getting spayed

[weeze]

Hi All..
My kitty Tiger is getting spayed tomorrow morning and I am not looking forward to it. I know its best for her but the thought of her having to spend the whole day and night at the vet's makes me feel sorry for her. Anyway, for those of you who have had their cats neutered, can you tell me what to expect once she comes home? Whats the recovery like? Will her behaviour change at all? I guess I should mention that she
s currently 7 months old.

[pam_pesto]

Pesto was just over 6 months old when we had her spayed. It didn't end up being a very big deal at all. She was pretty sleepy and mostly just laid around for a few days, but she was even more loving towards her mom and dad after! She became active earlier than the vet recommended she become active, so we had to try to restrain her! I too felt very bad, but she was a brave girl and hasn't held it against us (except for I think she felt humiliated by the big bald patch on her tummy until her fur grew back)!
You can see in this picture her rather "undignified" bald spot!
http://wsphotofews.excite.com/009/xa/J2/WP/sb50775.jpg

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Personal servant for Pesto
http://www.angelfire.com/80s/pestoswitzer/main.html
http://www.angelfire.com/pq/coolcatclub/main.html

[4 feline house]

Your vet should give you post-op instructions when you pick her up. Is there any special reason why she is staying overnight? That is not usually done, since most cats recover more quickly in their own homes, they are sent home as soon as the anesthesia begins to wear off unless they need supportive care, such as IV's or round-the-clock monitoring, which shouldn't be needed for a spay. Regardless, she will be very drowsy and will probably not be hungry for a day or two. She will probably appreciate being left alone, too, although it is very hard to do when you love her and are worried about her. If she can go to a dark but safe secluded place like a closet or under a bed she will probably do that, and it's best to let her. But also keep close enough tabs on her so that if she starts running a fever, bleeding, or vomiting you will know. These are rare but if they occur you will need to call your vet immediately. After about 2 days she will probably be close to her normal self again, but she will not be fully recovered for about 10 days to 2 weeks, so try to keep her inside (if she is an inside or inside/outside cat) and don't let her play too hard for that time. Since she is getting neutered early you will not likely notice any change in her personality. If she were older you might notice that she gets more sedate and friendly.

Good for you for doing the right thing to help control the pet overpopulation problem.

[aly]

Shiloh had to stay overnight too. Actually, all my pets did. I think most vets like to observe the animals just in case. Be sure to watch the incision. Shiloh licked her stiches out and got a bit of an infection. She got a LOT of swelling which scared me to death and resulted in a midnight trip to the emergency vet. The vet was calm about it and said it was normal. We had to get her one of those awful collar things to wear so she couldn't lick her stomach anymore. Besides that, everything was fine. Oh and she drank a lot of water when she first got home.

I had a bad experience with my lab, Dessi, getting spayed. The first night she was back, she had bloody diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding all over the laundry room. I was sleeping in there with her and woke up to a huge mess. It looked like something exploded. She was fine after that though.

[aly]

Opps,. I just read my post and it sounds really negative and scary. I didn't mean it like that. I just meant to say if anything happens, it will seem scary at first but don't worry, it will probably be easily fixed. Those problems were the only ones I've had. I'm sure your cat will be just fine and I'm glad you made the smart decision even though you're worried about it. Tiger will be healthy and happy http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif

[weeze]

Thanks to all for your comments. I dropped off Tiger this morning and she seemed okay. The vet will call me later this afternoon to let me know how the surgery went. I can pick her up tomorrow, I guess the vet just wants to make sure that everything is okay before he lets her come home. Thanks again for sharing your experiences. (even the gross ones!!) http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif

[kgeorge]

I picked a male cat because I feel so bad spaying a female, I have had females and everything went fine. When Sundance was neutered he was fine that same day, but my vet does keep females overnight, I guess it is safer. Good luck with your kitty, I was a wreck all day at work worrying about him!

[weeze]

Well, everything went okay with Tiger's surgery but today I had to bring her to the emergency clinic. She started biting her stitches and before I knew it she had opened the wound. She had to be put under again and stitched up. Now she has to wear a cone. She looks so down and helpless!! I feel so sorry for her. Not to mention the whole initial surgery plus the emergency treatment put me back more than $500 CDN. Oh well, anything for my Tiger...

[Troy]

...best wishes for Tiger - Get well soon! http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif

[Gio]

I hope your Tiger is feeling better. Don't worry after a couple of days she will be back to her normal self.

I was worried a bit when I had my last cat, Prema, spayed because as soon as I got her back she jumped on my bed, she lost part of her front leg before I adopted and I thought that she would not be able to move much after the operation. I was wrong, everytime I moved she would jumped from the bed and follow me around. That happened the year before with my Maya as well, both wanted to be next to me all the time (both times I arranged for the op to take place on a Friday). Needless to say I spend the first couple of days on the bed next to them.

[Ben E Gas]

hope everything went alright with the surgery. I just had zezu, neutered. he's back to normal now. He bites a lot less, thank god. He always bit when he was playing, but now he holds back. He never bit strangers, but with one of my friends, zezu taps on his hand real fast. so funny.

[thelmalu99]

Hi Weeze,
Hope Tiger feels better really soon.
Thelma

[This message has been edited by thelmalu99 (edited April 02, 2001).]

[weeze]

Tiger will be fine, she just really hates the cone (I don't blame her!) It is so heavy that it drags her head to the floor so she can barely walk. (she's only 5 pounds) The vet told me to cut some of it off so I'm going to try that. Thanks for all your kind words..

[4 feline house]

Weeze-
Your kitty shouldn't have to drag her head around! There are many ways to fashion an elizabethan collar - we used to make them out of the stuff that lampshades are made out of when I worked at a vet clinic. You can buy some really nice soft ones, too, that are much more lightweight and comfortable - here's some links for purchasing or making your own:
http://www.bonafido.com/page6.html
http://www.doctordog.com/catbook/catwound.html
http://www.petalert.com.au/faid/faa5.php

Of course, ordering on line won't help Tiger today, but just to let you know that any pet store carries a variety of E collars. Hope this helps to make her more comfortable if she's still needing it.

[weeze]

thanks for your suggestions.. For a quick fix I trimmed the edge of the cone that the vet gave her and it seemed to work pretty well. She was actually a little playful last night and seemed much happier. One change in her behaviour I have noticed since she was spayed was her increase in appetite. She does not want to stop eating or drinking. Has anyone experienced this or know why?