Spaying Cat - Help!

[Mabo]

Hi,

I have been trying to spay my cat for a month now. I work and so I only want to spay her on a Friday so I can stay at home and care for her over the weekend. The problem is that everytime some thing comes up! One Friday we had a wedding, the next we had last mınute guests from abroad the next my cat was in heat (my vet would not agree to spaying her when she is in heat). I thought I would have her spayed this Friday but now I have been informed that this weekend I have to be in work.

My question is, would I have to stay at home after my cat has been spayed. I am now considering getting her done on a weekday as by next week she would probably be in heat again! I work from 8-4, my husband starts work at 11, so my cat would be alone from 11 to 4pm. Would this be ok?

It is impossible for me to take time off - thats sadly not an option. Also if possible could I have some information on what I should do after the spaying. She is 6 months (my vet (we are abroad) did not agree to spay her until she hit 6 months) and healthy.

Thank you

 

[tinydestroyer]

Someone with more experience may disagree with me, but I think that if you make sure to prepare for her spaying, you can get away with leaving her home alone 11-4 sometime during the first week. Although not ideal, this is what I'd do in your shoes:
1) You should make sure your kitty has her own space where she can eat, drink, rest, and use the litter box in peace while you're gone. A small room without furniture that she can jump on, such as a bathroom or empty closet, would be ideal. You should do as much as you can to keep her from jumping, playing too roughly, or licking the incision immediately after the spay. Spaying is routine, but it is also major abdominal surgery, so too much activity afterwards may cause complications. She should be separate from other pets, especially when nobody is home.

2) Make sure to get the room ready for her the day before, and buy some non-clay cat litter (like yesterday's news paper litter,) so that the granules don't get into her incision site.

3) Have an e-collar so that you can ensure she's not licking her stitches while you're gone. You can use the traditional "cone" style, (although some cats hate this,) or you can alternatively get an inflatable "inner tube" style e collar. Some people use a baby onesie or shirt for the cat to wear so that it covers their incision, and sometimes cats prefer this since their vision isn't impaired.

3) Try and arrange it so that you can pick her up after work, and monitor her the first night after the spay.

4) Make sure that either you or your husband will be able to take her in to the vet if complications arise. Maybe one of you could give your work a heads up. Have a plan in place in case you need to take her back to the vet afterwards. They will probably want to see her anywhere from a week to ten days after the surgery for a post op checkup anyway.

5) Check the incision before you leave and when you return daily. Take pictures of her recovery throughout so that you can track any abnormal changes, and show the progress to the vet. Call your vet if you have any concerns.

6) Account for extra time to spend with your kitten while you are at home during the period that she is healing. Make sure to show her lots of love and attention, but no vigorous play sessions.

There are lots of good articles and forums if you have more questions. Here are a couple that might help:

Spaying And Neutering - What To Ask Before The Surgery

Spaying And Neutering - What To Ask Before The Surgery

Let us know how it goes, and good luck!

 

[Mabo]

Thank you so much!

I am considering keeping her in the corridor as the bathroom is small and and she may climb on toilet? She is a very active playful kitten so I am worried she will be bored.

I have decided to now have her spayed this Friday. Even though I’ll be working on Saturday I’ll have Sunday free to spend with her.

Thank you for the article, I’ll be researching

 

[tinydestroyer]

Yes, the corridor will be fine so that she can't jump on the toilet. It can be really difficult to keep your kitty calm and entertained during her convalescence. She will definitely be bored for some of the time, but because complications like ruptured stitches, seromas, etc are the potential consequence of letting her go crazy, you really want to make sure she's not over exerting herself. My kitten had a post spay complication, (although it was more due to vet error than the kitten playing,) and it was really scary! Though these things are rare, it's best not to chance it. Before you know it, the recovery will be over, and you can get rid of the e collar and play normally. The more important thing is to keep her from stretching, jumping, landing (as all these engage her abdominal muscles,) but since it'll be basically impossible to keep her from playing completely, you can do some less strenuous activities. Here are some ideas that I used to play with my recovering kitty while keeping her from jumping around. Because she had a longer recovery than most spays, she was going a bit stir crazy, so we had to get creative!

