Spaying?????

Hi, everyone! First off, I want to say THANKS to everyone who has put up with all of my questions. You've all been so helpful and I really appreciate that! :)

I'm taking my MIL's new kitty, Misty, in to be spayed on Weds.. I know we need to keep her quiet and calm for at least a few days when she gets home to help with the healing process. What can I expect or should I look for when she gets home? Will she be in a lot of pain? If so, for how long? Will they send me home with pain meds for her and if not, is there anything herbal that would make her more comfortable? Or am I making this out to be a bigger deal than it is? LOL

All my furry kids that needed "fixed" have been given a pain shot before coming home. You have to sign a release form allow them to give it. It lasts 24 hrs. I wouldnt want to come home in pain.
They came home to a comfy bed area with water and litter box. I would have a separate area off limits to the others. Since you only have her no need. I didnt offer food until the next day. They slept till next morning and acted like NOTHING had happened the next day. :) Girls have bigger stitch area than boys. Hopefully they will use the disolveable kind if not within a few days they pretty much fall out on their own but your vet will want to see her within a week after surgery just to check everything out. Bascially it's harder on meowmee than furry kids :)

Ok, thanks! :) You'd think this was MY baby with how attached to her I am! LOL She is the biggest sweetheart you've ever seen. :) My MIL is paying for her spay but I told her I was going to pay for the upgrades I want....pain meds before, during, and after surgery; surgery to be done via laser; and a nerve block. That all will be an extra $80 but oh so worth it to me if it keeps her as comfortable as possible!

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Originally Posted by KittyCrazy

Hi, everyone! First off, I want to say THANKS to everyone who has put up with all of my questions. You've all been so helpful and I really appreciate that! :)

I'm taking my MIL's new kitty, Misty, in to be spayed on Weds.. I know we need to keep her quiet and calm for at least a few days when she gets home to help with the healing process. What can I expect or should I look for when she gets home? Will she be in a lot of pain? If so, for how long? Will they send me home with pain meds for her and if not, is there anything herbal that would make her more comfortable? Or am I making this out to be a bigger deal than it is? LOL

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These are good questions and to be sure in Misty's situation you should also ask these of her vet.

However, most cats may be sluggish or lethargic for a couple days after surgery, and some cats act like nothing ever happened. Seems like the younger cats (6mo.-1 yr) bounce back faster.

Misty might not eat the first day back home and prefer to sleep instead, and maybe even be off by herself. Just let her be and keep a check on her. If she does want to eat the first day home, only give very small amounts of food and water every couple hours since her stomach will need time to adjust from the surgery, and the customary fasting period prior to surgery.

It depends on the vet that does the surgery whether Misty will come home with pain meds or not. Some vets prefer to send their patients home with oral medication, some vets prefer to give a long lasting injection for pain just before they go home.

Some vets send their spays home with an E-collar some don't, again it depends on Misty's vet. Where I work we avoid using E-collars whenever possible becuase of the limited vision, difficulty in eating and stress that happens while having to wear one. We have very few cats that have bothered their stitches even though we don't use the E-collars. On the rare occasion we do have a problem with one, it's usually just licking the area, and tends to require some antibiotics to prevent infection. If Misty has a problem licking her incision constantly call her vet. Occasionally licking, as in grooming, of the area should not be anything to worry over, as long as Misty moves on to other areas and doesn't obssess with the surgery area.

You should check her incisions several times a day (or have your MIL do it) and make sure things are healing normally. If anyone sees increased swelling, pus drainage, bleeding, area feeling hot, redness, or a rash, then call Misty's vet as there may be a posibility of a reaction to the sutures, or signs of an infection. This is not common but always something to keep an eye out for.

Misty needs to have her incision area kept clean and dry. If she gets dirty, wet or litter on the area you would need to clean it gently. Only use peroxide to clean, NOT ointments or creams as those tend keep air out and increase infections.

Misty's vet will probably give you some kind of sheet with aftercare instructions on it. Many vets do this so it can be put on the fridge where all the pet caretakers can read it and help the healing process along, and what to watch for.

I'm sure Misty will do just fine and her recovery should go by fairly quickly.

Thanks, Catlady711! I did not know she might be sluggish and tired so I may have panicked thinking something was terribly wrong! The Humane Assn. we got her from said she came to them as a stray and that she was about 3 yrs. old.....how do they know that? By her teeth? She ACTS much more like a 1 yr. old cat so hopefully she's not quite as old as they thought and will heal/rebound more quickly after the surgery.

I also did not know about keeping the incision clean and might have even used Neosporin if I thought she was getting a little red or irritated from litter. :( I'll be sure to buy some peroxide and call the vet if there are any signs of concern!

Thank you for that info.!

The one point I remember on the instruction sheet for after care is to not allow them to go down steps or to jump. Right. None of my girls were the least bit woozy. I was also told to limit their food intake. Right again. They all went downstairs straight to the food dishes. Except for the shaved belly and stitches, you'd never know that my girls had had surgery. I still kept an eye on them but they never had any problems whatsoever. My vet gives a pain med injection after surgery but, since they were spayed early in the morning, by the time I picked them up at the end of the day, they were ready to go home!

Amy slept most of the day of her spay, only got up to eat, which she did off and on all day.

Samantha came home and was more playful that normal, doing flips and all kind of things.

They tell you to keep them quiet and still but in a cat that wants to do what they want to do, there is NO way! I always got mine that pain shot before they came home.

The Last Cat Who Was Spayed Here Was Scrappy 2 , Who Was Sadly Less Than A Year Old. She Came Home, Just Running And Playing And Seemed Right, Right Away. But She Had A Night At The Vets To Recuperate So That May Well Have Helped.
It Depends On Whether Misty Has Other Cats To Contend With , When She Comes Back Home!!!