Many cats during the period of heat begin to behave inappropriately; they can rub against the legs of their owners or their guests, purr or loudly shout “wedding songs,” and also mark their territory by spraying their own urine in order to attract the attention of cats. This behavior of pets does not bring joy to their owners, so many see a way out of the situation in sterilizing the animal.
See also - age when you can sterilize a cat.
The operation is simple, its duration rarely exceeds a quarter of an hour, and the risk to the cat’s life is minimal. But still, do not forget that sterilization is a surgical intervention, so after it is carried out, the cat needs to be given attention and provided with competent care.
It is important to properly care for your cat after sterilization.
Postoperative care
As a rule, during the sterilization of cats, specialists use gas anesthesia. Despite the fact that animals tolerate it quite easily, after the operation is completed, pets need some time during which they will “recover” from anesthesia.
The effect of anesthesia manifests itself in impaired coordination of movements, so the cat should be placed in its usual resting place and its communication with other pets or children should be limited.
During the period when the cat recovers from anesthesia, which lasts about a day, the pet should not be placed on high surfaces. Impaired coordination of movements can lead to the animal falling from a height. It is recommended to lay a diaper in the cat's resting place, which will protect the bedding in case of possible attacks of vomiting.
Place a bedding on the floor, possibly near the radiator
Day eleven, removal of stitches
Before the hospital I put a blanket on Alice, she struggled and ran away, but I managed. I also didn’t want to get into the carrier. She meowed pitifully all the way. There's another nurse there again. She ruined the whole impression of the hospital; if the doctor and nurses were friendly and inviting, then this woman amazed me. She didn’t let me take off the blanket herself; she demanded that I take Aliska by the scruff of the neck. When I didn’t understand, she picked it up by the fur herself. I categorically refused to do this. The nurse grumbled that the cat would scratch her. And I was “scratched” by the negativity coming from her.
The stitches were removed quickly, the nurse and I held, and the doctor removed. They paid 100 rubles to remove the stitches.
The threads are pulled out
Cat behavior during recovery from anesthesia
During recovery from anesthesia, the cat sleeps most of the time. After waking up, the owners may notice lethargy in the pet’s movements, an uncertain, unsteady gait caused by general weakness of the body (see what a cat’s behavior should be after sterilization).
There is no need to worry, as this is a normal course of the process of coming out of a drug-induced state. During this period, it is necessary to carefully monitor the pet, do not allow it to hide or climb too high.
It is not recommended to feed the cat on the first day after the operation, but the animal needs clean drinking water. You can switch to a traditional diet only after the pet has finally recovered from the effects of sterilization. At first, the food should be light, its quantity small. Otherwise, constipation will have to be treated. If the animal does not want to eat, you should not try to force feed it.
It is very common for cats to tremble after sterilization. In this case, there is also no need to worry, since trembling is a consequence of a violation of the body’s thermoregulation caused by surgical intervention.
The owner of the animal must arrange for it to rest in a warm place, cover it with a blanket and place a bowl of warm water in the resting place.
Veterinarian advice when mammary glands are enlarged
The most common type of postoperative complication is altered mammary glands. If they swell immediately after surgery, it means the cat has a false pregnancy. If your pet’s glands are swollen, then this process began even before the operation, and removal of the ovaries did not stop their enlargement.
For breast enlargement, doctors recommend:
- Reduce the likelihood of stressful situations, after which the glands become enlarged.
- For the normal functioning of the glands, it is necessary to properly adjust the cat’s diet, minimizing dairy products and foods high in carbohydrates.
- Enlarged glands may go away on their own, but there is a possibility of mastitis.
Seam care rules
Many pets are bothered by the stitch, so they try to get rid of it by licking and scratching the wound. The owners must stop such attempts immediately. The fact is that in the claws and saliva of animals there are many different bacteria that can provoke one or another infectious disease.
It is necessary to ensure that the cat does not touch the wound, but it is better to cover this area with a blanket or a special bandage. The dressing must be changed periodically. If you use blankets, there should be two of them so that one of them can be washed in a timely manner. If the suture causes great discomfort to the animal, a special collar or bandage will help limit access to the wound. The postoperative suture heals quite quickly.
The bandage can be purchased at any veterinary pharmacy
As a rule, on the third day the wound is no longer noticeable, and after another week the skin in this place is completely restored.
The seam must be periodically treated with antiseptic agents. If inflammation, crusting, redness or swelling occurs, take your pet to a specialist immediately. He will eliminate negative manifestations and provide recommendations regarding proper care of the postoperative suture.
