Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Creating a safe recovery space
• Part 2 of 3: Treating your cat after surgery
• Part 3 of 3: Keeping an eye on your cat
• Tips
• Warnings

Sterilizations and castrations are routine operations, but they remain operations. If you're concerned about how to care for your cat after he or she has been spayed (female) or neutered (male), fear not! You've come to the right place. There are things you can do to help your cat recover from its surgery and become its healthy, happy feline self again.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Creating a safe recovery space

1. Provide your cat with a quiet, comfortable space. Your cat will likely be nauseous and unwell for the first 18-24 hours after the anesthetic. It is also likely to lash out at people and other animals, so providing a quiet, isolated place for your cat to recover is very important.
   • Make sure you can keep an eye on your cat where it is recovering. Close off any hiding places or places that you cannot easily reach.
   • Keep children and other pets away from the cat. Your cat needs to be able to rest and recover, and this is more difficult if he is constantly disturbed.
2. Make your cat happy. Make sure your cat has a comfortable place to sleep. If your cat doesn't have its own basket, try putting a soft pillow or blanket in a box.
   • If possible, place your cat's bed in a spot with a tile or wooden floor. Cats like to cool their stomachs by stretching out on cool, hard floors, and this can help relieve pain in the area of ​​surgery.
3. Dim the lighting. Cats that have been sedated are usually sensitive to light. Dim or turn off the lighting around the area.
   • If this is not possible, make something of a covering so that there is less light.
4. Provide a clean litter box and easily accessible food and water. In order to heal after surgery, cats should not have to jump, climb stairs, or stretch themselves to reach necessary things.
   • Do not use regular litter for at least a week after surgery. It can get into the surgical wound and cause infection, especially in hangovers. Instead, use shredded paper or newspaper, cat litter made from shredded paper, or uncooked long grain rice in the litter box.
5. Keep the cat inside. Do not let your cat outside for at least two weeks after surgery. This will help keep the surgical wound clean, dry, and infection-free.

Part 2 of 3: Treating your cat after surgery

1. Inspect your cat's surgical wound. Looking at your cat's surgical wound can give you an idea of ​​what it looks like and will help you monitor its progress. If possible, ask your vet to show you the wound before bringing your cat home. You can take a photo of the area on the first day, as a reference point.
   • Females and males with undescended testes will have an incision on their abdomen. Most males will have two small incisions on their scrotum (under the tail).
2. Use a collar. Your vet can provide this collar, or you can buy one from the pet store. These types of collars stick up past your cat's head so that it cannot touch the surgical site.
   • These collars are also referred to as hoods or guards.
3. Give the cat food and water. Once you get home from the vet, offer your cat some water in a shallow dish. Your vet will likely give you feeding instructions and you should follow them. If you have not received instructions, consider the following:
   • If your cat appears alert and responds well, you can give your cat about a quarter of its normal serving 2-4 hours after you get home from surgery. However, do not force the cat to eat or drink.
   • If your cat is able to eat, give it another small meal after 3-6 hours. Repeat until the cat has eaten a full portion of food and then return to the cat's normal feeding schedule.
   • If your cat is under 16 weeks of age, feed it a small meal (about half the normal amount) as soon as you get home after surgery.
   • If your kitten doesn't want to eat when you get back home, you can try putting a little bit of syrup or corn syrup on a cotton ball or swab and rubbing it on your cat's gums.
   • Do not give your cat any special food, treats or junk food after surgery. Your cat's stomach may be upset, so keep your cat's diet as normal as possible. Don't give your cat milk; cats cannot digest this.
4. Let your cat rest. Do not try to play with or pet your cat immediately after surgery. While this may feel reassuring to you, it may actually make your cat feel restless.
5. Avoid lifting your cat unless absolutely necessary. You can easily tear your cat's stitches if you lift or move your cat too much. With hangovers, you should avoid putting pressure on the scrotum (under the tail). In cats (and males who have undergone surgery for undescended testicles), avoid putting pressure on the abdomen.
   • If you need to lift your cat, try this approach: Scoop up the back of your cat with one hand and use the other hand to support your cat's chest just below the front legs. Gently lift the cat's body.
6. Limit your cat's movements. For the following week after surgery, make sure your cat doesn't jump around, play, or move around too much. This can irritate or cause infection on the surgical site.
   • Remove cat climbing posts, scratching posts, and other furniture that your cat likes to jump on.
   • Keep your cat in a small room, such as the washroom or bathroom, or in a kennel or crate when you are unable to supervise it.
   • Consider lifting your cat up and down any stairs. The cat is unlikely to harm the surgical wound by going up and down the stairs, but this is a logical precaution.
   • Understand that upset cats - such as those who have just had surgery - can try to escape. Be very vigilant when supervising your cat, especially during the first 24-48 hours after surgery.
7. Avoid bathing the cat. Do not bathe your cat for the first 10-14 days after surgery. This can irritate or cause infection on the surgical site.
   • If necessary, you can clean around the surgical wound with a slightly damp cloth (no soap) but do not let the wound itself get wet. Do not rub the surgical wound area.
8. Only give pain medication as prescribed by your vet. Your vet can send you home with prescription painkillers for your cat. If so, make sure to give these medications as instructed, even if you don't see your cat in pain. Cats are very good at hiding pain and can suffer even if they don't show it. Give your cat never medications that are not specifically prescribed by the vet.
   • Medication for humans, and even medications intended for other animals such as dogs, can kill cats! Do not give your cat any medications, not even over the counter medications, that your vet has not approved for your cat. Even drugs like Tylenol can be fatal to cats.
   • Do not apply any products to the surgical site, including antibiotics or disinfectant creams, unless your vet has approved them for your cat.

