5-6 Month Old Kitten Spay

Paris Pluto

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Hey everyone,

I would truly love and appreciate your advice regarding my kitten getting spayed. I've read many helpful threads already but would like to know more information pertaining to my situation.

Anyway, my kitten Malibu was born on 9th July 2019 so she's currently 5 months and 2 weeks old but who's counting?

I initially had her booked in to get spayed on the first week of January because she hasn't gone into heat yet but I'm sure that's not far off because its breeding season here in Australia so I changed it to next Tuesday.

My other cat Jiggy was spayed at 10 months old and is a lazy lounge cat so her recovery was decent but she still managed to get a seroma from jumping a lot. Now, Malibu is rambunctious AF, obviously being a kitten and loves a hardcore wrestle match with Jiggy.

This time, I'm going with intradermal sutures and no cone. The vet also said pain medication wasn't really necessary? For real?

But essentially I'd like to know; anyone else had their cat spayed around this age or had their cat's spay incision closed up with intradermal sutures and glue?

Also, how many days should I separate the cats and when can they play together again. Should I crate her? She's never been crated before..

Thanks so much in advance for your time and advice.
Point Blur_Dec062019_114459.jpg
 
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MissClouseau

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She's adorable! Well procedures seem to be different in different countries. Or even between different clinics. In Turkey, female cats spend the full day at the clinic including staying at night. Like either they bring the kitten first thing in the morning, they do the tests and if she passes gets spayed and spends the night there to keep an eye on her. Or they leave the kitten at night and they do the tests, she gets spayed in the morning and either return home hours later, late in the evening or spend the night there too.

They don't let them out before they fully wake up from anesthesia even if the human wanted. They would probably let them out later if the human insisted but I think they don't want to because they don't know the situation at home.
 

rubysmama

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Awww... what a beauty. :hearthrob:

Most kittens actually do fine after their spay, so hopefully even your rambunctious little girl will too.

About the pain medication, most threads I've read about spays, people do seem to recommend pain meds. So maybe talk to your vet about it again, and ask for the pros and cons, and why he feels it isn't necessary.

TCS has these articles on spay/neutering which might be helpful.

When To Spay Or Neuter A Cat? | TheCatSite
Spaying And Neutering - What To Ask Before The Surgery | TheCatSite
Spaying And Neutering - What To Look For After Surgery | TheCatSite

Good luck. Do post next week and let us know how she made out. :hearthrob:
 

di and bob

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Intradermal Sutures are very good for spay surgeries, as there are no sutures on the surface for the cat to pull out. I have had more cats spayed/neutered than I can count and none of them have opened their incision, had a cone, or received pain meds. I have had them partially come open, like 1/4 - 1/2 inch long, and they have healed fine. To me the cone causes more stress then is warranted. My vet gives an injection of long lasting pain meds before they are discharged and that is all they have reiceived. I think some pain may limit strenuous activity and limit movement which is good right then. Observe your little one and if the pain seems to be too much, contact your vet. Spaying seems to be easier on younger cats, they recover quicker. As for worrying about your other cat playing to rough, again, monitor teh interaction and don't leave them alone together for a few days. I think you will find the vet smells will deterr your other cat, and Malibu will most likely hiss and keep the other away anyway. My cats have jumped, etc. from day one and have come to no harm, just monitor the incision and encourage resting. All the luck!
 
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Paris Pluto

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Intradermal Sutures are very good for spay surgeries, as there are no sutures on the surface for the cat to pull out. I have had more cats spayed/neutered than I can count and none of them have opened their incision, had a cone, or received pain meds. I have had them partially come open, like 1/4 - 1/2 inch long, and they have healed fine. To me the cone causes more stress then is warranted. My vet gives an injection of long lasting pain meds before they are discharged and that is all they have reiceived. I think some pain may limit strenuous activity and limit movement which is good right then. Observe your little one and if the pain seems to be too much, contact your vet. Spaying seems to be easier on younger cats, they recover quicker. As for worrying about your other cat playing to rough, again, monitor teh interaction and don't leave them alone together for a few days. I think you will find the vet smells will deterr your other cat, and Malibu will most likely hiss and keep the other away anyway. My cats have jumped, etc. from day one and have come to no harm, just monitor the incision and encourage resting. All the luck!
Thank you so much for taking your time to respond. The info/advice you provided was everything I needed to help ease my anxiety.
 

stephanietx

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I hope her procedure goes well. We've never been given pain meds for our girls post-spay. Keep us posted!
 
