Keep your cat in a crate or small room to sleep, and make sure he is comfortable and secure. On the day of surgery, the incision site on your cat might look minorly red and swollen.
Consequently, you need to place him in a dark, warm, and quiet indoor location to recover for twenty-four hours after the surgery. During this time, it's important to keep other pets – even kids – away from the cat.
After arriving home, you should keep your cat warm and comfortable by providing a soft, clean bed, ideally in a quiet and draft-free room at a comfortable room temperature (68-75°F or 20-24°C). Your cat should remain indoors. For most procedures, your cat's activity should be restricted for one week after surgery.
Keep your pet inside and restrict activity for 10 days. This allows tissue time to heal and avoids the incision from opening up.
Do not try to handle cats for 24 hours or until they are acting normally. 2) It is a good idea to keep cat alone in a room overnight- away from other pets or children. Room must be well ventilated and quiet. Towards evening give the cat water and offer a small amount of food.
Recovery Immediately After the Procedure
The impact of the anesthesia may cause your cat to act aggressive or agitated, so keep your distance and don't handle him unless necessary. Keep your cat in a crate or small room to sleep, and make sure he is comfortable and secure.
Give Your Cat Extra Attention
As pain meds wear off (or even before they do), your cat may notice something is off or uncomfortable. Giving your cat extra attention or cuddling time may help them feel better as they adjust to wearing a cone or body suit.
Bring your cat straight home in a secure carrier and allow them to come out in their own time. Give them a warm quiet room away from children and other animals to rest in for as long as they need. Give them their favourite bed or blanket. Avoid picking them up or moving them around where possible.
While most surgeries won't require putting your cat on crate rest, if they have had orthopedic surgery, a portion of their recovery will consist of strictly limiting their movements.
For neuter procedures, it typically takes your cat 5 -7 days to recover. It's important to monitor for any of the signs above and contact your vet if you notice any lingering or worsening symptoms. While they are healing, do not let your cat run, jump, or play with other animals. It is important that they rest.
Do not allow your cat to lick or scratch the incision, as he may pull the sutures out and could introduce an infection into the incision. If the incision is not bandaged, inspect it at least twice daily.
Immediately after surgery, your cat may be disoriented and unable to use their normal litter box. Certain medications such as opioids, sedatives, and some anxiety medications can cause disorientation and abnormal behaviors.
Post-Surgery Litterbox Use
If your cat is able to urinate within 24 hours after her surgery, you won't have to be on as strict a litterbox-watching regimen. Your cat might be constipated, but most cats should be able to use the litterbox without trouble after spay surgery.
It may indicate discomfort or pain, urinary tract issues, anxiety or stress, or a desire for attention. Similarly, if you observe your cat sleeping in the litter box after surgery, it is often natural for them to seek this place to rest and recover.
After a procedure, a bowel movement can take anywhere from 3-5 days! Although that may seem like a long time for a furbaby that normally poops daily- this is actually a normal reaction to a surgical procedure. When a pet undergoes surgery, bowel motility is slowed down by the anesthetics and opioids that are used.
Post-op care for male cat castration
Male cats should be kept indoors overnight – they may go out and resume their normal lifestyle the following day. It's important to check the procedure site every day (for around 10 days) for any redness or swelling.
And there have been cases of animals spreading resistant strains of staph infections and other diseases by licking cuts and wounds after surgery, so it's not recommended that pets be allowed in bed then.
We recommend they are closely observed during the first 12 hours after surgery. It is not necessary to stay up, or sleep next to your pet and you can leave your dog alone after surgery for short periods as long as they aren't likely to lick their stitches.
Keep pet indoors after surgery.
This will help you carefully watch them tonight to make sure they do not have any problems related to the surgery. Stray or feral cats should be kept in their carrier overnight; check that the cat is fully recovered before releasing it.
No running, jumping, climbing stairs or doing anything other than walking on a leash for the next 10 days. Your pet needs to be kept in an indoor crate/ kennel for most of the day and night for the next 10 days. The time of highest risk for the sutures breaking down is 3-5 days after surgery.
Some vets believe the smell of antiseptic can make your cat feel distressed. Combine this with their pain, and it's no wonder they aren't acting like themselves. Other common cat behaviors after surgery pet parents must be aware of are excessive licking and depression.
Extreme behavior may be a sign that your cat is in a lot of pain post-surgery: This includes anything from hyper-aggression and continuous meowing to hiding and withdrawal. Contact your veterinarian if your cat displays any of these behaviors.