Part 3 of 3: Keeping an eye on your cat

1. Watch for vomiting. If your cat vomits after eating on the night of surgery, remove the food. Try to feed a small amount again the next morning. If your cat is vomiting again or if it has diarrhea, call your vet.
2. Check the operation wound every morning and evening. Check your cat's surgical wound every morning and evening for 7-10 days after surgery. Compare the appearance with the surgical wound on the first day after surgery to assess how your cat is healing. Call your vet if you see any of the following:
   • Redness. The surgical wound may initially be pink or light red at the edges. This redness should fade over time. If it increases, or the incision appears dark red at any point, this could be a sign of developing inflammation.
   • Bruising. Slight bruising that goes from red to purple as they heal is normal. However, if the bruise spreads, gets worse, or is severe, or if new bruises appear, get follow-up care right away.
   • Swelling. A little swelling around the surgical site is a normal part of healing, but if the swelling persists or gets worse you should call your vet.
   • Excretion. You can see a very small amount of light red discharge around the incision when you bring your cat home. This may be normal, but if the shedding continues for more than a day, the amount of shedding worsens, the shedding is bloody, or if the shedding is green, yellow, white, or smelling bad, your cat needs vet attention .
   • Stand apart from the wound edges. In a male cat, the cuts in the scrotum will be open, but they should be small and they should close quickly. A female cat or a male cat who has had abdominal surgery may have visible stitches, but they don't have to. If the cat has visible stitches, they should remain intact. If the cat has no visible stitches, the wound edges should remain closed. If they start to separate, or you notice anything, including suture material, protruding from the wound, take the cat to the vet right away.
3. Check your cat's gums. Your cat's gums should be pale pink to red in color. When you press gently on the gums and then let go, the color should quickly return to the spot. If your cat's gums are pale or don't return to normal color, call your vet.
4. Watch for signs of pain. Cats don't always show pain the way humans (or even dogs) do. Keep your eyes peeled for signs of discomfort in your cat. If you see signs of pain, your cat needs help and you should call the vet. Common signs of post-operative pain in cats are:
   • Persistent hiding or trying to escape
   • Depression or listlessness
   • Loss of appetite
   • Bent posture
   • Tense abs
   • Growling
   • Blow
   • Anxiety or fearfulness
5. Pay attention to other warning signs. Make sure your cat is recovering by keeping an eye on its behavior. Anything that is not "normal" must disappear within 24 hours after surgery. If you notice any unusual behavior or symptoms in your cat, call the vet right away. The following are signs to watch out for:
   • Lethargy for more than 24 hours after surgery.
   • Diarrhea
   • Vomiting after the first night.
   • Fever or chills
   • Decreased appetite that lasts for more than 24-48 hours
   • Inability to eat after 24 hours (in adult cats) or 12 hours (in kittens)
   • Difficult or painful urination
   • Not having a bowel movement for more than 24-48 hours after surgery.
6. Contact an emergency clinic. In most cases it will be enough to call your own vet to help your cat recover. But in some cases you will need to seek emergency care for your cat. Call an emergency department or emergency clinic if you observe any of the following in your cat:
   • Unconsciousness
   • Do not react
   • Difficulty in breathing
   • Signs of extreme pain
   • Altered mental state (the cat doesn't seem to recognize you or the environment, or is behaving very unusually)
   • Swollen abdomen
   • Bleeding
7. Stick to check-up appointments. Your cat may not have stitches in the skin (visible stitches). However, if your cat does have suture materials, your vet will need to remove them 10-14 days after surgery.
   • Even if your cat doesn't have stitches, stick to any follow-up appointments with your vet.

Tips

• Keep your cat away from small children during the first day.
• Use newspaper or non-dusty cat litter for easy cleaning.
• Keep neutered males away from unsterilized females for at least 30 days after surgery. Males can conceive females for up to 30 days after they are neutered.

Warnings

• Do not let your cat go outside for at least 7-10 days as this could harm the surgical wound.