Getting my little girls spayed today

sarahd1987

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Mar 4, 2014
Messages
77
Purraise
5
Hiya everyone,

My little girls are being spayed today and Sophie who broke her leg almost 2 months ago now is also having the pins removed from her leg.. I'm sure everything will go well but I can't stop worrying! I don't know what I'd do if something happened to one of them..

I feel guilty about it too but I know it's for the best. I can't have children myself and it really upsets me and I feel sad that I'm taking away my little girls possibility of having children of their own some day :/ I know there's so many cats without homes and if they had kittens I'd not be able to keep all of them so it'd just be contributing to the problem.

I wont change my mind about it now though, because even though it makes me feel bad, I know it's for the best.. Hopefully everything will go well though and they'll recover quickly
 

catmomma627

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Feb 20, 2014
Messages
250
Purraise
175
Location
Missouri
I totally understand the worrying! I worried really irrationally when Luna was spayed. And then they said they'd call when she was out of surgery, but they got busy and didn't call until about 4:30pm so I was really freaking out! I feel your pain.

Remember that spaying lowers the risk of cancer for female cats, by having them spayed you may very well be increasing ther lifespan. As well as saving them the discomfort of going into heat a few times each year.
 

mycatwasthebest

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Jan 26, 2014
Messages
400
Purraise
39
Location
mykindatown
a few times a year??? anyway, hope they both recover well and PLEASE keep them separated if need be because the pin removal is a separate and much more serious surgery and recovery.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4

sarahd1987

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Mar 4, 2014
Messages
77
Purraise
5
Thanks for the replies! Sophie and Chloe are at the vets now.. I asked if they could be kept in the same cage while they're waiting and they said thats fine, so I'm pleased about that! Chloe really stresses when she goes to the vet so at least if she's got Sophie in the cage with her then she'll hopefully be a little calmer..

They said they'll phone me too once they've woken from the anesthetic, so I'll be eagerly waiting for that! I have their discharge appointment at 5:30 this evening (Usually they don't do discharge appointments for a spay but Sophie is having more xrays and then the pins removed provided everything is healed up ok, so they're doing one to show me the xrays and things) and I'll ask then about if I need to separate them. Last time I took Sophie in I was told that the day after her surgery to remove the pins is done, then she doesn't have to have the cage rest anymore so hopefully I wont need to separate them... I might keep Sophie in the cage over night though while she's healing though, because they play quite rough sometimes and are usually most active at the night time, and I wouldn't want either of them to break the stitches or anything..
 

di and bob

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
16,547
Purraise
22,888
Location
Nebraska, USA
That was a good idea to have them both spayed at the same time, no fighting at home now because one 'smells' different! Plus they'll both need to recover and won't mess with the other. Getting them spayed was the right thing to do, go to the pound and look at all those unwanted kittens and cats, it'll break your heart. I'll be keeping you in my thoughts and prayers, good luck and keep us posted!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

sarahd1987

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Mar 4, 2014
Messages
77
Purraise
5
Thanks for the replies. I got a call about an hour ago from the vet to let me know everything went well and they've woken from the anesthetic now :) Also the xrays on Sophie's leg were fine so the pins have also been removed, so after today there shouldn't be any more cage rest for her! I'm sure she'll be happy about that! Need to wait until 5:30 this evening to collect them though, so still about 3 more hours until I see my little girls and can bring them home to get some rest and cuddles with mummy :) I was also worried that Chloe wouldn't cope very well being at the vets without me, but when I got the call I asked about her and was told that she's been fine, so I think being in a cage with Sophie helped her feel a little less stressed :)
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #8

sarahd1987

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Mar 4, 2014
Messages
77
Purraise
5
My little girls are home now :) They're doing well.. They're quite sore but they had some metacam earlier and I still have some from Sophie's first surgery when she broke her leg and the vet said it's fine to give them both that over the next few days to make sure they're not hurting.. Also just gave them a little food. They're on a bland diet tonight and tomorrow morning..  When Sophie had her surgery before I wasn't told the vet has some special food for the bland diet, but got some of it now.. It looks so much nicer than the plain chicken/fish I'd give Sophie before. 10 days until their stitches come out and then they're both all sorted and hopefully never have to go through any surgery again..
 

stephenq

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 19, 2003
Messages
5,672
Purraise
944
Location
East Coast, USA
@SarahD1987

