Spaying / Vaccinating a New mom Cat

magiksgirl

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Hello,

I've been reading so many cat articles in the past 2 weeks that I'm always getting new, very specific,  questions.

Grin gave birth on March 13 - About 2 weeks ago - to 5-6 babies.

How soon can she be spayed?

Is it fully asleep or partial sedation?

How long does she stay sedated?

What if the babies go hungry when she's away / asleep?

Will she loose interest in her babies after the sterilization?

Will she require special care after the surgery?

Will she need medications for after?

She being a stray cat, I'm sure she hasn't had any vaccines at all.

Should I vaccinate at the same time as sterilization?

Should I deworm at the same time as sterilization?

Since she's breastfeeding, Is there any danger to her babies if she's given medicine or vaccines?

Regarding the babies, 

I read that babies should be dewormed a 1st time on the 8th week and dewormed a 2nd time on their 12th... Is this a good time frame?

Just before re-homing them on their 12th week or so, I plan to spay them. 

I read that they should be sterilized about 8-16 weeks of age, so will the 12th week be a good time?

I know there are so many questions, but I'm really happy with her babies and I want the best for momma cat and kitts' future. I don't want anything to happen to the kitts since I'm sterilizing her, there won't be any more to swoon over 
 

Thank you very much everyone!
 

red top rescue

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First of all, she should not be spayed until the babies have been weaned and NOt NURSING for two weeks!  Otherwise surgery could damage the mammary tissue.  Sedation is total, she is fully asleep.  How long she stays asleep depends on how fast the vet works.  Our local low cost spay clinic has us drop them off by 9 and we can pick them up at 4, and they are totally awake and not usually even groggy by then.  Yes, haviing her vaccinated at the same time as she is spayed is a good idea.  Rabies vaccine is required by our clinic and combo distemper/rhinotrachetis vaccine is optional. In rescue, sometimes we vaccinate the mamas when they come in to protect them against distemper/rhinotracheitis.  We use a killed vaccine for mamas and expectant mamas rather than the modified live vaccine generally used.  This helps them pass some immunity to their babies.  This is not necessary in a private home, only the shelter environment.

Worming the kittens can be done earlier as long as you are using a vet-approved worm medicine (dont ever use over the counter products!)  Strongid and Nemex (pyrantel pamoate) are very safe.  Worming #1 and #2 should be done between 2 and 3 weeks apart.  The purpose of #2 is to kill any worms that hatched from eggs since the previous worming before they are mature enough to lay eggs themselves.  We usually do it around 6 weeks and 8 weeks because ours are usually ready to be spayed and neutered at 8 weeks and are immediately available for adoption after that. 

Our vets require kittens to be at least 8 weeks of age and weigh at least 2 lbs. to be neutered/spayed.  The little ones are treated differently from the adults in that they are given a small breakfast at around 6 AM and do not fast from midnight on.  This protects them from hypoglycemia.  They are also fed a little as soon as they wake up enugh to eat, and again as soon as we get them home.

I hope that answers all of your questions.  If not, ask more.  You are taking great care of your mama and babies, and The Cat Goddess will bless you.  <3
 

tulosai

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Wonderful advice above by Red Top Rescue! I just wanted to add one thing which is to make ABSOLUTELY SURE she has no access to intact males during this time. Females can get pregnant immediately after giving birth and this is for obvious reasons unhealthy. While you would probably still be able to spay her on the timetable outlined above it would be more expensive and the whole situation in general would involve more risks.

Thank you for helping and taking such wonderful care of this cat!
 
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magiksgirl

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UPDATE: She has been sterilized. She's having her stitches taken off today or tomorrow*! 


*Our vet doesn't take appointments, so we'll call in and see if he has many patients there.
 

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Well done! How is she faring after surgery? Did you have the kittens done as well yet? :)
 
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magiksgirl

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@sarthur2  She did great! When I took her home, she seems a little tired so I let her rest. She started to lick her sutures but the doctor said that would be her way of fixing herself with her saliva. She was very loving through the whole experience. I took her in yesterday for the stitches and the vet said she was in tip-top shape she did wince a little when one was removed,  but it was over in a couple of seconds.

We gave her her first dose of deworming and her rabies vaccine. We need to wait 2 weeks to give her her "triple-feline" vaccine.

The babies are 12 weeks today.

