Recovery after spay

Hi,

First post. I feel rather bad actually I read the site all the time when I have questions but have never posted. So here it goes.

I have two cats, Jedi and Bella. They were from the same litter.

This past Tuesday my husband and I took them in to be spayed. They are about 11 months old. They were kept over night and we picked them up the next morning. In generally I am already a paranoid mommy. I hate taking them to the vet and am always worried that something is wrong with them.

Anyway, I was told by the vet that the recovery process is different for every cat. Well that really doesn't help me. I'm not sure what to be looking for to be honest. I know they say they should be "back to normal" within a few days but I can't see that.

As of right now it's been about 5 days since the surgery. 4 since they have been home. Jedi seems to be completely normal with just a little bit of discomfort that you can see when she jumps and plays. However she is back to her normal self. Bella on the other hand is a bit stand offish still. She seems to be maybe a little sick. Some eye cloudiness and running. However has gotten much better today. Both of them had sore throats. I called the vet and they said that is normal from the tubing. It is getting better but neither of their meows sound completely perfect yet but better.

On top of that they are being completely hostile to one another. Normally best of friends and now hissing and avoidant. This has also gotten better, they will get closer now but one hisses when the other gets TOO close. Same thing happened last time we took them to the vet. It's also part of the reason that it's hard for me to tell how Bella is feeling. She is the much more calm and layed back kitty. Only time she really ran and played was when her sister engaged it. Now that they aren't playing it's hard to tell.

*sigh*

Last thing, the incision. I know they say they should be "fine" however no one who is cut through their muscles and has organs removed is "fine" in 5 days. They are moving around and jumping and seem to be mobile, maybe just a little sore. I've been checking the incision and there isn't any swelling. Stitches are internal. No redness around the incision but the incision itself is a little red, scabby like. Is that normal? At what point should that incision be giving them no pain what so ever? When should it be completely healed? Also, I'm afraid to touch it because I don't want to hurt them.

Can someone please give me information on the actual entire recovery of this. Rest assured I will be calling the vet tomorrow and asking them some questions. Yet their answers are always so vague.

I also wanted to add that they had their last distemper shot that day as well. I'm not sure if that makes a difference.

In regards to the hissing and not wanting to get close to each other, you could try wiping them both down with the same towel to mix their scents and make them more familiar to each other again. Also you could try putting some pure vannila extract sots on them under the chin, at the base of the tail and maybe behind the ears to neutralize their scents. The not liking each other all has to do with the lingering "vet hospital" smell they bring home with them.

It sounds like they are probably healing fine. You have to keep in mind that if you are ill at ease then they will pick up on your feelings and that could effect their behavior. Oh, one mroe thing...
Having been spayed could calm their behaviors from any rowdiness you've been used to. They will not be controlled by raging hormones any longer and that will make a difference.

Good luck with your kits returning to their normal behavior.

Thanks for the response.

I've done the towel trick as well as the vanilla just earlier today and they are still at it. However, like I said, they are much much better because two days ago they wouldn't even be in the same room as the other.

I'm overly paranoid probably. I am still going to call the vet tomorrow, speak with them. I really do not want to put them through the trauma of going to the vet again. They really really hate it.

We do have a really nice mobile vet in the area though. I may contact them about coming to check them out here at the house, just to ease my mind and make sure everything looks good. That way I don't have to take them back to the vet and freak them out all over again.

I totally understand the paranoia! my kitties don't even live with me and i am always asking and yelling as to whats right, while my bf has to hear it over and over. My "muchkin" (1yr 3 months) just got out of a surgery that there was a bloccage in her intestines, but it turns out it was her lymph nodes in that area.

Anyways, in your case, i would do what is advised in the posts above, and they should get over it. It's all about scent, esp. with females... so hope that one submits to the other, or they realize..."hey...ur my sister!".

I work for a vet, and all it takes is time... Feliway sprays work great too. It is cat pherimone and we use it at work...