Are pain meds necessary after simple neuter for kitten?

scarlett 001

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I am just lining up the neuter surgery for my new 5 month old kitten (want the neuter done within the next month). I will not use Metacam on my cats, yet most clinics seem to default to Metacam for even neuters. I always request buprenorphine if some pain relief is necessary - but are pain meds even necessary after a straightforward neuter?
 

cprcheetah

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Most males don't really need pain medication following a neuter, but some vets do send them home with you. 
 

peaches08

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I would want pain meds if I was a guy getting castrated.
 

andrya

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Ours was given a 3-day injection of Bupe during his neuter, and before those 3 days were up he was completely normal, so that works out well.
 
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scarlett 001

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Neuter booked for January 6. Vet can give an opiate type pain killer instead of Metacam (I won't use Metacam on my cats). I think they use Torbutrol for the opiate type drug.
 

fleabags mom

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- but are pain meds even necessary after a straightforward neuter?
Thing is, the kitty can't tell you very well that it's in pain and in fact, cats hide their pain very well. If it were me, I would let them have some pain killer because anything that makes the cat's life easier can only be a good thing?
 
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scarlett 001

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I understand that cats can hide pain very well and would use pain meds (opiates) when necessary - but I just did not know if neutering even was thought to have post-op pain or not (since it is a simple procedure it might not be thought to be associated with much pain). So I was curious if neutering was thought to result in significant pain or not, or maybe it is just low-level discomfort. Either way, I am fine giving an opiate drug but was curious what the general thought is on the amount of pain associated with neutering.  
 
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fleabags mom

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 Are cats similar to humans and some feel pain more than others? Or are some vets more heavy handed, leaving sore spots & bruising as well as the cut soreness? Vets do tend to give cats pain injections before they wake up from an operation, so they must be expecting kitty to have some level of pain.  I do hear you, medicine without needing it does seem like a silly thing to give but I don't think I would take the risk because of my own reasons. I'd put the possibility of pain before my own thought process. Just in case. Perhaps just listen to the vets advice and then make your mind up? Perhaps take meds home with you and then see if kitty needs it after the first 24hours ie, is bouncing around and eating happily, litterboxing or not?  I would say tho that no surgery is ever without pain, even if for just a few days.
 
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scarlett 001

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True that all kitties will respond different and not all vets are equally skilled etc. Well, either way I'll be taking the opiate painkiller Turbotrol (sp?) home with me and give it to kitty for a few days. Since it has not major side effects, I will be giving it.

I was more just curious what level of pain is associated with a neuter. That being said, I'd sooner have a cat be in some mild level of discomfort then take the risk of kidney issues with Metacam if Metacam was the only option - but this never has to be an issue now that there is a selection of various opiate-type drugs available in these situations.
 
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fleabags mom

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Cool.  As for the level of pain with a neuter, I just don't know. Too many factors, skill of surgeon, cat's pain threshold and that the fact no cat has ever been able to tell us for sure how much it hurts in the history of being cats being neutered! Grins. Not helped by them hiding pain, meaning us humans probably think that they're doing ok even if they are not.
I do think though it's a straight-forward op that the recovery time will be quick but I don't think that it will be pain-free or mild level of pain, not for the first 24hrs anyway. I think the fact that vets tend to give cats an injection after operations means that the vets also think there will be pain too, at least initially. Pain meds wear off quick tho, so it's a tricky one because you don't want kitty to be too sore, but just sore enough to leave the wound alone!  Good luck with your kitty, wish him well and a nice easy recovery.
 

stephanietx

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Nope!  The vet gives a pain shot after the surgery and that's all I do for both spay and neuter.  (I don't use the cone of shame either unless they start pulling out stitches or licking excessively.)
 

susank521

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I don't give pain meds after spay or neuters either. They're all confined to cages post op, and I usually release the males after 24-36 hours. They are immediately running, jumping, etc. No sign of any discomfort.
 

denice

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Nope!  The vet gives a pain shot after the surgery and that's all I do for both spay and neuter.  (I don't use the cone of shame either unless they start pulling out stitches or licking excessively.)
This is what the vet that spayed and neutered mine did.  The vet said that pain medication can cause problems with kitties doing things they shouldn't be doing.
 
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