I brought him to an SPCA clinic here in NY, dropped him off this morning, then picked him up about an hour ago.
When we arrived early this morning, he became apprehensive when he heard dogs barking in a nearby kennel on the SPCA property. Lots of dogs, lots of barking. Fortunately, inside the SPCA clinic, there was only one other pet owner with a large-ish dog who was docile and didn't pay Drogo much mind. When I handed him off to the SPCA staff, he looked at me in confusion, like "What's going on???" I wish I could have made him understand I would be back. He was a trooper, though.
Picked him up six hours later, and he was in his carrier, teeth bared, full open-mouthed hissing at the SPCA people and pacing around his carrier. He was making a terrible noise I've never heard him make, ever. The people at the clinic said it was a natural response, and that in his mind he was "defending" himself. He was also clearly disoriented and confused from the surgery and anesthesia. Pain meds were relatively expensive, but I was NOT going to bring Drogo home without relief. I've got to administer the first dose by mouth in another hour or so. Hopefully that will happen without incident.
Drogo calmed down considerably once he saw me up close, and while he was still agitated, he seemed to relax a little bit in the car on the way home. I talked to him in a soft voice, trying to reassure him that everything was going to be okay and that we were going home. He came right out of his carrier when we got home and started looking for food. The poor guy hasn't eaten since yesterday, but the instructions from the vet say to wait at least another 2 hours before offering him food. While they say most cats aren't hungry after spay/neuter, I think Drogo will probably be the exception. He clearly wants to eat. Whether he can keep it down is another matter.
Now he's just kind of hanging out, walking gingerly and a little out of it, but truthfully he doesn't seem all that different from normal. He's certainly been more affectionate in the time since we've been home. I think he's very happy to be back and to be with me, as he's been rubbing up against me and just tried jumping into my lap. He failed and I didn't encourage him to try again because I don't want him to aggravate the wound. I considered picking him up, but decided to let him be for at least a few minutes. I just placed a comfy new folded towel in his favorite lounging/sleeping spot and I'll be watching him closely all night.
I'm glad it's over, and while I know it's trivial for most people, this is really the first time I've had a pet, and certainly the first time I had to leave him off in the care of others for major surgery. I know it's a necessary surgery, but I still feel bad that it had to be done. On the bright side, he's healthy, he has no fleas, worms or ear mites, and while he's teething he's not suffering from any obstructions or other dental problems. All is well.
When we arrived early this morning, he became apprehensive when he heard dogs barking in a nearby kennel on the SPCA property. Lots of dogs, lots of barking. Fortunately, inside the SPCA clinic, there was only one other pet owner with a large-ish dog who was docile and didn't pay Drogo much mind. When I handed him off to the SPCA staff, he looked at me in confusion, like "What's going on???" I wish I could have made him understand I would be back. He was a trooper, though.
Picked him up six hours later, and he was in his carrier, teeth bared, full open-mouthed hissing at the SPCA people and pacing around his carrier. He was making a terrible noise I've never heard him make, ever. The people at the clinic said it was a natural response, and that in his mind he was "defending" himself. He was also clearly disoriented and confused from the surgery and anesthesia. Pain meds were relatively expensive, but I was NOT going to bring Drogo home without relief. I've got to administer the first dose by mouth in another hour or so. Hopefully that will happen without incident.
Drogo calmed down considerably once he saw me up close, and while he was still agitated, he seemed to relax a little bit in the car on the way home. I talked to him in a soft voice, trying to reassure him that everything was going to be okay and that we were going home. He came right out of his carrier when we got home and started looking for food. The poor guy hasn't eaten since yesterday, but the instructions from the vet say to wait at least another 2 hours before offering him food. While they say most cats aren't hungry after spay/neuter, I think Drogo will probably be the exception. He clearly wants to eat. Whether he can keep it down is another matter.
Now he's just kind of hanging out, walking gingerly and a little out of it, but truthfully he doesn't seem all that different from normal. He's certainly been more affectionate in the time since we've been home. I think he's very happy to be back and to be with me, as he's been rubbing up against me and just tried jumping into my lap. He failed and I didn't encourage him to try again because I don't want him to aggravate the wound. I considered picking him up, but decided to let him be for at least a few minutes. I just placed a comfy new folded towel in his favorite lounging/sleeping spot and I'll be watching him closely all night.
I'm glad it's over, and while I know it's trivial for most people, this is really the first time I've had a pet, and certainly the first time I had to leave him off in the care of others for major surgery. I know it's a necessary surgery, but I still feel bad that it had to be done. On the bright side, he's healthy, he has no fleas, worms or ear mites, and while he's teething he's not suffering from any obstructions or other dental problems. All is well.
