Spaying Stray

Hello!

There is a stray cat who hangs around in our backyard most of the day. We call her Boba. She's super friendly, will let me pet her and pick her up.

We are getting her spayed and vaxed on Tuesday morning. We plan on keeping her in a large crate in the garage after the surgery,but I have some questions.

First, how many hours before the surgery do I need to keep her in the crate so she can fast? Overnight or 24 hrs?

And should I let her roam in the garage after the surgery? I don't want her to feel cooped up but I don't know if she will become frightened and hide somewhere in the garage where I can't get to her. I was thinking of keeping her in the crate and letting her out into the laundry room a few hours during the day. What is the best approach?

Thanks!

Hello elliot, thank you for taking the task to spay the stray cat that has been coming around your house. You are doing her a great favor

It's no food and water 12 hours before surgery. As they can vomit and under anesthesia and they can't cough it out and can get choked which can be life threatening.

After the surgery, she'll feel groggy from the anesthesia and may not eat or drink for the next few hours which is alright. But if you think that she wants to eat, feed her a little food will do.

Most likely she'll co e home with some pain medicine and a cone over her head to prevent her from licking the surgery site. As the days past, just keep tab on the wound and make sure it's dry and not oozing pus or blood or stitches coming off or wound opening. Watch for pus, could smell as this indicates an infection.
Also make sure that after she use the litter box, no litter is stuck on the wound. If possible, use a warm not so damp soft towel to dab off the litter dust.

If your garage is cat safe, then just prepare a comfortable place with her blanket or bed. She'll probably be sleeping for the day or so. Once the anesthesia wears off, she might move around and be back to her old self. Just make sure she does not do strenuous exercises like running and jumping around.
If she is a calm cat, I suggest that you don't keep her in the crate after the surgery.

If you decide to let her into the laundry room, then why not house her there instead? Except that you just keep all detergents and poisons away from her reach. Or plug up hiding spots in the garage or laundry room and make sure that there's no escape route and leave the crate in with crate door open so if she wants to hide, she can hide in the crate. Get a blanket and drape over the crate so that she feels safe in it. That is also good when you are bringing her to and fro the vet. This will help calm her down and reduce her stress.

Spend more time with her after the surgery so that she won't loose her trust in you.

Do keep us posted

Okay, I will pull food and water tonight. Right now, I have her in the laundry room, but if she is a door dasher I might have to keep her in the garage. One of my cats, Ary, isn't fond of her and would hiss at her through the screen door when she was outside.

Thank you so much, I'll keep this thread updated!

Boba is back home. She ate a little and is angry about the cone but otherwise, she's doing well.

Good job!  She's a lucky kitty to have found you to help her.

That's great! She'll love you for it later