What is normal after spay surgery?

[charbasaur]

Hi all.

My 6 month old kitten got spayed yesterday (I left her at the clinic at 9 am, picked her up at 5 pm, I'm not sure at what time the surgery actually took place. It's currently 9 am the following day).

When I brought her home she was wobbly for a bit but now she can walk in a straight line, albeit very very slowly. So far she's had zero interest in food and water and apart from walking a little bit from one sleeping spot to another she's been sleeping non stop. This morning I found her with the tip of her tongue out and drooling a little bit. She peed 4 times since she got home but hasn't pooped at all. I haven't been able to take a look at her actual incision because she's lying down on her tummy and I'm afraid of hurting her if I try to handle her.

Overall she just looks completely miserable and it's breaking my heart to see her this way Is this normal?

 

[cat nap]

Don't be afraid of picking her up, to look at her incision.

Can you phone your Vet or clinic, and ask them about this?.
They may have given her a strong pain medication at the clinic, or anesthetic.
Ask them if they gave her a long acting injection medication.

It does not sound normal...since kittens usually bounce back quite quickly.

 

[charbasaur]

Don't be afraid of picking her up, to look at her incision.

Can you phone your Vet or clinic, and ask them about this?.
They may have given her a strong pain medication at the clinic, or anesthetic.
Ask them if they gave her a long acting injection medication.

It does not sound normal...since kittens usually bounce back quite quickly.

They did warn me yesterday when I picked her up that she might not want to eat today either so I assume they must have given her something pretty strong. I also forgot to mention that yesterday she could barely open her eyes whereas today she can open them & look around just fine. Also her breathing is normal and she's responsive to the things happening around her (noises, us moving around etc). The drooling thing is weird to me, I feel like that should have happened earlier as a side effect of the anaesthesia, not several hours afterwards?

 

[cat nap]

I'm not sure how they do the spay surgeries over there, but I do remember my own kittens having them done, and the Vet said that they use something to reverse the anaesthetic...to wake them up fully.

(My kittens were also 6 months, but were very active when brought home the same day. They only slept after eating and actually wanted to run and jump. We had to keep them calm, and not running. And the female kitten was more active than the male.
Here in Canada they gave us Metacam to give to the female, but I was afraid to, from reading things online...so the Vet told me that I could only give it, ...if I felt I needed to. I didn't, since she did not seem in pain.)

Yes, It does sound like they gave her strong medications, and it is good that she is more responsive.
I guess every kitten is different.
I would still phone the Vet to keep them updated.
I agree with you about the drooling.

(she is very beautiful...and I hope she recovers quickly.)
Please keep us updated.

 

[charbasaur]

I'm not sure how they do the spay surgeries over there, but I do remember my own kittens having them done, and the Vet said that they use something to reverse the anaesthetic...to wake them up fully.

(My kittens were also 6 months, but were very active when brought home the same day. They only slept after eating and actually wanted to run and jump. We had to keep them calm, and not running. And the female kitten was more active than the male.
Here in Canada they gave us Metacam to give to the female, but I was afraid to, from reading things online...so the Vet told me that I could only give it, ...if I felt I needed to. I didn't, since she did not seem in pain.)

Yes, It does sound like they gave her strong medications, and it is good that she is more responsive.
I guess every kitten is different.
I would still phone the Vet to keep them updated.
I agree with you about the drooling.

(she is very beautiful...and I hope she recovers quickly.)
Please keep us updated.

From the general look of her last night I doubt they gave her anything to reverse the anaesthetic. I guess on the bright side her being all drowsy means she's less likely to run around and hurt herself/tear open her stitches?

I'll keep an eye on her and keep you posted. Hopefully I'll manage to take a picture of that incision as well. Right now she's sleeping in her favorite position & dreaming, I guess that's good Thank you for the kind words as well!

 

[cat nap]

Sounds good. Hopefully, if they did the surgery around noon or 1pm yesterday, then she should be feeling better about noon or 1pm...your time.