-use a laser pointer, but keep it on the ground. She can chase it without jumping. Give food or a treat at the end so she feels like she accomplished something.
- use a tablet or phone to play cat-friendly videos / games on YouTube. They're easy to find by searching "cat game" and the cat mostly just watches or lightly pats the screen. There are bird watching videos or games where a "mouse" runs across the screen.
- use a Bergan Turbo Chaser or other floor game for her to watch / play with
- get a crinkle tunnel or sack for her to crawl through (or even just a large paper bag with the handles removed.) Cats love the crinkle sound, and no jumping involved!
- drag a fishing pole toy on the ground for her to chase. The cat charmer is especially good for this, because it's safe and soft, so no hard parts to accidentally get on the incision.
- play fetch with some lightweight plush toys, or let her bat them around.

My husband and I would spend lots of time with her before / after work to keep her entertained, and she mostly slept while we were gone. I didn't leave a lot of toys lying around while we weren't there to supervise. The hardest part is when she starts to feel better, but you're supposed to keep her calm or keep the cone / bodysuit on. If her recovery is progressing normally, you may not have to be as strict with your kitty as I had to. But I'm definitely more the "better safe than sorry," type.

Also, again, can't stress how helpful it is to have the correct litter, have your e collar / bodysuit figured out, and have the corridor set up for her so everything is ready. Good luck on Friday!

 

[lacy2000]

I agree, you can leave her home while you’re at work. When my foster kittens get spayed, I go to work and school and they are ok while I’m gone.

 

[Mabo]

Ok thats a relief! I will still try to avoid leaving her for too long. My vet told me she will wrap the wound and keep it wrapped for a week. She also said that the procedure would take 20 minutes and we can take her home straight away very worrying for me!

Thank you very much for all the tips!

 

[tinydestroyer]

Ok thats a relief! I will still try to avoid leaving her for too long. My vet told me she will wrap the wound and keep it wrapped for a week. She also said that the procedure would take 20 minutes and we can take her home straight away very worrying for me!

Thank you very much for all the tips!

Well, on the bright side, it sounds like she'll be free of the dreaded cone with that wrap! My kitty had to have her tummy wrapped for a bit after the surgery, but it wasn't their normal procedure. I had to re-wrap her so she could use the litter box because it was too close to her legs for her to get in a comfortable position. I'm sure that if your vet usually wraps cats post-spay, everything will be easier than in my case, though, so don't stress. It seems like you're asking questions, and getting prepared, so that's awesome! Complications are very rare, so don't worry. Make sure to know how your vet wants you to take care of her when you pick her up, and good luck!

 

[Mabo]

Thank you! I am just a stress-bag - I want this to be over with

Lets hope she recovers quick without any complications.

 

[Mabo]

Hi - Today morning she has been spayed! My husband brought her home and stayed with her until I got back from work. Since I have arrived I have noticed a progress, at first she was walking quite slow falling a bit and now within an hour she's walking properly and can even slow run! She is however constantly vomiting and wont eat or drink anything. The vet said not eating for up to 3 days is fine however I am not convinced! I would have thought not drinking over 24 hours could be fatal?

 

[FunnyFaceFamily]

How is she now? They should not eat or drink anything until around 6 hours post surgery. At first offer water and a little food. If they throw up take food away and 're offer it a few hours later. If she does not drink water by herself 12 hours post surgery you should force feed her water with a dropper or syringe. You can also try encouraging her to drink water by offering the water from canned tuna or boil some chicken in a pan of water, allow the water to cool and offer this kind of broth. Also using ceramic or glass water bowls might help. Please let us know how she is going. If she is not eating or drinking by herself after 24hrs you should contact your vet.

