Aftercare for spay

jcat · Dec 24, 2015

that it went well. She could be slightly nauseated from the anesthesia. Does she like to have her chest rubbed? I usually wait until they're lying down, then rub their chests till they turn over on their backs so I can get a look at the incision.

donutte · Dec 24, 2015

I don't think we have gotten to the point where I've figured out if she likes her chest rubbed yet, lol. She's such a weird kitty - I think if I had to describe it I'd say she's a seductress by nature

She likes to get you to come by her and then she runs a few feet away then wants you to come by again. Eventually, you get to her and she rolls on the floor. Not now of course but usually.

She greeted me this morning in bed. Told me it was time to wake up. Was rubbing on me and purring, then settled down on top of my legs after telling me it was time to wake up. Way to send mixed messages, Miss Pea-Pea Head! Eventually I sat up and she was looking at me with her seductress eyes. I was petting her and she was purring. She was halfway on her back so I gently rolled her over a bit and took a look at the incision. Looks good so far! And she seems more like herself so that's good.

I'm supposed to give her the pain meds every day for five days, even if it doesn't look like she needs them (because they're also anti-inflammatory). They can be given as treats on their own merit for some cats. Penelopy doesn't do treats. Any treats. Ever. I'm not even sure she'll eat human food. They said it could be smushed in with some canned food so might have to try it that way.

stewball · Dec 25, 2015

Ruaryx said:
I recommend that you have this conversation with your vet. I always make a list of questions to ask my vet and make sure that they answer all of them so that I can understand my choices. You pay for their services and should be able to expect this. My vet is great and always seem happy to talk to me about my concerns.

Anyways, personally, my cat did not wear an e-collar or get pain meds. However, we went to a high-volume low cost place. I have heard of others getting e-collars and pain meds however, so Idk what the norm is. My cat did not seem to be in excessive pain and didn't lick her stitches. You will probably be advised to make sure that your cat's activity level is low, so no play sessions, no stairs, etc. Personally, I isolated my cat in my bedroom to give her some peace and quiet for a few days.

Before spay, I would recommend getting a blood panel done to make sure that going under anesthesia will be safe for your kitty if she's older. Don't let her eat the night before (not sure about water).

Look out for puss and/or swelling on the wound sight and make sure kitty doesn't lick it. Good luck! It's a relatively safe and routine procedure, but I understand your nervousness. Feel free to call your vet if you have any questions after the surgery.

You're right about the food but water is a necessity.
I'd ask the vet for dissolvable stitches.

stewball · Dec 25, 2015

Donutte said:
Spay day tomorrow! I'm trying to figure out how to hide the kibble and water from Penelopy without hiding it from all the other cats. The kibble they'll probably be ok going without, but feel bad about the water. And I don't want to crate her up all night long either.

YOU MUST GIVE HER WATER. I'm not shouting. I just wanted to make sure you see it. Good luck but all will be okay.

stewball · Dec 25, 2015

Stewball said:
YOU MUST GIVE HER WATER. I'm not shouting. I just wanted to make sure you see it. Good luck but all will be okay.

Oops. Too late. Sorry. Still everything is okay.

donutte · Dec 25, 2015

Haha, yeah, all done and she is doing good today. She came into bed with me last night and slept at the foot of my bed, seemingly unfazed by all my moving around (unlike most kitties). She's probably under my bed again right now, she likes to go under there during the day for some reason. I think she likes to see what's going on from that angle.

kittens mom · Dec 25, 2015

Glad to hear she's healing up so well.

donutte · Dec 25, 2015

Thank you, I'm glad too! And she doesn't seem to be bothering with the incision area so much.

And for the record, we did end up leaving the water out. I felt too bad completely taking that away, and I don't think we did that with the kittens either. In fact, I think with them, they said water was fine up until 6:00am the morning they were neutered. That was easy enough to do.

kittens mom · Dec 25, 2015

Donutte said:
Thank you, I'm glad too! And she doesn't seem to be bothering with the incision area so much.

And for the record, we did end up leaving the water out. I felt too bad completely taking that away, and I don't think we did that with the kittens either. In fact, I think with them, they said water was fine up until 6:00am the morning they were neutered. That was easy enough to do.

Mercy was already spayed. I'm glad we didn't have to deal with that. We seem to be more traumatized by it than the cats.

donutte · Dec 25, 2015

Kittens Mom said:
Mercy was already spayed. I'm glad we didn't have to deal with that. We seem to be more traumatized by it than the cats.

Under normal circumstances, she would have been spayed already as well. She was pregnant when they got her in June and then she had a litter of six (seriously cute, I saw their pics) kittens in July. And after they weaned she kept getting sick with a cold (a lot of the cats there did for awhile from the sounds of it). I adopted her literally the day after her last round of antibiotics finished. They normally wouldn't adopt out a cat that wasn't fixed (or vaccinated for that matter - had to do that a week after I got her). But they figured she'd be more likely to not get sick again if she was out of there. She has a single sneeze once in awhile, but other than that she's been perfectly healthy.

