Quote 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
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.