My kitten is about to be neutered. What non-medical after care is required?

Question

I have an 8 year old son and I don't want the kitten damaged or manhandled by him too soon. Should I just treat him gently till he heals or carry on as normal?

Answer 1

OH MY HECK, "ANGEL" has NO IDEA!!!!!!!
NEVER EVER TRAP/KEEP YOUR KITTEN IN A CAGE JUST AFTER SURGERY...........some dummy's answer....and WRONG.
You need to let the kitten do it's own thing, this will help him/her feel comfortable being able to go where it feels safe and comfortable. Offer LOTS of water when you bring it home (it may not even feel like getting up for the first 24 hrs, but keep water near). It doesn't matter if male or female about handling it.....BOTH genders are going to be groggy, tired, sore and not as playful! COMMON SENSE (some of these people are really un educated about the care of cats) Your son is 8 years old, you can tell him to keep away from kitty because it's sore and it needs rest for the first 24-48 hours. He is well old enough to understand that YOU told him not to play with it because it NEEDS REST...assure him that the kitten will come out and play when it's good and ready!
Yes, treat him gently, show lots of love as this will also help make him feel like he's safe and loved, cause afterall, he just had a shocking thing happen to him and he doesn't know what just happened so just show him lots of love, and yes, gently!


http://www.ocpetinfo.com/animalcare_cats.htm
Your cat may seem sleepy or less active. This is probably a lingering effect of the anesthesia, which wears off at different times for each animal. Confine your cat to a small indoor room. Keep it warm and comfortable. Do not let it rest on cold, hard floors. Provide a blanket to prevent chills.


Your cat needs rest and quiet. No running, rough play, or other major activity.


Your cat’s strength should start returning the day after surgery. Expect normal behavior within 48 hours of the surgery. If you do not feel your pet is acting normally by 48 hours after the surgery, please see your veterinarian.


Continue to restrict activity for 2 weeks after surgery.



Food and Water

Feed your cat small amounts of food frequently to avoid the cat from gorging.


Your cat may not have a normal appetite until 48 hours after surgery.



Sutures (Stitches)

Females: the surgeon usually closes the incision with sutures placed under the skin that do not need to be removed. This reduces irritation to the skin and annoyance to your pet.


Males: no sutures were used.


Occasionally surgical staples will need to be placed in females. Please check your pet’s belly to see if there are staples. If so, they will need to be removed in 10-14 days. This can be done at your regular veterinarian’s hospital.



Accidental Mating After Surgery

A female cat can be spayed while she is in heat. After the surgery, she cannot get pregnant. However, the hormones have not disappeared from her body, so she can still attract males for up to 2 weeks.


An accidental mating can cause serious, even life-threatening injury to a female cat.


Keep your cat strictly confined indoors and away from cats of the opposite gender for 2 weeks.

OH! and, "oneblonde..." A little bleeding is NOT OK! oosing of the incision OR bleeding is signs of infection. The Vet will not let the kitty go home if it's still bleeding for crying out loud! And after your kitty gets home, if you DO notice bleeding, you need to take it back to the vet and have the vet examine it or call and they should be able to tell you how to GENTLY clean it without making it worse. Yes, all this may seem like a lot but caring for it a kitten that just had surgery needs LOTS of love and special care!

Answer 2

Keep kitten in a quiet room for a few days, just to allow in inner stitches to heal and the outer a chance to mesh. Also make sure there is nothing too high for the kitten to jump around on as this may stretch the wound and possibly open it up . Check it twice a day to see if there is any infection. Kittens are very resilient and heal well, I don't think you will have any problems apart from your 8 yr old trying to pick it up, let it sit on their lap but not lift it, you do that, but only for about a week or until the stitches are out.

Answer 3

There is not really a lot of after care required. The only thing would be to handle the kitten gently after the operation. After he was neutered, my (male) cat was a bit groggy for a day and then he was back to normal. He even pulled out his own stitches a few days later- the vet said that most cats do this.

Answer 4

plz keep ur son away from him for a few days or supervise him around the kitten. make sure the kitten doesnt get wet or lick his stiches. the stiches will be in for at least 10 days. the kitten may be moody. when i got my cat done i was told to give her fresh water of course and soft food. but im not sure if thats because of medication or that she was female and had to have her tummy cut. good luck

Answer 5

On the first day home, keep him warm and in a quiet place.. he will be feeling the effects of the medications and he will be tender.. after 1 or 2 days he will be fine.. watch for broken stitches etc.. a little bleeding is ok, but if persists, speak to the vet.. Just don't let your kid pick him up for a week or so.. give the little guy a chance to recoup.

Answer 6

Though controversial to some, the best thing to do in these situations is to lovingly and carefully crate your 8-year-old son.



