PLEASE HELP!!

IMPORTANT: If your cat is in any distress or discomfort, please consult your own vet as your first priority.
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HelpFirstTimeCatMom
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PLEASE HELP!!

Post by HelpFirstTimeCatMom »

So first off I am a first time cat mom and am obviously overly worried about everything. My 6 month old baby was spayed today and within a matter of hours is running around like nothing happened and I’m scared she will fear a stitch, she is eating normally and drinking and seeming unbothered without pain. But she is also for some reason obsessed with playing in her litter box (it is very clean with new litter) how can I get her to calm down to prevent infection or stitch tearing or is this normal??
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Mollycat
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Re: PLEASE HELP!!

Post by Mollycat »

Unfortunately cats don't read the same text book they give vets in med school. We are told to keep them calm, indoors, on bland food, absolutely no jumping - we get them home, they are in their dry food, out the cat flap, on top of the wardrobe and tearing around the house in minutes.

There is a small risk and it can happen but cats have very loose skin, to the point where some vets will even tell you they hardly need stitching up at all for some operations! Pulling at stitches with her teeth if they are bothering her is probably a bigger worry, rather than tearing them.

I take it playing in her litter is out of character for her, and she is only doing it since the operation?
HelpFirstTimeCatMom
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Re: PLEASE HELP!!

Post by HelpFirstTimeCatMom »

Yeah she started using her teeth so I use the cone and currently have an ace bandage wrapped around her for over night, and not abnormal for her as I took the top off of the liter box for cone access and now she just wants to lay and play in it,
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Mollycat
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Re: PLEASE HELP!!

Post by Mollycat »

Sounds like you've done the right thing then. They do like to keep us on our toes!
HelpFirstTimeCatMom
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Re: PLEASE HELP!!

Post by HelpFirstTimeCatMom »

Thank you!!! I’m sure I’m just paranoid and overly tired. It happened to have fallen on the same day I had an allergic reaction and am on steroids and benedryl so I’m just overly tired and don’t want anything to happen to her!
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fjm
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Re: PLEASE HELP!!

Post by fjm »

She may calm down a little as the pain killers the vet will have given her wear off, and the cone may also help to slow her down, but as Mollycat says it can be hard to keep them quiet. Pippin had a major accident when a year old - big operation to repair his diaphragm, resuscitated several times on the operating table, touch and go whether he would survive the night. Within an hour of bringing him home next day he was up and out of my bedroom window onto the flat roof outside, planning on making his way down via the kitchen windowsill... Just think how you much more you would be worrying if she was lethargic and crying - I find it makes the bounciness a bit easier to deal with.

I would set up some safe games at floor level - rolling balls, dragging a toy slowly - to use up some of her energy without leaping and jumping, and as soon as you can try and get some sleep.
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Kay
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Re: PLEASE HELP!!

Post by Kay »

I had a Siamese cat who re-opened her spay wound by insisting on shinning up and down the curtains

but it still healed up OK
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