luckily she isnt sneezy or have weepy eyes.

Susank521 said:
Her appetite should definitely be back to normal by now. Maybe try another food, like a Fancy Feast pate and couple of plates of it in various locations. It's nice that she is more affectionate. Does the incision look ok? Since her activity level is normal this is doubtful, but does she feel like she's running a fever?

I don't administer pain meds after a spay, either. I don't like seeing any of them uncomfortable, but, as Denice stated, pain keeps them from doing things they shouldn't, like licking and aggravating the wound. Nor do I use a cone. Mine are all strays or ferals and they are confined to a cage for 3 days post op. I have used the pain meds for other situations, but not for a spay.

I tried Fancy feast this morning, I had to chase her around and "entice" her to get her to eat it. I resorted to spoon feeding and pleaing. Took an hour to get her to eat about 1oz. Her incision looks good, a little pink but nothing out of the normal. No fever thankfully.

Denice said:
My vet is also in the no pain meds camp. She believes that the pain keeps them from doing things they shouldn't be doing. She was spayed 5 days ago she should be eating normally by now. Mine were eating normally by the following day.

When I got her back she ate 3 oz and some treats, the day after she ate 3oz and treats but since tuesday she hasnt been doing more then nibbling here and their.

cprcheetah said:
I would call the vet and DEMAND pain medications. A spay is a VERY painful operation and the not eating is most likely due to the pain your cat is in. As far as restriction of the food, that is normally for only 24 hours as their system gets back following a surgery. If you feed them the normal amount a lot of times their systems are upset from the anesthesia and they can throw up. The restriction to feed only half should have only been for 12-24 hours following the surgery.

I called to ask about the loss of apatite but still no call back (I got voicemail and left my concerns their)

Getting Back From The Vet

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