Also, the veterinarian may prescribe the following medications:
- antibiotics when the animal scratches or licks a wound;
- special medicinal ointments for the skin to prevent itching;
- hemostatic drugs in case of slow blood clotting;
- vitamins that will allow your pet to regain its former strength and mobility in a short time.
When does hibernation indicate something is wrong?
Thus, a cat sleeping peacefully after surgery is the norm; in most cases, it is absolutely common. There's no need to panic. But still, in some cases it is necessary to call a veterinarian, and as soon as possible.
We list some situations in which a visit to the veterinarian will not be superfluous:
- The breathing of a sleeping animal is unstable, intermittent, hoarse. Such signs may indicate both problems with the cardiovascular system and pulmonary edema. In any case, the sooner the veterinarian arrives, the better for your pet.
- All visible mucous membranes become bluish, slightly swollen, and cool to the touch. These signs also indicate serious problems with the animal's cardiovascular system.
- The cat has been sleeping for more than seven to eight hours, and during all this time there have been no signs of awakening.
- Try pinching or pricking your sleeping pet with a pin. In cases where more than five hours have passed since the operation, but no reaction is observed in response to your actions, it would not hurt to call a veterinarian.
Features of feeding
At the end of the rehabilitation period, the animal becomes completely healthy, which means that its diet should be the same as before the operation. Very often, a sterilized cat begins to eat more than usual, as a result of which she quickly gains weight. The owner should pay attention to this and limit the intake of smoked, fatty, salty foods, as well as pasta, beans, fish and bread.
Obesity of a cat after sterilization
To prevent constipation, dry food offered to your pet should be pre-soaked. To prevent your cat from gaining excess weight, you need to play with it more than before.
Day four
In the morning we gave Aliska Felix solid food. She ate it with pleasure and also asked for more. But I haven’t really gone to the toilet yet. Although yesterday I was pushing in the tray. It’s difficult to get into the tray, so we removed the sides for now.
During the day everything lay in the hallway on the rug. But she herself came to the kitchen and meowed at the tray. Smart girl. She's already starting to purr when I stroke her head. The body is all tense, the ribs are sticking out, the poor thing is so thin.
Why are they making fun of me? It's better to leave them
In the evening, Alice went to the toilet a lot. Usually she diligently buried her feces in the filler, but here she left everything in sight. Rejoice.
He already walks around the house more. She looks longingly at the window, but I’m afraid to sit her on the windowsill in case she falls off it.
What could be the consequences of sterilization?
If the operation was performed by highly qualified specialists, there will be no negative consequences. However, it is impossible to completely predict the cat’s body’s reaction to such surgery. There are cases of unnatural lethargy or, conversely, increased aggressiveness of sterilized animals.
Sometimes sterilization does not relieve the cat from estrus, which in exceptional cases can even lead to conception and subsequent birth. However, this happens extremely rarely. If your pet has poor appetite, metabolic disorders, or weakness, you must contact a veterinarian who will prescribe a set of therapeutic treatments.
If this is not done on time, the animal may develop quite serious chronic diseases.
Day ten
In the morning, our cat was again without a blanket, so I quickly put it on for her. And then we see, she’s hallucinating again. He walks backwards, then they realized that it was just the blanket that was in the way, that it was put on incorrectly. We decided to take it off and not wear it again. The cat immediately became playful, runs around the house, has fun, and grabs our legs with its paws. The appetite is excellent.
The threads are sticking out
What can I do to help my animal get back to normal faster?
First of all, there is no need to panic. If the owner runs around his pet, nothing good will come of it. The animal will only get nervous and get even worse. So what to do in such situations?
Here is a list of necessary actions:
If the owner is confused by anything in the appearance or behavior of the cat (with the exception of lethargy), you should immediately arrange with a veterinarian to examine the animal.
It is necessary to create the most favorable living conditions for your pet. It is highly advisable to place the cat in a separate, isolated room where no one will disturb it.
For the first three days, we recommend feeding your cat rich chicken broth. This way the load on her digestive system will be minimal, which will allow the body to free up resources for full recovery.
Sterilization of a cat. Before and after.
12-14 hours before the operation, do not give the cat food, and about an hour before the operation, remove the water, since the stomach, intestines and bladder should be empty. Purchase 2 postoperative blankets in advance, make sure that there are no threads sticking out of them, since the cat can pull them out and swallow them.
