Cat After Getting Spayed -- Horrible Behavior

Hey everyone! It's me again Mariel. I introduced my little princess in my last thread (If you'd like you can check it out before reading this one!) I'm back with yet another problematic situation of mine and I just don't know what to do anymore. Recently my kitten Nala just got spayed. Instead of putting an e-collar on her (I couldn't find any nearby) I had to put a dress on her so that she can stop licking her wound. (Someone please tell me if this is a bad idea). With dress around, boy, our whole family, especially me, is having a hard time dealing with her behavior. Ever since she got spayed, She has been SO skittish. She get's so scared easily, One pat on her back she will jump so high and bang into so much stuff, making her intensely stressed, and also ends up hurting someone. It's really frustrating, because my family is getting really pissed off with Nala, I don't even know how to explain her behavior. They end up hurting Nala because of their frustration as well and I try to stop them, But they just can't deal with this kind of aggression Nala has. She has been so irritable and aggressive. Right now her wound is still healing and I know she's having such a hard time dealing with it. Could anyone tell me what I could do so that she can gain my trust back instead of her thinking that I'm torturing her? Lots of love! 


 

What do you mean they end up hurting her?

How long ago was the spay?

If they're hurting the cat you need to remove her from their access. Period. Hurting or scaring cats makes them mean or scaredy. Can you lock her in your room? Call animal control/police to have a chat with your family members? Something needs to be done, just figure out which option is best for your situation. But you CAN'T allow your family to keep hurting her or she'll be permanently messed up.

I would take the dress off. It's obviously causing problems. If it's been at least 3 days it's not as critical to keep her from licking her stitches. Don't worry about normal licking, only intervene if she starts trying to bite the stitches or if she's licking so hard she causes a sore.

It's fairly normal for cats to act a little odd after having anesthetic. It usually lasts for a couple of days. But now that your family has been hurting her I'm afraid that will have caused irreversible harm. Even one bad experience caused by humans can really mess up a cat forever.

You need to protect your cat from bad people.

I think you should call your vet and consult about the dress. It's best if you can send them a picture of what this looks like and get their approval.

As for your family. I generally agree that if there is actual physical abuse and they won't stop, I would call in the authorities. Sometimes a stern word from a figure of authority is all it takes. That said, without knowing much about your situation, we can't be of help in deciding whether to do so or not. I'm not sure how old you are and which family members are the problem here, so again, hard to give you concrete advice here.

How is she doing today? I hope things settle down for all of you soon. Do let us know.

Hi there,
First of all , I'll point out Im pretty new to this forum so the following is just advice from my own experience after getting Martha spayed, so please listen more to the members who have been on the Forum longer than me than taking my advice/thoughts as red.
When I got Martha back home she had a neck brace on , this caused great discomfort ,so after consulting my vet, my pet insurance vet helpline , a few cat forums ( this was one being the best one obviously [emoji]128521[/emoji]) the advice I was given was to take the brace of and monitor martha in case she tried to pick at her wound, or lick it excessively. Thankfully the stitches were on the inside of her body not the outside so that it easier, obviously I watched her like a hawk but a few people even said that when they had taken their cat to get spayed the majority of the time a neck brace was not needed. I guess this just a matter of different opion from different cat owners vets etc. When I got her home she ate a little food and went to sleep, she was a bit drowsy but as the days went by she began to perk up. Last night she was as high a kite but to my own admission I did give her a few to many cat treats so that one was my bad. As for the dress I agree with other members consult your vet on that one.
As for the people being horrible to your feline friend, speak to them ,calmly, maybe you can put Nala in a separate room (with you there) away from these people.
Its so obvious you care for your cat, I,too , felt guilty about getting my cat spayed but I knew deep down it was done because I love her and care for her and have her best interests at heart just like you do for Nala.
Since getting Martha spayed Ive noted she's slowly becoming more affectionate towards me which is great, My vet said it takes about 10 days for Martha to adjust to her new way of life but in the long run it really make her more happier and healthier.
I think your doing fine , like me , you probably have stacks of questions in your head regarding Nala, your full of shall I shan't I,s what happens if,s but as people have said to me ,you know deep down your doing your best and so will Nala.
Hang on there, she and you will get through this and your find the bond between you will get ever stronger.
Good luck [emoji]128513[/emoji]

My boy just got neutered 3 days ago. He hates the e-collar. Once it's on him, he'll roll on the floor and use his legs to kick it off. This is the secon time he is on the e-collar because once was a previous injury near his bum.
He totally dislike it and think it kinda spook him too.
So I think Nala is also spooked by the dress. It's like a cat being caught on a plastic bag and panic and they run like its the end of the world. I'm sure you've seen this scene on other cats before.
Better try to calm her down and get her to gain back her confidence in you guys and make sure she is not hurt by anyone. Explain to your family members nicely about the situation so that they understand it better. Talk sweetly to Nala and keep a close watch on the spay site.

All cats act afraid and skittish after something like this, because they are in pain and are insecure and traumatised from the surgery. Call your vet and explain what is happening, then take off that dress and put her in a calm environment, like a bedroom, and let her heal in peace. Your family is acting horribly, to actually punish a cat for being in pain is inexcusable, they should all be ashamed of themselves. You need to stand up to them and keep her away from them until she is back to herself before they traumatise her permanently. I have had MANY cats neutered and spayed, and like MANY vets, mine does not put anything restrictive on the cat, I believe it further upsets them then they already are. I have never had a problem, they lick the stitches and that is it. There is no way to collar' a feral cat anyway, so it is not done on them and they come through fine. Take pity on that sweet little girl, she is scared and in pain and needs you to understand and calm her, PLEASE get her into a calm place with food, water, litter box and you,  so she can heal. 

@MyCuteNala  How is it going?