Place your kitty in a room by himself, with his food, water, a soft blanket or kitty bed (not that any of MY cats would ever sleep in the kitty beds I bought them) and, of course, his litter box. Give him at least a day or so, possibly as many as 2 or 3, to recover before inflicting your son on him.

Answer 7

If your kitten is a male, then you need not have to worry much. You can let it play with your son. But not too aggressive. That's because it's not being operated on unlike a female kitten.

If yours is a female kitten, extreme care is needed. Don't let it jump or play for a few days. Keep your kitten in a cage. Make sure it has enough space.

Answer 8

no you need to tell your son that the kitty needs rest cause she is hurting and she needs to rest so she can play again it will only take a couple of days and TRY to keep the kittin from playing too put her in the bathroom or somewhere where she can be calm bc if someone is too rough or if the cat is too rough jumping and playing she can rip open her cut even though it is clued or sticthes she can reopen her cut if she is or ne one else is too rough with her.
Do not feed her b4 surgery. i think it is 24 hrs b4 surgery.

Answer 9

just leave him alone for a while. let him rest. he will be tired and not feeling to wonderful after the surgery. also...you probaly already know this...but dont pick him up or let him jump up onto furniture because it could make the stiches come out. so in short...treat him gently. you dont want to hurt him.

Answer 10

Please find below all of the information that you need...

ASPCA® Cares Post Surgical and Vaccination Procedures

FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS BELOW!

• NO FOOD OR WATER until the time specified by the doctor. But don’t worry if your pet doesn’t eat the night of surgery.
• NO PAIN MEDICATION. There is some minor discomfort after the surgery but no pain. Any oral or topical medicine not prescribed by a doctor is dangerous to your pet!
• NO LICKING at the incision site!! Excessive licking or chewing might lead to an infection or cause the incision to reopen. Prevent your pet from licking by distracting with treats, toys or petting. Purchase an e-collar, a plastic cone that fits over the animal’s head. You can take the e-collar off your pet when she/he is eating or if you are able to be home to consistently monitor your pet.
• NO CAT LITTER. Use SHREDDED PAPER for at least one week. Litter dust can get trapped in the incision site and cause an infection.
• NO JUMPING, PLAYING or strenuous activity for 5 days, which can cause sutures to reopen.
• NO BATHING for at least 7-10 days. Water can get into the sutures and cause an infection.
• NO SUTURE REMOVAL. Sutures are absorbable.
• Check the incision daily to ensure that the surgery site is clean and healing well. Use E-COLLARS for no less than 7 days. If your pet is still licking at its incision area after 7 days, continue using the e-collar until the pet stops licking.
• Keep your pet away from other animals. Keep males away from unspayed females. Neutered males produce testosterone for up to 30 days after surgery and can get an unspayed female pregnant. Animals returning from the clinic may smell different to other animals in the household, which can cause the animals to fight. Keep cats in the carriers with the door/lid open until the cat is ready to eat at the time specified by the doctor.
• It’s okay to feel a hard bump at the incision site. You can put a cool compress on the site to ease the swelling. It’s not okay if this bump gets much bigger or starts to leak pus or blood.
• It’s not okay if your pet doesn’t urinate or defecate normally after 3 days. Some cats won’t use shredded paper – you can purchase dust-free post surgery litter at the pet store (ask them for this product) and use that in the litter box instead. Some dogs might have diarrhea – feed the dog plain boiled chicken and rice for 3 days; if diarrhea persists, contact the Program Manager.
• It’s not okay if your pet vomits too much. Your pet might have nausea from the anesthesia and vomit that night or the next day.
• It’s not okay if your cat disappears or hides. Cats hide when in pain. If you haven’t seen your cat at night after surgery, look for him/her, put him/her in a carrier and monitor his/her behavior for the above signs of distress.
• If your pet received VACCINATIONS, monitor the site of the vaccination and check for: 1) swelling/lumps at vaccination site; 2) irregularity in fur growth; 3) swelling of face; 4) loss of appetite; 5) vomiting; 6) lethargy or depression; and 7) difficulty breathing.
If your pet is experiencing problems, call the Program Manager at [phone] to schedule a follow up exam at the mobile clinic.
Spaying and neutering can reduce or eliminate some nuisance behaviors but, in adult animals, these behaviors may have already been ‘learned’ and might not go away completely:
1. It may take up to 30 days for male cats to stop spraying and for female cats to stop showing signs of heat. Older male might continue to spray but their urine won’t smell as bad. Older female cats may continue to show signs of heat (howling, crying) but can’t get pregnant.
2. Male dogs that mark their territory, mount or display aggressive tendencies might not change despite being neutered, especially if they are older.
THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD SPAY/NEUTER YOUR PET AT AN EARLIER AGE… 2-3 MONTHS OLD!!