I just want to start out and say that I plan to contact the foster coordinator in the am because I don’t think this a true emergency but I’m curious if anyone else has experience with cats right after amputation surgery.
I brought my new foster, Sweetie, home on Monday. She seemed to be in good spirits and was a week out from her surgery already. She had been on gabapentin and took another dose Monday night then her final dose Tuesday morning. Wednesday morning I went into her room when I first woke up and she had one half of staple stuck in her gum and the other half still in her incision! My husband had gone in there to feed her a couplehours earlier so I know she wasn’t like that all night thankfully but I have no idea when that happened. I pulled it out of her gums (it was in there good) and texted the shelter. They said to remove the staple if I felt comfortable, it came right out, and to do warm dry compresses.
They also recommended a cone or shirt. Sweetie is 15 lbs and very overweight so she sometimes already doesn’t like getting up and I figured a cone would just exasperate that. I made a little shirt for her out of one of my tank tops and unfortunately had to work that evening so she was alone for a few hours until my husband got home. He said she didn’t come to see him at the door and just stayed in the corner in the closet. I got home from work to see her litter box hadn’t been touched which led me to believe she probay hadn’t eaten or drank either. I took the shirt off and she immediately stood up and rubbed against me so I just think she didn’t like the shirt.
Yesterday and today I’ve noticed that sometimes she will tremble. I rub her belly so she rolls over and I’m scratching her and I’ll remove my hand and her paws and tummy will start to sort of vibrate? She is purring of course but it doesn’t seem caused by the purring. She’s not trembling all the time but it is making me worry. She seems to be scared of every little noise. Today she was in her corner of the closet sleeping and I thought maybe she’d like to sit on the couch with me. For reference, she has her own room but I have started letting her out and she goes to the coat closet and guest bathroom right outside her door so she hasn’t been in the other areas of the apartment. So I bring her to the couch and she’s terrified of the tv and new area so I put her back in her spot.
I don’t really know what I’m looking for with this post. I just feel so horrible for her, she is10 years old and overweight so I know the amputation is a little more difficult for her than other cats. Ithink I’ll feel so much less anxious once she gets her staples out next week but I’m just wondering if anyone has any advice to share. Does her trembling seem like a cause for concern? How can I encourage her to get up to eat and drink more often? How can I help her feel more comfortable? She seems to like me but I can’t be by her side 24/7 and it’s hard for me to handle that.
I brought my new foster, Sweetie, home on Monday. She seemed to be in good spirits and was a week out from her surgery already. She had been on gabapentin and took another dose Monday night then her final dose Tuesday morning. Wednesday morning I went into her room when I first woke up and she had one half of staple stuck in her gum and the other half still in her incision! My husband had gone in there to feed her a couplehours earlier so I know she wasn’t like that all night thankfully but I have no idea when that happened. I pulled it out of her gums (it was in there good) and texted the shelter. They said to remove the staple if I felt comfortable, it came right out, and to do warm dry compresses.
They also recommended a cone or shirt. Sweetie is 15 lbs and very overweight so she sometimes already doesn’t like getting up and I figured a cone would just exasperate that. I made a little shirt for her out of one of my tank tops and unfortunately had to work that evening so she was alone for a few hours until my husband got home. He said she didn’t come to see him at the door and just stayed in the corner in the closet. I got home from work to see her litter box hadn’t been touched which led me to believe she probay hadn’t eaten or drank either. I took the shirt off and she immediately stood up and rubbed against me so I just think she didn’t like the shirt.
Yesterday and today I’ve noticed that sometimes she will tremble. I rub her belly so she rolls over and I’m scratching her and I’ll remove my hand and her paws and tummy will start to sort of vibrate? She is purring of course but it doesn’t seem caused by the purring. She’s not trembling all the time but it is making me worry. She seems to be scared of every little noise. Today she was in her corner of the closet sleeping and I thought maybe she’d like to sit on the couch with me. For reference, she has her own room but I have started letting her out and she goes to the coat closet and guest bathroom right outside her door so she hasn’t been in the other areas of the apartment. So I bring her to the couch and she’s terrified of the tv and new area so I put her back in her spot.
I don’t really know what I’m looking for with this post. I just feel so horrible for her, she is10 years old and overweight so I know the amputation is a little more difficult for her than other cats. Ithink I’ll feel so much less anxious once she gets her staples out next week but I’m just wondering if anyone has any advice to share. Does her trembling seem like a cause for concern? How can I encourage her to get up to eat and drink more often? How can I help her feel more comfortable? She seems to like me but I can’t be by her side 24/7 and it’s hard for me to handle that.