What Went Wrong? Heartbroken After My Cat Died After A Spaying Operation

Last week I took my 1 year old cat in for a routine spaying operation. She came through the operation fine and the wound was OK, she was quiet and subdued and not eating but seemed OK. She never started to eat again. We tried tempting her with everything and putting food where she could lick it off, giving her liquid food by syringe but she was apathetic, just drinking slightly and sitting still or sleeping. We took her back to the vet 36 hours later, she had a seroma - fluid under the would but it was clear, and a slight temperature but the would had actually healed. He told us to bathe the wound with warm water and that she would likely start to eat soon. Next day the same thing, still not eating. The next day, he said that the wound had necrotic tissue so he reanaesthetised her and operated again to remove the dead tissue. By then, she hadn't eaten for 6 days. She barely came around from the anaesthetic and died in my arms a few hours later. The vet doesn't know what happened, said he has never had a case like this in 43 years. I am heartbroken, and it is even harder to come to terms with her death since I do not know what went wrong. Statistically there is only 1 in 10,000 deaths from spaying. Has anyone else ever had a similar experience?

Hi. I am so, so sorry for you and your little girl. I have no experience with this, but just wanted to tell you I feel for you and to say RIP to your baby.

When you are ready, there is a section called Crossing The Bridge where you can post her name, pictures of, and thoughts/feelings about her.

I am so very, very sorry for your loss. It becomes even worse when it is so unexpected. To lose a cat from a spay is, as you know, incredibly rare. My instinct, and this is just a wild guess, is that she may have reacted very badly to anesthesia, perhaps even sustaining a neurological deficit. But this is only a guess, and it can happen even when the doctors have done every single thing just right. Any individual, both human and animal, can have a serious adverse reaction to any medication at any time. But I so hate it for you. If it is any consolation, I very much doubt that she was in discomfort...she simply... drifted and dreamed her way out of this world and into the next. My heart with yours.