Post Operative Care: Cat Spay
Looking After Your Pet After An Anaesthetic
It can take a while for the drugs used in an anaesthetic to leave the body – your pet may be more sleepy than usual for 12 – 24 hours after their anaesthetic. This is usually nothing to be concerned about, however they should be able to get up and walk around when stimulated and if not please call the surgery as this may indicate they need veterinary attention. You should keep your cat in a warm, quiet place for 24 hours. This is because an anaesthetic procedure can affect your pet’s ability to regulate their temperature.
Occasionally, a slight cough will be noted after surgery, this is normally due to irritation caused by the endotracheal tube that is used in the anaesthetic and should resolve within 48 hours.
Wound Care
It takes 10-14 days for surgical wounds to heal. After an operation a small amount of oozing may be seen post operatively, if however, you notice more than a few drops of blood from the wound please call the surgery.
You should try to make sure that your pet does not go anywhere they can get the wound dirty. Please do not apply anything on to the wound that has not been supplied by us.
If your pet is licking the wound then please contact us so that we can issue you with a buster collar (cone), as repeated licking can be very damaging. If your cat requires a cone, they will not be able to go outdoors until the cone has been removed.
A small amount of redness around the wound can be normal, however any signs of increased redness, swelling or discharge from the wound should be reported to us.
Most pets will have dissolvable stitches in their wound, which are hidden below the skin- these do not need removing and will dissolve over the course of a few weeks. If your pet has stitches on the surface of the skin, these are usually removed after 10 days, when the wound has healed sufficiently. We will discuss this at your pets discharge appointment.
Medication
Please follow carefully the instructions on the label of any medications supplied. If you are having difficulty getting your pet to take medications, please contact us.
We give pets injections of painkillers at the time of the surgery, which will usually last for several hours; if your pet still appears be in pain then please contact us.
We also provide anti-inflammatory painkillers to be given by mouth for several days post-surgery. Please follow the instructions on the label carefully. The most commonly provided pain killer is a liquid which is given ONCE daily in food, or with food, using the dosing syringe that is provided in the packet. It is important to note that only the specific dosing syringe provided should be used.
If any vomiting or diarrhoea occurs while using this medication then please do not give any more and contact the surgery. Most patients are given an injection of this drug on the day of the surgery and, therefore, unless advised otherwise at the discharge appointment, the medication should not be given at home until the next day.
Feeding
We will offer your pet a small meal after surgery (unless you have advised us not to), but they should also be offered a small meal at home (they can be fed their normal food).
If they do not eat at home the evening of the surgery, in most cases you do not need to be overly concerned, but their appetite should return within 24 hours- if not then please contact us for further advice.
After being spayed, cats are more prone to putting on weight, and their urine composition can change. It is therefore worth considering placing them onto a food designed for cats that have been neutered.
Exercise
Please keep your cat indoors for 7-10 days after the surgery and try to keep them rested. If a buster collar (plastic cone) is required at any point during the healing process, your cat will need to be kept indoors until this is removed.
In Case of An Emergency
If you have a concern that requires urgent attention please contact us at the surgery, if it is out of normal surgery hours listen carefully to the instructions which will direct you to the veterinary surgeon on duty or our out of hours provider who will assist. It is particularly important that you notify us immediately if your cat becomes very quiet, seems in pain, goes pale or if you notice any significant bleeding.