When is my cat going into labour?

Sarthur2

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Poor baby! Do put a bowl of fresh water nearby. She should begin drinking soon as her thirst cues begin to kick in as more of the residual anesthesia wears off.
 

Sarthur2

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What pain med are you giving her? When is her next check-up? Do you know if they gave her internal, dissolving stitches, or external ones that will need to be removed?

This acute phase should last about 3 days, but she will be tender and sore and weak for awhile.

I’m so glad you got her to the vet when you did.

A aydivirsa
 
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aydivirsa

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Not sure what kind of pain med - it is an oral tablet, but I didn't register the name. I can find out. They used silk thread, not dissolving stitches. It will need to be taken out in 10 days.

She went through further trauma today - one of our tap valves burst and in a moment of my inattention, she went and sat right in the puddle that had formed underneath. Her dressings were completely soaked and we had to rush back to the hospital to change the bandages. Luckily, the wound was completely closed and there was no further cleaning needed. She was still in such pain as they removed the wet bandage and put on a new one! (She ended up biting my finger as I held her down - I actually need to go get an anti-rabies shot in my morning.)

On the plus side, they gave her an antibiotic shot and a painkiller shot too, and she fell completely asleep on the drive home. The poor girl needs a lot of calm and quiet.
 

Sarthur2

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Wow - you guys are not having luck. I don’t think you need an anti-rabies shot — you just need a tetanus shot and / or antibiotics since a cat’s mouth has lots of bacteria so your finger does not get infected. Wash it thoroughly with soap and water in the meantime.

I feel for your girl having to get her bandages done again so soon, but thankful they gave her antibiotics and an additional pain killer.

I do hope your finger heals well and that your cat begins to eat and drink again soon on her own.

If you can get the name of the pain med that would be great (maybe it’s on your receipt?).

Also, a daily update to us on how she’s doing as I am concerned that she heals properly and does not get dehydrated.

I appreciate your timely responses as I have been very worried.

A aydivirsa
 
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aydivirsa

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Thank you! I've got an appointment with a GP in a couple of hours to check out the bite and decide on the shot.

The pain med is Tramadol - 100mg tablet broken into 1/3rds, to be given twice daily in the morning and night for the next 3 days.
 
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aydivirsa

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You're right - we did go with a tetanus shot and 5 days of antibiotics.

Mimi has been absolutely against any kind of food today. We kept a bowl of fresh water next to her bed, and even a small bowl of her favourite kibble to get her appetite up. She's been hovering her mouth over the each bowl, in semi-interest, and then turning away. I haven't seen her drink water in at least 6 hours now. We tried a spoonful of milk, little spoonfuls of water and a very little bit of wet food. She rejected the spoons of milk and water completely, but did eat a small amount of the wet food (about 2 grams worth - just the tip of the spoon). I tried honey water too but she just turned her face away, like she didn't even recognise it as food.

At this point, I'm not sure if she's rejecting food in general or doing it because it's us offering it and she's suspicious of our intentions.

About 13 hours after she got the painkiller shot at the hospital, I tried giving her the painkiller tablet at home - powdered, mixed in with water and delivered through a needle-less syringe. She wouldn't open her mouth and I didn't want her to be in pain, so I lifted a corner of her lip and fed it between her teeth. She moved her head, must've hit the syringe on her teeth, and then went into manic wailing and shaking for the next two minutes. It took her another 10 or so minutes to calm down and stop trying to run out of the house. We finally moved her back to her bed after a lot of calming voices and patience.

I'm not sure if I should give her antibiotics at night if she has been on an empty stomach. I'm worried about how to give her meds at all, and how on earth we're going to get her to the hospital in two days. I don't know when she's going to eat, but I have to hope that eventually she'll be hungry enough to respond when we offer her food.

My concerns are turning from medical to behavioural. How in the world are we to convince her to trust us again? And how are we going to complete her treatment when she's hesitant about us? We already delayed taking her to the vet when she was in labour, now I'm worried that we aren't able to give her good aftercare.

Or maybe I'm just emotional. I've seen enough of her pain to last a lifetime.
 

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When I had a little one spayed a year ago, she didn't eat for over 4 days, just tiny licks. Tempt her with some lickable treats, I give Delectable Lickables in the stew flavors. I put all their meds in that and keep it around to tempt a cat that gets sick. It is often the ONLY thing they eat for several days. anesthesia can really affect some cats. It may take a few days but she will recover if you can tempt her to eat something. I'll pray for your little girl......RIP dear little unborn ones, I'm so sorry......
 

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Don’t over-think all this - just do what you need to do for her. She may act out, but deep down she knows you’ve helped her.

You can ask the vet for anti-nausea meds (Cerenia) as well as an appetite stimulant (mirtazapine). I would definitely ask them to give her sub-cutaneous fluids if she’s still not eating and drinking well.

Here in the U.S., we recommend Gerber turkey baby food for sick cats and kittens. Do you have anything like that? Or offer the juice from a can of tuna.
 
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aydivirsa

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Thank you both for the tips and kind words! She's fond of salmon treats so I'll give those a shot. The last time she was injured, the vet discouraged us from giving her treats until she was better, rather to give her more wet food. But at this point, anything she eats is a success 🤷🏻‍♀️. I'll ask the hospital for any soft baby food we can give her too. Will definitely ask about an appetite stimulant as well!

I don't know where she finds the energy from, but she managed to exit my house and make her way down a flight of stairs and almost out to the parking lot. She did come back up the stairs with some convincing, but now I've got to keep my eyes peeled for this flight risk too!
 
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aydivirsa

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Update after her first review: turns out that the sutures did get wet when she sat in that water puddle. They had come loose under the bandage and there was an infection. Her temperature was high too. She went through more trauma in the hospital today, thrashing and crying while the IV was put in. They put her under sedation, debrided the incision and restitched her.

8 hours later, she's still partly zoned out - but woke up when I waved food in front of her nose.
IMG20211017200832.jpg
 
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aydivirsa

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Update after her first review: turns out that the sutures did get wet when she sat in that water puddle. They had come loose under the bandage and there was an infection. Her temperature was high too. She went through more trauma in the hospital today, thrashing and crying while the IV was put in. They put her under sedation, debrided the incision and restitched her.

8 hours later, she's still partly zoned out - but woke up when I waved food in front of her nose.
Adding to the cause of infection - her missed antibiotic from day one and two definitely played a role.
 
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