 

[charbasaur]

This is the best picture I could take of her incision. I have no idea what it's supposed to look like. What do you think? (24h or less since surgery)

 

[Neko-chan's mama]

About the pooping. Neko-chan didn't poop until around 48 hours after her spay...an hour after I had called the vet in a panic.

 

[rubysmama]

It's been a few hours since you first posted, charbasaur , how is she doing now? If no change, I would definitely call your vet, and let them know what's going on.

Meanwhile, here's a TCS article that might be helpful: Spaying And Neutering - What To Look For After Surgery

 

[charbasaur]

It's been a few hours since you first posted, charbasaur , how is she doing now? If no change, I would definitely call your vet, and let them know what's going on.

Meanwhile, here's a TCS article that might be helpful: Spaying And Neutering - What To Look For After Surgery

I feel like she's slowly getting better, she seems a lot more aware and she's walking a bit better than before. Earlier she even purred and talked to me a little. I just wish she would eat a little bit, I think it would help her recovery a lot Plus I'm supposed to give her antibiotics starting tomorrow.

 

[cat nap]

Hi charbasaur ...how is your kitten doing?

Your photo is very interesting. I've never seen them leave on a blue coating like that.
Maybe it's some sort of antiseptic scrub, to prevent infection. I have no idea.

Did the Vet give you any more post-op instructions?
Were you able to contact them, or send them the photo? That would be the best.

Maybe you can try giving your kitten some strong smelling wet food, to entice her to eat a little.

 

[cat nap]

Oh, did they also give you some sort of cone, or e-collar, so your kitten does not actually lick the incision site?
That may cause a bad taste in her mouth, plus she could pull out her stitches.

 

[rubysmama]

I feel like she's slowly getting better, she seems a lot more aware and she's walking a bit better than before. Earlier she even purred and talked to me a little. I just wish she would eat a little bit, I think it would help her recovery a lot Plus I'm supposed to give her antibiotics starting tomorrow.

Hopefully she's continued to feel better, as the day progressed. Please update again, when you can.

 

[sivyaleah]

Don't be afraid of picking her up, to look at her incision.

Can you phone your Vet or clinic, and ask them about this?.
They may have given her a strong pain medication at the clinic, or anesthetic.
Ask them if they gave her a long acting injection medication.

It does not sound normal...since kittens usually bounce back quite quickly.

I'll disagree about this.

This sound perfectly normal for having just been spayed. After all it's only the first day.

Our kitten was spayed a week ago. The first day when sent home she was quite loopy from the long acting meds they gave her. This was still in her until the next day. We were told to make sure she was kept as quiet as possible for the first few days and that it would be normal for her to be a bit off key and wobbly for the 1st 24 hours or so.

Also, we were told her appetite may be off and bowel and urine output could be affected due to the anesthesia. Again, normal. This happens even in humans. Remember, cats are not fed prior to surgery so her belly would have been empty as well. If they do not pee or poop for the first 24 hours or so this is of no great concern. Our girl actually did both, we were surprised considering we were told it may not happen.

By late into the day after surgery she began to bounce back but still was somewhat not quite back to normal so we kept an eye on her. By the 3rd day she was completely ok and trying to run around as usual but we managed to keep her from being to active by containing her in a guest room.

You should be checking on the incision daily to make sure it's healing ok. If you have any concerns, of course call the vet. That is what they are there for!

EDIT: Purposely did not comment on the incision because our girl did not get external stitching like yours. Nor, were we given an antibiotic. The vet said it's usually unnecessary unless an infection is present. Your mileage may vary as they say depending on the vet and results.

 

[charbasaur]

Hi again. Kitty is doing better, this morning she followed me to the kitchen and chilled with me for a bit. She even started yapping at a fly She's had the tiniest bit of food and water, I guess it's a start. She's walking a lot better and seems to be in a lot less pain.

I think the blue stuff is methylene blue. The vet said that once that wears off I should dab some betadine on the incision. Also no cone but the vet said I should go back to them asap if she starts pulling at her stitches. So far she hasn't.

