Are pain meds ESSENTIAL after a neuter??

My five month old boy was neutered today. My mom was the one who picked him up afterwards as I work out of town and was unable to.

The vet sent him home with 3 doses of metacam to be given once a day... After hearing what you guys all had to say regarding metacam I am NOT comfortable giving this to my kitten.

I meant to tell my vet this before he went in but I was so worried about everything else that It slipped my mind. And I'm upset with myself because i know they probably already gave him a shot of it I know it's my fault but now I'm unsure what to do. The vet clinic is not open until Monday and I have nothing else to give him for pain.

Will be be okay or are pain meds essential? So far I have just been keeping him calm, he's got a great appetite and has eaten lots of soft food with water added.

I don't think they are essential, as long as his neuter was straight forward and there were no other problems. None of my male cats had pain meds and they were all fine. The youngest one was neutered in September and came home a few hours later just wanting to eat and play with his buddies.

Keep an eye on him, if he is eating and using his litter box as usual there is nothing to worry about.

Usually, cats are given pain meds during surgery which lasts a considerable amount of time afterwards. I've never had a cat that required pain meds following a spay or neuter. That said, keep your kitten fairly quiet for a day or two and there shouldn't be an issue.

Regarding Metacam, it is safe at the lowest dose possible and for a short period of time. If you find your cat does need pain meds, give them the Metacam as it will not hurt provided your cat is healthy. I have given my cat Metacam numerous times over a 6 month period when he was ill and he is fine today.

I hope this helps!

My kitty came home a few hours after being neutered and he didn't have pain meds.  He did fine, as if nothing had been done to him.  A simple neuter procedure is not very invasive so there isn't a lot of pain like there would be with some other procedures.

My little guy was neutered in March. Because of his health issues, he was not allowed to have pain-killers. His little back-side didn't seem to bother him at all, but he sure wasn't impressed with the cone.