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Paris Pluto

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Just got home from picking Malibu up. She was alert and wanting to get out of her carrier asap. First thing she ran to was food and now she's resting. Her incision is so small, will upload a photo when I can get a chance. But here's a pic of Malibu, feeling groggy and tender I'm sure 😿
Point Blur_Dec172019_171257.jpg
 

moxiewild

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I TNR, so I’ve also had dozens upon dozens upon dozens of cats spayed and neutered, all with intradermal sutures, except maybe one female.

Personally, I consider pain medication to be a requirement.

Unfortunately, some vets still have an archaic understanding of a cat’s ability to feel pain due to cats being so adept at hiding it. It’s important to distinguish whether “no pain meds” means that, or whether it means kitty will receive a long acting pain injection so take home meds aren’t necessary. The latter is (as far as I am aware) a completely acceptable option, the former is not.

And I consider this especially important for a spay vs neuter, because a spay is very major (even if routine) surgery.

I have also never had to use a cone. In fact, I release many cats back into the “wild” 2-4 days after a spay (and even after just 24 hours or less on a few occasions).

Kittens rebound even quicker. They tell you to keep them inactive for two weeks, but it’s utterly impractical for puppies/kittens.

I recently had a litter of three 4 month olds spayed/neutered. I kept all three crated separately for 24 hours, then let the boys out. I wanted to aim for 72 hours for the female, but ended up doing something closer to maybe 60. So far, so good!

If I were you, I would also aim for separating for at least 72 hours, and longer if you can. You don’t have to use a crate, just separate her in your bedroom.

I take the after care instructions as the “ideal” but not absolutely necessary. If I need or want to deviate from those instructions, I just quickly run it by my vet first. So don’t be afraid to ask yours!
 
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Paris Pluto

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She's already playing 4 hours after coming home.. I thought she'd be out of it until atleast tomorrow. She was running and jumping around earlier but she's napping again. Found out she got a pain relief injection that 'lasts 24 hours'.
 
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moxiewild

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Yep. Kittens are rebound VERY quickly.

Our female and one of the males were ready to go as soon as we got home. The other male was more keen to nap, but he’s not as active as the other two to begin with.

Try to confine her. 48 hours would probably be the bare minimum to shoot for here.

She can play somewhat during that time - like batting things on her own or you controlling the pace of play time - but avoid vigorous play and play with other pets for at least 48 hours.
 

stephanietx

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So glad things went well for your Malibu. She's so cute!! I'm sure she'll be back to her normal non-groggy self in a day or so.
 
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Paris Pluto

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She is back to her normal self and acting as if nothing happened :) Now I know this won't be everyone's experience but my previous cat had external sutures and so I coned her for 10 days. With the intradermal sutures, I have found that no cone is necessary so far; she has avoided overgrooming her incision; I only have to worry about keeping her 'less active'. It's been a much less stressful time for Malibu and myself compared to Jiggy's spay. Thanks again for everyone's input! :hearthrob:
 

RangersMom

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5 months is kinda young for a cat to be spayed from what I've heard (maybe not tho). Usually they save at least 6 months. I had 1 female cat who was spayed and they used regular stitches which later had to be removed. She didnt bother them much, but she did try and pull on them once a few days later.

If you want to, you could crate her for like 1 day, so as to make sure she doesnt tear open the incision right away or be running, jumping and playing too much right away.

Give her a heating pad on low afterward, if you can. Sometimes cats have a hard time regulating their body temperature after anesthesia.
 

rubysmama

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5 months is kinda young for a cat to be spayed from what I've heard (maybe not tho).
Actually, a lot of places now say to get them spayed before their first heat, and as kittens can go into heat before 6 months, 5 months is not unusual. Shelters will spay/neuters kittens even younger.

TCS has this article with more info, if you're interested: When To Spay Or Neuter A Cat? – Cat Articles
 

Willow's Mom

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Glad things went well. We're right behind you: my six month old is going to the clinic bright and early tomorrow morning. I'm glad I was able to work things out with her rescuer. Standard practice is about 8 weeks or whenever they weigh two pounds, so I had to prepay her spay in advance before I could take her home.

Malibu has already received all the benefits of a delayed spay by US standards.
 
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