Getting a cat fixed in winter/cold months, esp. females

[kevin st julian]

Getting a cat spayed (female) in the winter- a feral outdoor only cat- is that possible w/o getting the cat frostbite or other? I have to get several cats fixed asap as males are going after the unfixed feral females. Most of my colonies have shelters but not all. The others have a garage to go into or under a house or in a business back yard etc....I do not want to put undue stress on them because of the shaved area and risk them getting too cold or frostbite BUT I have no where to bring them inside. My house is out of the question.

 

[shadowsrescue]

After surgery cats do need to be keep in a temperature controlled environment (above 55-60) for the night.  So leaving them outside after the spay/neuter is not going to work.  Inside your home, all you need is a small bathroom or out of the way place.  The cats remain in their traps with towels over them. 

Maybe you have a friend that can help out with a heated basement.  Also you might find a rescue group to help that would house them over night or until release.  Some vets will keep them overnight as well. 

 

[Willowy]

I think it's better to do ferals in the cold months, so they don't have to deal with flies trying to get at their incision . The shaved belly shouldn't be a big deal, but they do need to be kept warm until fully recovered from the anesthetic, as being medicated messes with the body's thermoregulation. So you have to find some way tokeep them in at least overnight.

 

[msaimee]

I would suggest finding a vet clinic that boards cats or is able to keep them a few days. Usually the clinics that are open 24/7 for emergencies can accommodate this need. The 24/7 clinic I've used has boarded my ferals after surgery for a few days and not charged me, but they required a SNAP test first (to rule out FIV/FeL). It's not safe to put a spayed female outside after surgery, especially in the cold. Also, female cats need to be watched for 24-48 hours to make sure the incision doesn't get infected and that she isn't having a bad reaction to the anesthesia. One feral I spayed almost died after the surgery because they gave her too much anesthesia and it caused temporary liver and kidney damage, and then she had an infection and was on antibiotics for a few weeks. Most cats handle the spay well, but some have complications, so if you can't make arrangements for her to recover indoors somewhere, I would hold off on the surgery.

 

[kittychick]

Good for you to recognize "fixing" isn't just a spring/summer problem - and being observant enough to notice the male/female relationship is already an issue!

@MsAimee's suggestion is good - check around about places that will spay/neuter this time of year & definitely check w/ local animal shelters - they have a lot of resources/sources we "everyday folk" don't have And talk to them to see if they can help you find a foster- or maybe (if they're no-kill --- otherwise, putting a feral into the system will result in the feral being euthanized) see if they're willing to put your ferals put into their system, so they can provide the foster. Believe it or not, some shelters will do that if they understand all you're doing to help your colonies (including keeping the whole colony fixed!!!!!) AND stress that (if the kitties are unable to be socialized)that you can take them back & return them to the colony.

Our local trap/neuter/return (& more!) clinics generally won't even do spay surgeries on feral/strays from Nov- February because of the danger of hypothermia for newly-fixed kitties (ESP females since surgical area is so much larger & more involved - so the shaved area is so large.

One area shelter here WILL kitties year round ONLY if it can be proven that the kitty will have a foster home (or to you) to go to immediately for at least a minimum of a few days of recovery in a heated space. In fact, we're getting ready to foster a feral for this very reason as soon as they trap her

And def check with area vets to see if any can handle fixing a feral (a lot of vets won't) & find out if they could keep her for a few days post-surgery because she'll be going back outside, You'd have to pay for it - and a lot aren't setup to handle ferals at all.

And utilize social media every way you can to try to find a foster- ask people to share your request for fosters. Post pictures of the kitty along w your foster request-you never know who might be touched (or have a friend of a friend of a friend who'll help you foster!!!!!! Tell every friend you have -showing them a pic of the kitty to tug on the ol" heartstrings.

Is it possible that you (or since you said you fostering was out of the question) to try to socialize whichever ones you catch? I know they're not babies/kittens - which 95% of time makes socialization much, much harder--but it CAN be done. One of our 4 indoor gang was 100% feral - and we had trapped, fixed & returned her in spring of 2014 at the age of 1 1/2. Then 6 months later (@ age of over 2) we took a big leap & brought her in to socialize her. She (now called "Flick")
Has become the sweetest, most loving lap kitty I've ever had!!!!(& I've had loooooots of kitties!!!)

And don't forget the males need to be caught too!!!!ASAP! They won't need to stay inside as long post-surgery. We also socialized 3 kittens born totally feral under our neighbors' deck. All 3 found loving, amazing indoor homes ----thru social media!!!

Good luck ----keep us up to date!

 

[kevin st julian]

thanks guys for the replies. Our local HS that does all our tnr groups fixing and shots micro chipping/ear tipping etc can not hold them....too busy. My city is the second or third worst city in ALL Canada.

There is one 24/7 pet emerg hospital...I'll try to talk to them but i doubt they can hold cats there.