After spay care question

datagrrl

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Not sure is this should be here or in care, but I will have a go.

My cat was spayed yesterday and is coming home in a couple of hours.

She has a hammock in her crate that is about a food off the floor at the highest. 8 inches or so in the middle.

My husband thinks I should take it down and lay it on the bottom of the crate. His point is more that she plays in it than climbing in it so sleep I think.

He also thinks I should lay her scratching post that is in the crate flat. Right now it is angled and she plays on that as well.

How long do I have to keep her in her crate? I read the ASPCA site says seven days? Really?

Supervising seems so hard, not that I am not willing, but maybe I don't understand it. She is pretty quick. She can be chill with me one second and up and running in seconds.
 

quiet

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Hi,

You kind of have to follow what the Veterinarian who does the spay recommends. There are different suture materials used and different methods of doing things so try to follow what they recommend. I agree with your husband on the hammock and the scratching post. The surgery is the same as a complete hysterectomy for a person (although probably done in the 1960's). So she will need some pain medications and some down time to heal. Once the sutures come out she should be fine. In fact even before they come out after a week or so she should be fine. 


A couple of things to help with keeping her in a crate.

*  Use a litter pan with low sides so it is easy for her to get in and out.

*  Double sticky Velcro works great to keep the litter pan on the floor of the crate.

*  Use regular cat litter or yesterday's news cat litter to avoid winding up with a clay footed kitty

                                                  In a small litter box their feet can get wet and the scoop able litter will stick to their toes and is painful to remove

*  You can also Velcro down the water and food bowls to avoid having them strewn about the crate.

*  When kitty first comes home have her in a quiet dark place and avoid loud noises or excessive handling.

*  Make sure she eats. Often not eating is a sign of pain in cats. As is half closed eyes with a "sick" look to them.

*  I use a smooth fabric cover for their bed because I have found terry cloth, as in a towel, and even fake fur etc. can sometimes stick to the surgery site.

Hope this helps somewhat.

The reason they want you to keep her in the crate is because she can be chill one minute and up and running the next. If she starts running and jumping etc. she can rip the internal sutures and that would be a real mess with an emergency surgery and risk of infection, not to mention the pain. So it really is best to keep her quiet and confined until healed.
 
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datagrrl

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Thanks, the double sided tape is a great idea. I have had her in a crate and never thought of that. Duh!

Her eyes look squinty. She did eat a bit. Spoon of baby food and wet food.

They said the kittens seem to heal faster. They didn't have any issues. She doesn't seem angry with us.

She will not need her stitches removed and the incision is pretty small. Most of the repeat cat parents were telling me they don't do anything different. I took her out for a second and she wanted to climb her tree. I think she needs the crate for a bit.
 
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datagrrl

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Ugh, I am going to the store. She is trying to attack the incision pretty bad. I guess she needs an e collar.
 
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