I'm glad they're home and doing ok!  You may wish to consider not using the metacam after talking to your vet and asking for a replacement pain med (Buprenorphine is a well tolerated opiate) as the FDA no longer says it is safe to give orally or as an injectable to cats and that kidney failure can result.  Their boxed warning reads:
"WARNING
Repeated use of meloxicam (Metacam) in cats has been associated with acute renal failure and death. Do not administer additional injectable or oral meloxicam to cats. See Contraindications, Warnings, and Precautions for detailed information." (Boldface is FDA emphasis)

Also while a one time does is approved for use before surgery "In the United States, the safety and effectiveness of more than one dose of METACAM[emoji]174[/emoji] Solution for Injection has not been shown in cats for any condition." (Boldface my emphasis)

See the FDA website here for more info.

http://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/newsevents/cvmupdates/ucm231254.htm

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/05/01/meloxicam-dangers.aspx

Even the Metacam official website very carefully says it is only indicated pre-surgery for cats. 

http://www.metacam.com/index.php/Indications-for-Cats
 
Last edited:

di and bob

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
16,547
Purraise
22,888
Location
Nebraska, USA
I'm so glad everything went all right! Please post if you have any questions about post op care, but the main thing is to watch for infection (which rarely happens), heat at the site, oozing that is not clear, and extreme swelling. You may feel or see a 'lump' at the site, that is normal, it is swelling on the inside from stitches in there and inflammation, I remember I freaked out when I saw that on my Chrissy. Good luck, and keep posting!
 

lisahe

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 23, 2014
Messages
6,145
Purraise
4,965
Location
Maine
 
I'm so glad everything went all right! Please post if you have any questions about post op care, but the main thing is to watch for infection (which rarely happens), heat at the site, oozing that is not clear, and extreme swelling. You may feel or see a 'lump' at the site, that is normal, it is swelling on the inside from stitches in there and inflammation, I remember I freaked out when I saw that on my Chrissy. Good luck, and keep posting!
I second that! We adopted two cats who had just been spayed and one had a bit of a lump, too. Also, don't be too surprised if one cat's incision looks better and heals a lot faster than the other's. Our two healed at very different rates but both were absolutely fine and have nice scars. I hope their recovery goes well! 
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #12

sarahd1987

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Mar 4, 2014
Messages
77
Purraise
5
 
@SarahD1987

I'm glad they're home and doing ok!  You may wish to consider not using the metacam after talking to your vet and asking for a replacement pain med (Buprenorphine is a well tolerated opiate) as the FDA no longer says it is safe to give orally or as an injectable to cats and that kidney failure can result.  Their boxed warning reads:
"WARNING
Repeated use of meloxicam (Metacam) in cats has been associated with acute renal failure and death. Do not administer additional injectable or oral meloxicam to cats. See Contraindications, Warnings, and Precautions for detailed information." (Boldface is FDA emphasis)

Also while a one time does is approved for use before surgery "In the United States, the safety and effectiveness of more than one dose of METACAM[emoji]174[/emoji] Solution for Injection has not been shown in cats for any condition." (Boldface my emphasis)

See the FDA website here for more info.

http://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/newsevents/cvmupdates/ucm231254.htm

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/05/01/meloxicam-dangers.aspx

Even the Metacam official website very carefully says it is only indicated pre-surgery for cats. 

http://www.metacam.com/index.php/Indications-for-Cats
Thanks for letting me know about that. I actually have some buprenorphine too (Only enough for 2 days each) from when Sophie broke her leg. She had been on metacam for a while and was sick a couple of times so the vet gave some of that but I only gave it to Sophie for a few days because she didn't seem to be in pain any more.. When the vets open I'll call them and ask about the metacam and if I can give them this buprenorphine. Hopefully within a couple of days they wont need any more pain medication anyway..
 
I'm so glad everything went all right! Please post if you have any questions about post op care, but the main thing is to watch for infection (which rarely happens), heat at the site, oozing that is not clear, and extreme swelling. You may feel or see a 'lump' at the site, that is normal, it is swelling on the inside from stitches in there and inflammation, I remember I freaked out when I saw that on my Chrissy. Good luck, and keep posting!
Thanks! I never knew there might be a lump but at least now if I do find one I wont worry as much as I probably would have if you hadn't mentioned it.. And I plan to check regularly to make sure the stitches haven't popped and there's no infection. I had a look about 30 minutes ago when I woke up and everything looks fine :) I was so scared Chloe would try jumping around overnight and maybe pop open the stiches. She's been such a sweet little girl though since she got home and wants to be with me constantly.. When we got home yesterday she spent the evening snuggling on the sofa, then when I went to bed she came and joined me and slept on my pillow right next to my head, and now she's back on the sofa with me :) It's not like Chloe to act this way, so I think she's hurting and wants to be around mummy where she's all safe
 

catmomma627

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Feb 20, 2014
Messages
250
Purraise
175
Location
Missouri
None of my cats who were spayed have ever been sent home with meds. I've given the vet the okay to give it to them after surgery, but I've never gotten any sent home.

