AfterCare for a spayed cat???

Question

Ok so my cat got spayed today she is 3 yrs old so i didn't know if it would be more difficult to recover. What should i do?? I haven't picked her up from the vets yet but i wanted to know basic aftercare for her???

Answer 1

The vet should have given you aftercare instructions. Locking her up in a quiet room is a great idea. Also, no kitty litter for at least a week. Use a litter box with shredded newspaper, or those peanuts that come in packing boxes. Put a bowl of water and dry food in the room. You sound like a great mom.

Answer 2

Yes, I think that is a good idea considering the children might disturb her.  I would make up a little bed, have her food, and litter box and check on her every few hours.  

Answer 3

Yes, treat her like you would a person who had had major surgery.  Restrict her to a quiet area where she won't need to move around much and can rest.  I would give her a softly padded kennel without a door or someplace else where she can just hide.  Use a pelleted litter like yesterday's news in her litterbox so nothing irritates her incision.  Keep plenty of food and water close at hand and give the pain medication as prescribed.

Answer 4

I'd put her in one room (a bathroom would probably be best) with soft food, water, a litter box, and a soft bed. She will probably be a little drowsy from the anesthesia tonight so she will sleep most of the time.

For the next week I'd keep her in a quiet area, away from the kids. Make sure to check her incision everyday for puss or reddening and keep an eye on her. Also check her temp (feel her nose) a few times a day and keep her from l*****g her incsion.

Your vet will let you know any other specifics. I'd also suggest taking a look at the site below.

Answer 5

By all means, keep the kids away from her: She's not going to exactly be feeling chipper, and the children sound like they play too rough anyway.

The vet will probably give you some pain pills, some antibiotics, and some salve for the incision. He will tell you what to do with them.

Don't use normal litter in her tray for the next two weeks or so: You don't want the clay getting stuck to her. Instead, use shredded newspaper.

If she is otherwise healthy, she will recover without a hitch.

Answer 6

There are two possibilities as pointed out by the answers you have gotten so far:-

1) She will bounce back in no time, completely oblivious to the fact that she just had major abdominal surgery and will act just fine and go about her own daily routine like normal.

2) She will be very groggy, tired, sleepy and will act besides herself for a good few days. This is probably a lingering effect of the anesthesia, which wears off at different times for each cat. This scenario is most possible though.

Right after you bring her home from the vet, she will be disorientated and will pace around the house, wondering why she is feeling the way she is. She will need rest and quiet. It is always recommended that you place her n cage rest so she will not have the chance to aggravate her incision sites by running into things and jumping on and off high places. The vet will most likely ask you to discourage jumping and running but from experience, I can tell you that it is almost impossible, without cage rest. If you can't place her in cage rest, restrict her in a room/smaller area in your house.

She might not have the appetite to eat, regardless, just offer her food and water as usual. Some vomiting might occur as a result from the anesthesia but it's not a big concern unless she has been throwing up for a few days without any food consumption.

Some cats will take a huge interest in the sutures and will l**k them and try to groom her belly. You must monitor her closely. If she has been gnawing at her sutures, there is a possibility that it might come undone and you do not want that to happen. Constant l*****g can also irritate the area and cause delayed healing of the site. Irregardless of whether the vet used a conventional sutures that needs to be removed or dissolvable sutures, check to see that the incision site is healing properly. A small amount of dried fluid or blood is normal for the first night after surgery. If it becomes excessive, oozes, feels hot to the touch, or if your cat is acting ill (decreased activity and/or appetite more than 48 hours after surgery), you must consult your vet at once.

They vet may or may not place an e-collar (cone) on her to discourage her from l*****g. You may request one if the need arises.

Most of the time, she will be using her litterbox as normal. There is a small chance that she will eliminate outside due to the stress from the surgery. If this happens, consult your vet to rule out other underlying medical condition.

It will take a few days, normally by day 3, your cat will be back to herself by at least 70%. She may still be a tad mad or unhappy but just allow her to take her own time for settle in.

As for weight gain, studies have shown and proved that a spayed female will require less food than what she is used to. The caloric requirement is about 20%-30% less than what she normally eats. Therefore, reduce the amount of feeding and check on her weight after a period of 2 weeks or more. If she maintains her current weight, that is the amount that you will need to feed. Allocate the amount of food appropriately otherwise - loosing weight, increase the amount, gaining weight, decrease the amount.

Another thing that I would love to point out is how everyone seems to think that a spay surgery is routine surgery. That is not the case. It is an invasive, major abdominal surgery. It is so called routine because a vet performs this surgery at a higher rate compared to all other surgeries. And because of this, the vet is more intune to perform better and the chances of complications are reduced.

I hope I have helped answer your question. If you have any more concerns, feel free to readdress the issue.

Answer 7

You are doing the smart thing isolating the cat for the first 24-48 hours after surgery. You can check with your vet but s/he will probably tell you the same thing. The cat will be hurting (you can request a special patch of pain medicine be put on her back!) and not in the mood to get much attention from the kiddos.

Just make sure she has her water and food dishes and litter box available to her in the ICU ;-))

Answer 8

Yes it is a good idea to keep her away from kids. She's probably really groggy and won't eat or drink much. You might have to bring food and water to her face for her to take it. She might also pee/p**p on herself, so be prepared for that. We used baby wipes to clean our cat when she got spayed. If she doesn't seem to be making any progress by tomorrow, call your vet.

Good luck!