More Spay/Neuter Questions

Hi again.. My female cat was just spayed a week ago and my male cat is getting neutered today. The instructions that the clinic gave me said to separate her in a small room for a week. Is it ok to let her run around the rest of the house now with Smokey (her brother.. after he heals from his neuter)? Also, does anyone have any pictures of what the area looks like about a week after the spay? I just want to make sure that everything is ok and the stitches didn't get messed up. I haven't seen any blood or anything but she did keep trying to lick the area and has also been pretty active. As for Smokey, why are you not supposed to feed the cat after 6 pm the day before the neuter? I'm pretty sure I fed them a couple hours before 6 but I'm not sure if there was any left over food up to that time. Is it dangerous if he did eat anything? Will they use anesthesia? Thanks. I've tried to read up on the procedures but I haven't found anything detailed.

Hi Blueangel, I am not sure why your vet suggested a week's separation? Most of the time for the females, 24 to 48 hours is enough time to let them start feeling themselves again, unless there are complications. Perhaps the vet was concerned your neutered male might still try and mount your female. That does happen from time to time, depending on the age and character of the cat being neutered.The spay area, what you are looking for are swellings that go larger than a golf ball. There will be small round lumps found around the incision site. It was explained to me once that this was just the body's reaction to the stitches and the stress on the tissues. You need to watch for unusual drainage, there should be no free flowing blood, or pus coming out. Most cats will lick themselves after surgery because of the pain, and then once it starts to heal it can itch.

Not feeding them after 6 p.m. is a precaution because of the anesthesia the vet uses, some cats can vomit afterwards, and the vets prefer the stomach to be as empty as possible so the kitty does not choke. It goes along the same lines as people who have surgery, they are not allowed to eat so many hours before the surgery and so many after, for the same reason.

Thank you for being a responsible pet owner and spaying and neutering your cats!

The seperation is probably also to prevent rough play from accidentally damaging the healing process for the incision.

Regarding no food...it generally helps prevent vomiting, but also it usually gives the digestive tract time to clear itself out. Anesthesia has a tendancy to induce broad spectrum muscle relaxation...some unpleasant side effects if the digestive tract is filled.

Spotz