I can't imagine that your girls would need more than two days of pain meds? But I could be totally wrong. Hopefully someone can chime in on this. Because if also like to know if I should request meds with future cats?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #14

sarahd1987

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Mar 4, 2014
Messages
77
Purraise
5
None of my cats who were spayed have ever been sent home with meds. I've given the vet the okay to give it to them after surgery, but I've never gotten any sent home.

I can't imagine that your girls would need more than two days of pain meds? But I could be totally wrong. Hopefully someone can chime in on this. Because if also like to know if I should request meds with future cats?
Well the vet advised me before that they don't usually sent cats home with pain meds when they've been spayed, but they will if it's requested.. The stuff I have though is from when Sophie had the surgery on her leg because of the break, so I just asked if it was ok to give them that rather than getting more, since I still have some left.. I just don't feel comfortable with the idea of them not having some pain meds.. If I'd had surgery I'd expect some pain relief, so I wouldn't leave my little girls without any.. They're my babies and I hate the thought of them being in any pain, so I'd rather be overly cautious than not cautious enough
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #15

sarahd1987

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Mar 4, 2014
Messages
77
Purraise
5
I'm just wondering if it's normal for a cat to become quite clingy after surgery? I don't mind it at all, just it's quite unlike Chloe to insist on being with me constantly.. Since she got home yesterday from her surgery she came and cuddled me on the sofa and occasionally gets down to use the litter box or eat a little food, and even slept right next to my head on the pillow last night, and spent the whole morning today so far cuddling with me. I do enjoy all her cuddles, but I'm just wondering if its maybe a sign that something could be wrong? Usually I'm lucky if I get even 1 long cuddle from her a day (Usually she'll come jump onto the sofa, I'll pet her a little, then she'll get down again and do whatever), so it worries me a little when all of a sudden she wants to be with me constantly.  Hopefully nothing is wrong and she's just feeling a bit sore and needs some mummy snuggles, but I do worry!
 

jcat

Mo(w)gli's can opener
Veteran
Joined
Feb 13, 2003
Messages
73,213
Purraise
9,851
Location
Mo(w)gli Monster's Lair
That's normal behavior for many cats after just a vet visit, let alone anesthesia and surgery, so I wouldn't worry too much. Some cats withdraw when they're ill, scared or in pain, but others will stick to you like glue. I've been very fortunate in that our last two cats have been the latter type.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #17

sarahd1987

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Mar 4, 2014
Messages
77
Purraise
5
That's normal behavior for many cats after just a vet visit, let alone anesthesia and surgery, so I wouldn't worry too much. Some cats withdraw when they're ill, scared or in pain, but others will stick to you like glue. I've been very fortunate in that our last two cats have been the latter type.
Thanks! That's reassuring.. Whenever there's any change in behaviour I start to worry! I'm glad that Chloe chooses to be around me constantly when she's not feeling well because I guess that means she feels safe with me :)
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #19

sarahd1987

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Mar 4, 2014
Messages
77
Purraise
5
I'm just wondering if people think this looks normal? It's hard to get a proper picture because it's only 5am here so still dark outside and the light bulb in the living room isn't the brightest! I think it looks slightly red, but not sure if that's normal. It doesn't look like it's badly infected or anything, just a slight redness around where her spay was, but I'm not sure if that's just how her skin is or just normal after surgery. I'll gladly take her to the vets if you guys think it's best, but I don't want to over react about nothing and waste the vets time.. I do tend to worry about things a lot usually so I think I may be worrying over nothing.. Here's a picture of it.. When it gets light outside I can probably get a better picture. I also don't think her cut/stitches look as tidy as Chloe's.. Like you can see in the picture, its like the skin is being pulled and like making some folds of skin. Chloe's is very tidy though and just looks normal and flat.

 
Last edited:

mosimom

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Dec 26, 2013
Messages
448
Purraise
102
Looks normal to me. The "itchies" are going to start soon. If they start nibbling on the stitches then you
may have to resort to the cone.
 
Top