Spay day for Glinda

I decided to spay Glinda now. I don't know when I will be able to keep her confined for a cpl days, as I am planning on getting rid of the dog crate in the next couple of weeks.

I am a bit of a wreck, they called and told me she had a heart murmur,but a very mild one. I told them then that I didn't mark her as a feral (this is a LCC that does TNR) but she was born one. The tech said she was very sweet and they hadn't had any trouble.

Now I am worried they marked the wrong crate when they added her paperwork to it. JK. Guess it is a good thing orange girls aren't common. That place was a madhouse.

I actually still thought they were going to call and tell me she was a boy

They keep the cats overnight because they get spayed at the end of the day. I am going to miss my girl like crazy tonight. Hanging out with her the last few evenings has been great. She is also a constant source of entertainment with her antics.

She was so upset about not eating this morning. Two people at the clinic said I couldn't feed her, then the paperwork this morning said they could eat if they were under four months. I am super stressed now. She had 1/4 can of fancy feast and half a jar of baby food close to midnight. Will she be okay through this afternoon?

Just sharing. I could also use any advice on acclimating her to use and keeping her from climbing jumping. She loves her tree and her favorite game is don't touch the floor. She can make it around the entire room without touching the floor. My husband says she acts like the floor is lava.

As far as dealing with her, will she be angry with us? Should we just keep up more of the same? The food seems to be the big ice breaker with her.

Withholding the food at breakfast time was the worst for me, too. I actually left my house early in the AM the day of the neuter and didn't return until it was time to take Harry to the vet! All I can say is that when they're very young, they bounce back from surgery and trauma fairly quickly. She will be okay in a few days and will not hold a grudge. If you're concerned about her being hungry or her medical issues, call your veterinary office and ask all the questions that you need to. You can also tell them you want to take her home tonight. Most vet clinics will allow a spay to return the same day as long as she has a quiet, private place in which to recover.  Keep us posted!

It sounds like she's already at the spay clinic so there's nothing you can do about what's already done, but the mix up on feeding instructions can be a problem for small kittens because their blood sugar can drop too low if they go too long without feeding.   If they don't do the spays until the end of the day, of COURSE the younger ones should eat in the morning.  The spay clinic I routinely use advises you to feed the young ones (2-3 months) at 6:30 AM but on;ly half the usual amount, check in time is 7:30 AM, and they start doing the spays around 9:00-9:30 (neuters are after spays), and pick up time depends on the number they are doing that day, but can be anywhere from 2:30 to 4:30 PM.  The girls are usually fully awake but sleepy and you are supposed to offer a little food and water to the young ones a soon as you get them home, but wait 2 hours for the older ones.  I always confine ours to a fabric crate overnight.  You already have a crate, so perhaps you could bring her home if you promise to confine her.  The cats are sometimes a little drunk and clumsy as they recover from anesthesia so crating is a good solution.  I put the crate in a quiet room and cover with a blanket or sheet to keep it dark.

Depending on her age and size, you might call the clinic and mention that she had not eaten since midnight if she is small.  You might also ask if you could take her home tonight and keep her in the crate you already have.  If they have someone who watches the cats overnight, staying would be fine, but if there is no one on duty watching the cats, she would certainly be much better off at home where you can keep an eye on her and make sure she gets food when she's ready.

As for the heart murmur, I had a little feral rescue who had a much more severe (grade 3) heart murmur when she was spayed at only 8 weeks of age.  The vet said it would probably go away in time.  She was fine and I adopted her out, explaining that to the couple adopting her, but when they took her to get her second shot, the vet they went to got all panicky about the heart murmur and said they should get ultrasound etc. which would cost a fortune, so the woman returned the cat, in tears, because she felt she could not afford to take care of a kitten with such a serious problem.  I kept her several months and kept taking her back to my vet for heart checks.  The murmur grew less and less, and the vet got more and more enamored of the kitten and finally asked if SHE could adopt her!  Happy ending.  And that was a year ago.  The kitten rules her house, the whole family loves her, and the heart murmur is totally gone.

I left a message about picking her up today, but I couldn't get ahold of anyone. Thanks for your help.

About a third of the cats were TNR. At least half were kittens. I guess they know what they are doing, but why would two people tell me no food after midnight? She has already been there once.

I think that discrepancy on "to feed (kittens) and not to feed (adults) should be brought to the attention of someone in charge, because that could cost a small kitten his or her life.  They go down fast when their blood sugar drops too low and they can be gone before anyone notices.

I am definitely bringing it up at pick up in three hours. Especially now that I have the information you have given me.