Getting my kitty neutered

Hiya,
I'm looking at getting my female cat neutered now I've come back off holiday but know nothing about it.
She's an indoor cat, never ever been outside or tried to go outside & is around 7 months old and never shown signs of being in heat. Will this cause any problems?
Is the operation a serious One? Will it take all day or will I be able to wait? Should I book a day off work for it?
Will she stop being my best pal and go too independent?

I worry to much, know it will be fine but just want to know how the procedure works. Either way I'm getting her neutered as I know this is a necessity really and should have really been done sooner.

Thanks for reading and your help.
Lana & my kitty Mulder (yes she's a girl, rescue centre told me she was a boy... Haha)

Your kitty will be fine but I'm very surprised she hasn't gone into heat. You will have to drop her off in the morning and pick her up in the evening. Normally you are sent home with pain meds and antibiotics. you will need to stay with her the evening of the spay but I don't think you need to take the next day off. They usually want to be left alone the next day anyway. By the 3rd day things as far as behavior will start getting to normal. She will be the same as she was before it doesn't change their behavior much unless they used to go into heat.

No, she's a great age to be spayed. It's better if she's not/has never been in heat. If she is in heat I think they have to make a bigger incision (I'm pretty sure the ovaries or tubes are a bit larger when they're in heat) and they might charge a bit more. When I got Freya spayed, she had pretty much only been indoors her whole life, and so will Zelda when she goes in on Wednesday.

It's a routine procedure, and since on females they are actually going in and taking things out, I would call it a serious one. They actually make a small incision and remove the reproductive organs- uterus, ovaries, etc. There's always a chance something could go wrong, but I would say it's highly unlikely and the benefits highly outweigh the risks. Even though Freya developed a small infection, she just had to be on antibiotics and the incision took a bit more time to heal.

When I took Freya in to get spayed, the clinic called the day before to remind me about the appointment as well as everything I would have to do to prepare her. No food or water after midnight. They also tell you to keep an eye on how much they eat afterwards, and only give them half their usual amount in case it makes them sick, but I let her have her fill and she had no problems. After she ate and drank I put her in her carrier until her anesthesia wore off so she wouldn't injure herself. I took her in at 7:30 the morning of, and left her there until 4:30, which was the scheduled pick up time. She was able to go home that same day, although some offices may prefer to keep the cats overnight for ovservation. When I took her to the clinic, they had an option for me to have a blood test done in order to ensure there wouldn't be any unforeseen complications, which I did.

Most cats bounce back pretty quickly. She was still woozy from the anesthesia when I got home, stumbling and staggering everywhere. Freya was trying to run and jump around immediately afterwards, which was a problem because I didn't want her to tear her stitches. She ended up developing an infection and had to wear the cone of shame. I hope Zelda does better. You may want to go ahead and make an appointment. I had Freya spayed at a spay and neuter clinic (cheaper than her regular vet) and they're always booked at least a month out.

As far as taking off work, that's totally up to you. Like I said, most cats bounce back pretty quick. You may want to make sure you're off the evening and day after, so you can keep an eye on her. I had my dad check on Freya a couple times a day when I was working. This time, Zelda's operation just happens to coincide with my vacation so I can be with her. If everything goes well and your cat doesn't develop an infection (which doesn't usually happen, just keep an eye on the incision, if it's not closing properly you'll probably know or suspect) it should take about 7-14 days to heal completely. And rather than making her more independent, she'll likely become even more snuggly.

lalalalana said:

Hiya,
I'm looking at getting my female cat neutered now I've come back off holiday but know nothing about it.
She's an indoor cat, never ever been outside or tried to go outside & is around 7 months old and never shown signs of being in heat. Will this cause any problems?
Is the operation a serious One? Will it take all day or will I be able to wait? Should I book a day off work for it?
Will she stop being my best pal and go too independent?

I worry to much, know it will be fine but just want to know how the procedure works. Either way I'm getting her neutered as I know this is a necessity really and should have really been done sooner.

Thanks for reading and your help.
Lana & my kitty Mulder (yes she's a girl, rescue centre told me she was a boy... Haha)

Click to expand...

Hi!

I see you're in the UK so I'd just like to warn you that things may be different there than in the States, for instance.

I cannot remember what happened in the UK when my cat was spayed, I know we waited at the surgery for the males to be castrated and took them home directly afterwards.

In Germany, where I live now, for a morning operation, most vets expect all animals to be brought in quite early in the morning. But, they can usually be collected by lunch time. I find this the best option, as it is easy to remove all food by about 10 pm the evening before and, instead of being fed the next morning, the cat is quickly put in its carrier. An afternoon OP means no food for the whole morning!!! No cat likes that.  A morning OP also means that by evening the patient is really wide awake and there is no danger of her falling off a bed or chair so you will get some sleep. Other vets do the operation while you wait: one added advantage to this is that the vet will probably need less anesthetic as he will be keen for the cat to wake up quickly so that she can go home. (In hospitals for people this is always the case)

But phone your local vets and ask them what their procedures are. You may have to take an afternoon off work but I don't think you will need longer. The operation itself has improved beyond recognition over the past few years and you'll be amazed how quickly your Mulder will recover.

Don't worry - she'll be just the same after her ordeal.