Cat People - I have questions

[lavenderblue]

My kittens are now 6 months old so are scheduled to get spayed. They were scheduled a couple of weeks ago but I ended up needing to reschedule. Is there anything I need to know for post operative care? Do they put cats in cones? I have dogs, so should I set up a "safe space" for them to heal for a few days? My office is already pretty much set up as a cat haven, and I can lock them in there if need be. Anything else I need to plan for?

Also, my one cat is long haired. I've never had a long haired animal before, am I supposed to get her groomed? I do brush her like once a week, but surprisingly she almost never has any sort of knotting. Except for that one time she got poop stuck in her hair, but I don't want to talk about that LOL

[starburst604]

I've only had male cats so not sure about females, but they didn't have cones after their neuters. I know for females it's a bit more of a recovery and I believe I have seen cats wearing the post-operative surgery suits to keep them from getting at the incision. It's a good idea to keep them away from the dogs after for a few days or as long as the vet recommends. I've never had my long-haired cat groomed, but he definitely needs regular brushing to keep from clumping, especially when he sheds his winter coat in the spring. Once a week like you're doing should do the job. I can also relate to the stuck poop lol. You can trim around her bum if you want to help her keep it cleaner.

[Tacocat]

It’s been awhile since I had a female cat, but we adopted one from the humane society over 15 years ago. She had just been spayed and she still had stitches. They said just watch it for signs of infection and try to keep her from licking it too much. I don’t remember it being an issue at all and it healed fine. I’ve only ever had short haired cats, but brushing regularly is important and you may want to consider having her groomed if her hair comes in really long once full grown. Bonus points if you want to share a pic of your kitty

[lavenderblue]

tacocat ask and you shall receive!!! This is my long haired girl Fiona.

[lavenderblue]

And this is my crazy girl Zoe.

[jamaicam]

We adopted 2 cats and the shelter spays them before you can take them home. THe boy was fine but the girl had it harder. Try and keep her calm - our lady was in pain and and not sociable for a few days.

[Tacocat]

Aww your kitties are adorable 🥰

[TR]

Zoe actually does look a little crazy lol They're both so cute!

[expectantsteelerfan]

My bff has a long-haired cat, and she did not get her groomed until she was old and arthritic and couldn't groom herself and was getting really bad mats. Then she got her lion-cut I think it's called? Where she would have hair on/around her head, but was pretty much shaved elsewhere.

[basilosaurus]

My boy cat just got neutered last week. Other than being groggy for a few hours when he got home, he showed zero signs of slowing.

One of the girl cats came home with cones, others didn't. Vet preference I guess. It didn't last long. They never showed signs of licking.

I did have one cat that was intersex. Cat had been to the vet twice before for shots, so it's not like it was an unknown animal to them. They shaved "her" side, sliced in, and, surprise! No girl parts. "Her" balls were apparently pretty micro and missed on exams. So, that cat got 2 incisions to recover from, and it was a non-issue. Nothing at all like dogs IME.

I would keep them separate especially if they're prone to playing. In their anesthesia hangover, they might be disoriented and prone to overdo it or stumble on stairs or anything really. It is kinda funny to watch. My boy cat who already is a velcro was extra snuggly for a few hours, and he's normally the one with perpetual zoomies.

[sarahsays]

My cats are male so a less intensive recovery. They did come home with cones but they didn't bother the incision so they weren't really needed. I would try to keep them calm and separate from the dogs if the dogs like to play with them.

They should give you some instructions when you pick them up.

My boys both have short hair but my friend with a long haired cat does get her groomed periodically.

[livinitup]

How’s they do? Mine came home with an Elizabethan collar (not a cone) and recovered nicely.

[lavenderblue]

Sept 28, 2024 16:31:58 GMT -5 livinitup said:

How’s they do? Mine came home with an Elizabethan collar (not a cone) and recovered nicely.

It’s not until next week. But thank you for asking.

[mommyatty]

Sept 28, 2024 16:31:58 GMT -5 livinitup said:

How’s they do? Mine came home with an Elizabethan collar (not a cone) and recovered nicely.

An Elizabethan collar is a cone. They have fancier ones now, but the old white plastic ones were technically called “Elizabethan collars.” When you ordered them from the vet supply place, that’s how you’d have to look them up. They were not listed under “cone of shame.” Brought to you by a former vet tech who had to order the damn things in 6 different sizes.

If your cats lick their stitches, I recommend either the body suits or the blow up donut collars they have on Amazon or at PetsMart. We had to resort to that with our first boy, who got neutered very late (he was almost a year old). He was determined to dig those things out of his nether regions.