 

[di and bob]

My cat was very sick after her spay. She stayed in her bed for 5 days only going to the litter box. She didn't eat anything for over two days, i did entice her to drink a little water the second day. She turned out fine. I have had many cats spayed and she was the worst. Most recover by the second day and start eating and drinking. A small lump on the incision site is normal too, there is swelling and stitches inside. Just offer comfort and lots of clean water and good food!

 

[Mabo]

Hi, she is one strong cat! the first day and night she didn't do much else then sleep and wonder around. Early the next morning she had some wet food some dry and then a whole lot of water and right now she is eating and drinking and behaving as if she wasn't spayed two days ago. I am very happy with her progress. The vet wrapped her wound however she is forever pulling at it and its slowly tearing now. Right now the only issue I have is giving her, her antibiotics. She just wont accept it! I will try to put tonights course in tuna. Heres hoping!

Di and bob - I'm sorry you had to go through that stress, I am glad she fully recovered

 

[Bitgid]

My opinion is, you must stay.
However, this operation, and the cat after anesthesia finds itself inadequate.
My cat Bitcohne recovered two days after the operation, for two days I fed it with a syringe.

 

[di and bob]

Liquid antibiotics are almost impossible to give to a couple of my cats. A few will take it in a small amount of tuna juice. There is one that is impossible, I have scratches everywhere trying with him. The vet just showed me a new trick with him, that is after you've tried everything else. It worked! Grab the cat by the loose skin on the back of the neck, lift them a little way up so their front legs are off the ground and put the syringe in the side of the mouth. It worked every time. The vet said he did it with hard to manage cats. Cats immediately freeze when they are lifted this way, it must be some kind of instinct from being carried like that from mama. Good luck!

 

[Mabo]

It worked! Her mouth was opened the second I picked her from the scruff! Thankyou!!

 

[Willowy]

My cat was very sick after her spay. She stayed in her bed for 5 days only going to the litter box. She didn't eat anything for over two days, i did entice her to drink a little water the second day. She turned out fine. I have had many cats spayed and she was the worst. Most recover by the second day and start eating and drinking. A small lump on the incision site is normal too, there is swelling and stitches inside. Just offer comfort and lots of clean water and good food!

Yeah, older cats take it a lot harder. We had an older female (the vet said her uterus was worn out and she had had "truckloads" of kittens, maybe 5 or 6 years old) who didn't move from the bed for 3 days after her surgery. She did eat and drink when we served it to her on the bed though. My cousin has an 8-year-old female who was just spayed and she went underneath the bathtub for 3-4 days after the surgery. They were just about to tear up the floorboards when she came out on her own. So, yeah, they can go a few days without. But it's better if they don't.

Sounds like your girl is doing fine though! She is fairly young so no surprise.

 

[Mabo]

Yes she seems well although she has removed 1 stitch

 

[di and bob]

That can happen, if she removes any more she'll have to wear a cone. A small separation is OK it will heal.

 

[cat princesses]

My cat didn't do well with the cone so we did this instead:
I went to the baby section and purchased a baby onesie but this one was a sleeveless, spaghetti strap style. What you have to do is the back legs for the cat would go where the babies arms would go - then the crotch portion you need to cut a hole in, I believe it was the bum area so that the snaps fasten up by the scruff of your cats neck. My cat is small, 8 lbs so I got the 9 mth old size and that worked perfectly. This way there was no issues with the butt/tail, she could use the litter box perfectly and kept the spay suture area protected. She tried to clean the onesie but she wasn't able to lick the incisions directly. Once I saw that this worked, I went back and got a couple others so that I could wash the one she was wearing and there was a clean fresh one waiting. This also works extremely well for any kittys that have allergy issues that lick excessively causing boo boo's. It was a help for me until we could work with the dermatologist and get her on some medications to stop the excessive itching/licking.