Now it's pill time and I can't seem to get her to take it. She spit it out a few times and ended up running (or rather walking) away from me. If she were eating I would crush the pill and sprinkle it on her food but she isn't. Any tips on that?

 

[cat nap]

There are 2 Articles here that may help...with pilling a cat.
Pilling Cats: Must-know Tips For Hiding Pills
How Can I Give A Pill To My Cat
I find the 2nd article, very helpful...because it actually contains video of one of the advisor's Columbine pilling her cats.
She does it so quick, and if you notice how she places her first cat on the floor, between her legs, so that they cannot back up, and then slips the pill into their mouth, so fast from behind, that her cat does not even have time to think about it. Speed definitely is the key.

I know others have mentioned coating the pill in butter, to make it slide better.
(With my elderly rainbow cat, I did try pill pockets and a pill shooter/popper, but honestly...the best method was just as described above.
Surprising the cat, from behind, or while he was relaxed, laying down..and entering his mouth sideways.)

Also, if you have a syringe...without a needle, or an eyedropper, or plastic condiment bottle,...then chasing the pill down with a little bit of water,..to make sure that the cat's throat does not get irritated...really helped with swallowing. Just not too much water, just enough to get your cat to swallow.

 

[cat nap]

Hi again. Kitty is doing better, this morning she followed me to the kitchen and chilled with me for a bit. She even started yapping at a fly She's had the tiniest bit of food and water, I guess it's a start. She's walking a lot better and seems to be in a lot less pain.

I think the blue stuff is methylene blue. The vet said that once that wears off I should dab some betadine on the incision. Also no cone but the vet said I should go back to them asap if she starts pulling at her stitches. So far she hasn't.

Now it's pill time and I can't seem to get her to take it. She spit it out a few times and ended up running (or rather walking) away from me. If she were eating I would crush the pill and sprinkle it on her food but she isn't. Any tips on that?

Thanks for the above update. I'm so glad she is feeling better.
"yapping at a fly"...must be a good sign. And spitting out a pill...must be too. She sounds so smart, and a little feisty.

(The reason I asked about the blue stuff, is because I had gone online, and read that some cats can drool if they lick the betadine, povidone, or chlorhexidine scrub, or whatever the Vets use in the spay surgery. Also said that drooling could be from nausea coming off anaesthetic, endotracheal tube used for breathing during surgery, biting lip or tongue, or waking up violently and trying to stand up in cage. I guess we'll never know, but it was kind of interesting to read.)

I never had any cones for my kittens, either...but if you do see her bothering with the stitches, or licking...you could always just make a homemade-one with a paper plate, hole in middle...or some people, here, said that large socks, with cut-outs, work to cover up site.
I think leaving it open to the air to breathe, would be best...but I guess it depends on your little kitten.

Hope the pilling goes well. Take photos, even if the little one gives you a hard time.

 

[charbasaur]

I've been as fast as I can, I admit I'm quite inexperienced since I've never had to pill a cat before. Once I get it into her mouth she just stares at me and refuses to swallow. I've tried rubbing her chin/neck, blowing on her nose etc. She just won't do it. So yes, smart and feisty is right haha.

I do believe the anaesthesia was quite rough on her. The tube as well might've caused some trouble. Maybe a sore throat from the tube is also adding to the lack of appetite?

She's only had 2-3 pieces of wet food & whenever I try to give her some she just licks them a bit and walks away. But at least she seems somewhat interested. She also pooped earlier! I haven't been so happy to see her poop since the first day I brought her home

Thank you everyone for all the tips so far. I really appreciate your interest

 

[charbasaur]

Update: My mom boiled some chicken breast and asked if I wanted to try to give kitty some. Since she didn't want to eat her food or even treats I was skeptical it would work but I decided to try anyway. And she ate it! I gave her a small portion and I'll boil some more for later. Yay

 

[rubysmama]

That's excellent that she ate some chicken! In fact, boiled chicken is one of the foods recommended when a cat has an upset stomach.