Recent Tooth Extraction General Care

[darlenam8]

Not sure the best place to post this:
My buddy Cezare has one of his canines extracted yesterday due to a chipped tooth with infection.
He’s doing well, but needs to be only on soft food for about 2 weeks. So, this means he can’t go outside (neighbors leave kibble out) for 2 weeks.
What I’m looking for are recommendations on how to best deal with this and keep him happy. His brother gets to go out (and now stays out for several hours a day while Cezare is locked in). Cezare cries and whines about being locked in. (I can’t keep them both inside while I’m at work because they’ll get on each other’s nerves and fight).
I’m also finding it difficult to play with him, because all of his toys go in his mouth and I’m afraid of ripping his stitches. (Catnip toys, hair ties are his favorite. Etc)
I don’t want him to be a sad sack for 2 weeks but am not sure how to keep him happy and entertained. He’s a pretty playful high energy cat and I’m at a loss.
Any suggestions? Thank you!

 

[Columbine]

I've never had a cat have dental surgery of this type myself, but a couple of ideas come to mind.

For toys/play, the most obvious toy would be a laser pointer. Lots of mental stimulation and 'hunting' fun, but without anything that could hurt his stitches. Ball towers or tracks (like the Petstages tower or the Catit circuits) should be pretty safe too. I can't think of the brand, but you can get cardboard scratchers that have holes cut out in the top and sides, and balls inside to poke at/try to remove. They should also be ok. For self-play/unsupervised toys, the little foam balls seem like they'd be the safest, with mylar balls coming in a close second.

The outdoor access issue is a little harder. I guess you could try taking him out in a harness (assuming he accepts it ok), or maybe the mesh cat tents that are around these days. I'd think that you'd still have to observe him in that kind of thing though, especially if he and your other cat tend to wind each other up. The last thing you want is to make Cezare feel trapped or cornered

 

[darlenam8]

Fantastic ideas!
Thank you. Poor boy is going stir crazy and it hasn’t even been 24 hours.

 

[Columbine]

I'm sure he'll adjust. Try not to stress about it too much - you know you're doing the right thing, and the calmer you are about it all, the calmer he'll be. If he really won't settle, talk to your vet about trying a food based calmer (e.g. Composure or Zylkene) for the duration. I've used Zylkene before, and it really helped my girl without sedating or doping her in any way