With all that said, I'll make sure to ask the day before the adoption if all of this has been done already. I HATED having to drag her out to the vet so much because I had to take her to the one by the shelter to get all this stuff done. In fact, when she gets her sutures taken out, I'm taking her to my vet even though it will cost me a little bit (would be free at the other vet) both because it is a much shorter amount of time in the car and carrier for her, plus I can make an appt at my vet. The other one is walk-in only, so right after the new year (when I have to take her in) I expect they'd be packed.

stewball · Dec 25, 2015

Donutte said:
Haha, yeah, all done and she is doing good today. She came into bed with me last night and slept at the foot of my bed, seemingly unfazed by all my moving around (unlike most kitties). She's probably under my bed again right now, she likes to go under there during the day for some reason. I think she likes to see what's going on from that angle.

For future reference, if she or any cat has to go on a 12 hour fast, never take the water away.

donutte · Dec 25, 2015

Stewball said:
For future reference, if she or any cat has to go on a 12 hour fast, never take the water away.

I like to think I'll remember that, and after the last time, I thought I would. But that was only three months ago, and when it came down to that time again, it was like I had never gone through it before.

Hopefully I will though. And I'm sure there will be a "next time". I will always have cats in my life, I don't know any other way.

stewball · Dec 26, 2015

Donutte said:
I like to think I'll remember that, and after the last time, I thought I would. But that was only three months ago, and when it came down to that time again, it was like I had never gone through it before.

Hopefully I will though. And I'm sure there will be a "next time". I will always have cats in my life, I don't know any other way.

Just try and remember that they have to be kept hydrated. :-)

gonger · Jan 16, 2016

Booking in my little girl for the start of February since I've got the money for it. Pain meds to take home and an e-collar are included in the price other than that I don't know much about it.

How has everyone managed to keep their cats quiet/calm after surgery? I was thinking of locking her in our bedroom and taking off the top part of her cat tower. She'll hate that though. We had a guest tell me to buy a small dog crate to put her in for a week but that's not really feasible.

bonepicker · Jan 16, 2016

My feral girl went for same day spay and was released to the wild after holding her overnight only.

stewball · Jan 17, 2016

All my girls came home the same day with no pain meds. All were OK except for gentle who opened her stitches and had to have another operation. See if you can have dissolving stitches.

yahushua kid · Sep 4, 2016

I recently had my cat spayed june 22nd, it's September 4th, it changed my cat, had complications as soon as I got her home, the vet's wife was nonchalant about it, my cat acted strange circling as soon as I got her home, she said if it was capstar or anesthesia then it would wear off in 24 hrs, she grew worse, I didn't know it was going to be that way. I realized she was possibly seizing, took her back, they kept her over weekend, vet said it was vestibular, that it should go away, my cat is blind, can't chew well, can't hardly drink water, on her left side she can't get up, if she falls on that sides , she is stuck that way, twitchy, she still circles or just lays, she can't meow like she use to, I am do sad for her. I am almost positive she had a stroke, I asked if my cat was ate after surgery, the vet said they were feeding, I asked if my cat had ate, she bypassed the question, my biggest problem is they did not check my cat out before sending her home and vet's wife seemed to rush me out when I picked cat up from spay, I am going back for answers, wish it was vestibular, I don't think it is, anyone else have an experience like this, is there anything I can do to help her, we feed her, and help her when she falls, she is not mobile at all, she's crippled and not at all the way she used to be, I gotta find another vet.

miagi's_mommy · Sep 4, 2016

Yahushua kid said:
I recently had my cat spayed june 22nd, it's September 4th, it changed my cat, had complications as soon as I got her home, the vet's wife was nonchalant about it, my cat acted strange circling as soon as I got her home, she said if it was capstar or anesthesia then it would wear off in 24 hrs, she grew worse, I didn't know it was going to be that way. I realized she was possibly seizing, took her back, they kept her over weekend, vet said it was vestibular, that it should go away, my cat is blind, can't chew well, can't hardly drink water, on her left side she can't get up, if she falls on that sides , she is stuck that way, twitchy, she still circles or just lays, she can't meow like she use to, I am do sad for her. I am almost positive she had a stroke, I asked if my cat was ate after surgery, the vet said they were feeding, I asked if my cat had ate, she bypassed the question, my biggest problem is they did not check my cat out before sending her home and vet's wife seemed to rush me out when I picked cat up from spay, I am going back for answers, wish it was vestibular, I don't think it is, anyone else have an experience like this, is there anything I can do to help her, we feed her, and help her when she falls, she is not mobile at all, she's crippled and not at all the way she used to be, I gotta find another vet.

That definitely is not normal, my girl was back to normal within 24 hrs. I would get a different vet so fast... I'm sorry this happened to your girl. And this being an old thread, you might want to make a new thread so it gets more attention.

ivysaur · Jan 5, 2017

I have a question to add!! Can my sweetie sleep in my bed? Will she be okay jumping off and on again?? SOS!

chrisszy · Jan 14, 2017

jcat said:
for her! A lot depends on the vet. The shelter I work at often has several cats neutered a week - last week there were 5 of them. They're allowed water the night before, but no food, and generally come back from the vet's office the same day. They don't wear e-collars. We check their bellies/behinds every day for signs of inflammation, tearing or excessive licking. We've had just a few females "worry" their incisions, and they've had to wear "belly bands" for a few days. The vet prescribes pain medication, which the males usually get for 3 - 5 days and the females a week. The only time they're separated from their littermates or roommates is if play gets too rambunctious.

Other vets don't give pain meds at all, or only to females.

Aftercare for spay

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