I'm on a very tight budget so I can't deworm, vaccinate and sterilize at the same time
. Since my neighborhood is full of dogs and some mean people, I want momma (she's a "stray") to teach them  what to do and not do, where to go and where not to go, so I'm opting to have them dewormed and vaccinated first and will save up for the sterilization before they reach 4 months. I read somewhere that they can get mature as soon as that and since I kept a baby girl and boy, I don't want them to have any babies 
 

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Glad mama is doing great! The costs sure do add up. I had my pregnant mama spayed already at the private vet, and am taking two of my four in to the Humane Society tomorrow for low-cost neutering and shots. They will be 12 weeks Sunday. The other two go in the following Saturday. Using the Humane Society's low-cost clinic for the kittens is making it affordable for me. June is kitten month, and the surgery is only $20 per cat. Shots are extra, but it's a fantastic deal. My private vet refuses to spay or neuter until they are 6 months old. I prefer earlier anyway. I think it's better for them and easier on them. Enjoy your babies! I am loving every minute of mine. :)
 
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magiksgirl

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They certainly can add up! I wasn't planning on keeping 2 babies, but things turned out that way and I'm happy for it 


Whaaat! My babies are 2 days older!
 They are 12 weeks today! Congratulations on yours turning 12W on Sunday!


I'm having to save up on my guilty pleasures to pay for their medical expenses. I feel more like a grown up now that I'm sacrificing petty purchases to be able to pay for their expenses 


I'm enjoying them as much as I can!! I work a full time job so it's hard to play with them a lot
 because of other things I have to do like eat and shower 


But I AM taking a loooot of pictures and some videos of them! I've posted some on the the thread I started them (which can be found in my signature below).

I just saw your babies! They are beautiful and precious! Hurray for babies! 
 

Sarthur2

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Yes, hurray for babies! They are my second job and full-time passion! Mine were born on March 15th. Were yours the 13th? :)
 
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magiksgirl

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Yes! They were born on a Friday 13th! 
  My lucky kitties! 


Are you planning on keeping them all? 
 
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magiksgirl

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 congratulations on keeping them all! Do they have names yet? 
 

Sarthur2

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Yes m'am they do! They've had names for a few weeks now, and they all know their names very well and answer to them - Prissy (the only girl), Pumpkin (orange tabby), Mitten (grey with white mittens on his paws), and Blackie (jet black).

And I'm keeping mama too, of course. And I feed the dad out back. He's feral, but getting friendlier. I plan to TNR him as soon as I can.
 

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@sarthur2  and all others on this post. I am not sure if it directly caused it or contributed to it but my oldest male, he's 9 now, was neutered at a Pet-adopt-a-thon when he was 8 weeks old, I adopted him, he was very small. About 8 yrs later, he ended up with a blocked uretha and I was told by the Vet working on him that it was very,very hard to place a catheter as his uretha is much smaller than in normal males. When she asked about  when he was neutered I told her and she told me that, that was the reason they will not neuter before 6 months as the males must be fully developed before being neutered as it removes the body's source of male hormones. Which makes it to be that the cat will always have his male parts kitten-size. I have not ever had any of mine personally neutered before 6 months. With spays it is different but males are a special case. I would suggest if at all possible to wait at least until the cat is 4 or 5 months old, ideally 6 months.
 
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magiksgirl

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@sarthur2  Beautiful and fun names! It's so cool they answer to them as well! I thought that they didn't learn their names which is why I put off giving them official names


@nansiludie  Wow... thank you very much for that information. I don't want anything to happen to Grinnie in the long run
 
 

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N nansiludie

I have heard that before, however I have never had a problem in the past with a male cat. The Humane Society performs thousands of these a year, so I am putting my trust into them. I can understand your vet's point though. It is a legitimate concern. And if performed incorrectly, the male parts can be damaged as well, resulting in having to put the cat down. Thank you for sharing your experience, as others may find it valuable.
 

mservant

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There is a lot of information around about the merits or otherwise of early spay / neuter practice - on the internet, in veterinary surgeries, and various cat organizations.  Current literature does not generally support the view expressed above about effect on development of the urethra.  There are some interesting viewpoints to consider though, and the following 3 articles offer varied perspectives on this question.  The third one in particular offers what appears to be fair and unbiased information - but take note that it talks about both cats and dogs and the negative risk factors mostly apply to dogs when you read through.  

http://www.cfainc.org/CatCare/SpayNeuter/EarlySpayNeuter.aspx

http://pets.thenest.com/happens-kittens-neutered-early-8289.html

http://www.2ndchance.info/spayneuter.htm

From a personal perspective, Mouse was neutered at the age of around 10 weeks, timed for between his initial inoculations.  To date he has no evident health issues, he is gorgeous if a little tubby but more due to the lack of human discipline in my home than any surgical procedure in his youth, and he could in no way be described as shy or prone to hiding.   I was very happy that the traumatic experience was all over with at a young age and with his microchip being inserted at the same time to avoid any discomfort from that too.
 

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mservant mservant

Thank you for the additional links! We can all benefit from being educated enough to make informed decisions on behalf of our furry friends! :)
 
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mservant

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You can imagine how much reading up I did when I was first told Mouse would be neutered at around 10 weeks!  I had never heard about it being done that early before and it really panicked me.  It seems that there has been a bit more research done over the last couple of years which is good to see.
 
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