How to Care for Your Cat After a Spay

After being spayed, your cat will need help to recover.

Bringing your dearly loved cat home after surgery can be a scary time. Spaying your cat means major surgery, at which point she'll need plenty of time to rest and recover. In many ways, caring for your cat after surgey is the same as caring for a person: they need lots of time, attention and love.

Things You'll Need

• Peroxide
• Cotton balls
• Elizabethan collar

Instructions

1. Usually, a veterinarian or their assistant will go over the after-care plan with you. Ask if he has a print out or take notes if possible. Also, try to have payment and instructions taken care of before your cat is released. Once you see her, all your attention will go to caring for her. Some grogginess is expected, but you should see her lifting her head and able to focus her eyes when you greet her. If she appears dazed, you should speak with the veterinarian. Most anesthesias wear off within a few hours, but an intravenous or intramuscular pain medication was most likely given. This can cause the grogginess, as well as some nausea and even confusion. Be aware she has just been through a very stressful and frightening day. She will be much more herself when you get her home, safe and warm with you.

2. You will want to start slowly with just a small amount of water first. She will feel thirsty, but if you give her too much, she will gulp greedily and then it will be thrown right back up. So pace her. After she has kept the water down for an hour you can start introducing food. Again, small amounts at first then increasing every 30 minutes. Offer her something you know she likes, but nothing new. You don't want to challenge the stomach or digestive system. Also, don't be alarmed if she shows no interest at first, just keep offering. By the next day you should see a much improved appetite. It is very important for cats to eat regularly, so if you are noticing a persistent anorexia into the next day, you need to contact your vet.

3. Follow your vet' s recommendation on pain meds. If he has given you a prescription, the instructions should be on the bottle. Do not give any human medications as this can lead to serious complications and even death. In the following days, a little bit of pain is needed so they do not become too active, consequently harming the healing process.

4. It takes about a full 10 days for recovery, but you should see vast improvements each day. You will want to clean the incision and surrounding area once a day with peroxide. Saturate a cotton ball with the peroxide and just dab the sutures and surrounding skin. After 10 days you'll want to have her rechecked. At that time the sutures can be removed, even if they are dissolvable they can be irritating and itchy, so ask to have them removed. Most vets will not charge for this service.

5. Observe her closely for excessive licking. If your cat is doing this, you will need to get an Elizabethan collar. You do not want those sutures licked open. That can be a costly fix and possibly another round of anesthesia. These collars prevent her from reaching the incision area and are available through most vets and pet stores. Some pet stores carry ones that look like neck braces rather than cones. These don't interfere with her sight or sound and cause little problems with eating.
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6. Most importantly, let the love and attention flow. Your best friend will soon be back on top and better than ever. You can rest easy knowing you have given her the best care and a brighter future. Not only does spaying help the community, it helps the long-term health of your animal and extends her life by years.

Tips & Warnings

• Try to limit the activity as much as possible, so no extreme jumping. Keep her indoors for the full recovery period. Do not be afraid to call your vet if you have any questions.

• Contact your vet if the cat experiences frequent vomiting or anorexia is occurring; restlessness and inability to sleep; the incision area is swollen or seeping; or the cat has difficulty urinating or defecating.

References

• Best-Cat-Art.com: Spayed Cat – Aftercare