Some Tips for Neutering ?

Hi , My 6 month old little Bella-Blue is going in to be neutered in 2 weeks.

I went to the vet and they said that they dont put the big space disk around there neck anymore, because it causes more stress and that we need to drop her off in the morning with a babygrow, and they will put her in that after the op so that she doesnt bite the stitches. ( we bought one last week and tried it on her ,lol and walked around quiet happily all afternoon dresses as a baby! )

BUT , im still pretty aprehensive about this whole thing, i mean, im totally excited for her too as once she has recovered she can eventually go outside which she is really dying to do, but still its a big op in my eyes..

so some questions ..

How long is the normal recovery period? what can i expect? what can i do to make things easier?

btw, im not new, kinda lost my login and it did seem to recognise my email either :-)

I do lots of fostering work and deal with having kittys spayed and neutered on a weekly basis. Most kittys bounce right back to their normal selves after being altered. NO joke Usually the cats and kittens are fine within the next couple of days after surgery. I would just watch with females that they dont try to open their incision. Just keep an eye on her for licking the incision area.

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BUT , im still pretty aprehensive about this whole thing, i mean, im totally excited for her too as once she has recovered she can eventually go outside which she is really dying to do, but still its a big op in my eyes.. Quote

Please do not let your cat outdoors...there are so many dangers out there such as diseases, getting hit by a car, being mauled by another large animal...etc. Please re think about your cat going outdoors. It is not safe for them.

If you can break your cat of the habit of wanting to go out, or not let them start, you will have a much happier and longer living cat, in most cases.

An alternative to letting your cat go ouside is to build a cat enclosure outside, we built one and the cats love it. Even with a "cat run" cats should be vaccinated for Felv and FIP, since those are casual conatact viruses.

Guys seriously , im a little shocked ... I have 2 cats one older one little one,
and my older cat has gone outside from day one, and she absolutely adores being in my garden.

Now dont get me wrong, a cat that has never been outside, i will agree with you, doesnt know better but you arent seriously gonna try and sell me the fact that danger overweighs pleasure????

My cat loves to play in the garden infact, shes in it all summer, chasing anything and everything that flutters along! , she lives in the trees and its a perfectly safe enviroment. I dont live near any busy roads and dogs are not allowed to roam freely in holland, so there are no further dangers, i seriously have no idea what you are talking about .

Seeing this is our first kitten, we discussed introducing the outside enviroment to her with him and he said , purely supervised untill over 6 months old and neutered.. so we take her out into the garden with us now and she for now .... sit in the flower beds and eats anything thats green!! .

Guys i can understand that if you are living in a apartment building or in a city that you cannot let them outside.. truely , but there are cats out there that have gardens .. and that is NOT a bad thing, its a natural thing, if they can be outside then its the best option for them.. cat do belong outside! I see how happy my cat is when she is outside, and she is free to choose whether she wants to be in or out, and has a fix routine of being out in the day for roughly 4-6 hours and inside from feeding time till the next morning ..

In the last year I have euthanized 2 cats for FIV, 2 kittens for Felv and a couple of weeks ago held a cat as he was euthanized because he was hit by a car and his eye was hanging out of his head. I also hear regularly from clients whose cats have disappeared due to foxes and another who had to have 12 year old main coon put to sleep because a dog got into his yard and attacked the cat while he was sleeping in the sun. I am a firm believer in indoor cats, they live longer healtheir lives. I also took in a stray about a year ago who loves the indoor life so much that if you open the front door she runs the other way.

well there in holland we dont have wild animals walking around ie foxes...
and like a said before... its illegal to have a dog walking around without being on a lead .. and i have honestly never seen one..

What im just trying to say to you is that yes it sounds like in your area , its not safe... but not everyone lives in your area..

If i thought my cats where in danger then they would not go outside, but i know that they are not, besides must we stay indoors incase we got hit by a bus? or must i keep my children home from school incase they pick something up at school? life includes these things ..

All i was tryng to say is that some cats do have safe enviroments .. and then i feel its perfect for then to be outside! they need fresh, well at least i know that my cat adores her freedom!

Well unfortunatly here in the United States pets have become disposable like everything else, cats in particular. There are 3 deadly uncurable viruses here in the US that cats who go outside have at least a 50% chance of catching, an even higher chances in "poorer" areas. There has been a big push in the last several years by vets, shelters, rescues, and wild bird organizations to keep cats indoors. I can't speak for other countries but here in the US an indoor cat is a healthier happier and safer cat.

well here in holland its actually the complete oppersite .. the only thing that is being advestised here is the fact that cats that come from smoking homes have a 50% greater chance of getting feline luekemia.

Even when i asked about getting my 2 cats medical aid my vet looked at me like i was totally insane.. he said, bring em in 2x per year for the shots, and you cant do much more, after looking around on the internet to make double sure , he was right, there was only one company offering feline medical insurance and the prices where huge!

In holland, all animals are very well looked after .. im not saying that you dont ( not at all ) im just saying that we have such a small country, and its all organised , the goverment is paying for a good percentage of my new kittens operation to be neutered.. and to receive a chip,, this is to promote unwanted strays... and there arent alot! because i got my oldest cat from the rescue and from an area that has 3 million people in population... there where 2 cats to choose from at the rescue, and only 12 cages... the lady told me that generally people loose their cats around new year due to firworks and they all come and get picked up again from the shelder once located..

so it seems that we both come from very different circumstances , being a catlover myself.. I would to not have my cats outside if diseases where lurking out there .. most definately not

I wish there were a slight shortage of pets here, then maybe people would stop taking them for granted and treat them the way they should be treated.

I moved to neighborhood 2 years ago where people let their cats go outside unspayed and un-neutered, and if they never came back oh well, just get a new cat. I have placed close to 30 cats and kittens in the last 2 years to clean up other peoples messes, not to mention the ones I have had to scrape up off the street. Since becoming a vet tech and moving to this neighborhood I have become an advocate of indoor cats.

I think it is important to consider "where" you live...if in Holland, being indoors/outdoors is acceptable...that is great....however, please respect the fact that in the USA there are many places where being indoors/outdoors would be a very BAD idea...and it isn't just because people live in apts. I know of cases where cats have been shot at and poisoned by neighbors who did not want the cat on their property...not to mention predators (including coyotes), dogs that are not on leashes, diseases, being run over, being picked up by the pound and euthanized etc. Plus, we have a large group of advocates who do not want cats killing birds and believe all cats should be indoors. My 2 cats have been indoors since they were born...they do not want for anything (including fresh air...open window with screen) and the risks to their lives are just too great...so better to be safe here and indoors than play russian roulette.

Katie

like a said , not all cats are in those circumstances tho... i agree with you that if it was the same here .. my cats would be inside..

but i have lived in 3 countries now, south africa, england and holland and i have never had a problem .. All those threats you are talking about are unheard of here .. infact.. i dont even know anyone that owns a gun.. another thing here that is simply not allowed.. I feel for you that you are living in those circumstances.. but from what i see this is a pretty international site.. and we simply dont have the problems you do.

It is an international site..but it helps everyone if you have your country in your profile. Many people here are from the USA and it is not recommended here to have indoor/outdoor cats. I would really suggest you add "holland" under your profile to at least deminish some of the confusion.

Katie