Kitty playing after spay sugery?

Question

My three month old kitten had surgery Jan 11. The next day she was running and playing, even jumping off the bathroom counter. Of course I am going nuts over her doing this. I keep thinking her incision is going to open and her guts will leak out! Its driving me insane. I love my little girl so much. Her incision is a little pinkish one one side. I put her in a cage but she wails. She's not use to sleeping alone. What do you all think? Let her play or cone her??

Well now her incision is reddish on one side like it may open. She doesn't seem to be in any pain at this point. She is still leaping and jumping like a flea! She's not a feral kitty, I've been with her since she was born. But the problem is I just got a new job and haven't received a check yet so I don't have the funds right now to take her to the vet. I got her spayed at a low income place for less than $10. They aren't open all the time either. I've been following the post-surgery instructions. Is it okay to place a band-aid on her?

Answer 1

Hi. I'm admittedly only guessing here, but I wonder if perhaps you have a feral kitten ? The reason I'm wondering is because the overly active post-surgery behavior and the wailing while confined that you are describing sounds EXACTLY like the experience I had with a feral kitten.
http://www.olympus.net/community/ompetpals/programs/feralcats.html
Excerpt: " What is a Feral Cat?
A feral cat is a domestic cat that has reverted to the wild state after being lost or abandoned, or a cat that has been born outside to stray or abandoned cats. "
IF I'm right, here is post-surgery treatment / care advice :
http://www.olympus.net/community/ompetpals/programs/caring.html

Speaking only from personal experience, ALL of my other, non-feral kittens, were always very subdued immediately following surgery and for at least a few days afterwards.

______________________________________________

EDIT / ADDITIONAL INFO : Ok, thanks for giving us more info. I've dug a little deeper and come up with some possibly helpful post-surgery care info for you :

--------> First, here is a site that tells you how to care for your post-surgery cat, as well as, what to look out for and how to deal with any problems :
http://www.elgarvet.com.au/surgery.html

Excerpt from the site :

" POST-OPERATIVE INSTRUCTIONS FOR CATS

What should I do when my cat arrives home after its operation?
On arriving home you should keep your pet warm and comfortable by providing a soft clean bed, ideally in a quiet and draught free room at approximately 20-22°C. Unless otherwise instructed, your cat should be offered a drink of fresh water. After a few hours a small amount of food may be given, such as white fish or boiled or BBQ chicken. Please keep your cat indoors overnight, or longer if instructed, and allow the use of a litter tray. You should discourage any jumping or activity that will cause excessive stretching of the wound, especially during the first few days post-operatively.

My cat seems very sleepy, is this normal?
Your cat has been given a general anaesthetic and/or a sedative. These drugs can take a number of hours to wear off and may cause some patients to appear drowsy for a day or so. Over the next day or two their behaviour should return to normal, however if you are at all concerned do not hesitate to contact the surgery. Most cats sleep even more than normal in the first week after surgery.

Why has my cats foreleg been clipped?
This is where the anaesthetic or sedative was administered. There may also be a small dressing on the leg; if so this can be removed the following day unless otherwise instructed.

My cat has developed a slight cough since the operation. Is this anything to worry about?
Your cat may have had a tube placed in their trachea (windpipe) during the anaesthetic - this can occasionally cause mild irritation and a slight cough as an after-effect. If so, it will settle down over the next few days, however should it persist then contact the surgery.

What should I do if my cat is licking its wound or chewing the stitches?
It is only natural that your cat may try to clean the operation site, however, if this becomes excessive, then there is a danger of the stitches being pulled out or infection being introduced into the wound. If you have been given an Elizabethan-type collar to prevent the cat chewing then please ensure it is used, otherwise please contact the surgery and ask for one. Not surprisingly, many cats find these collars strange at first and will attempt to remove them. However, after a short period most animals will settle and tolerate wearing the collar. Once accustomed, it is better to keep the collar on permanently, rather than to take it on and off. Remember - it only takes a few seconds of unobserved chewing for a cat to undo its stitches. If your cat does succeed in removing any of its stitches then please call the surgery as soon as possible.

What should the wound look like, and when should I be concerned?
The wound should normally be clean with the edges together and the skin a normal or slightly reddish/pink colour. In pale skinned cats bruising may be seen around the wound. This may not appear until a few days after the operation, and in some cases can seem excessive in comparison to the size of the incision, however this is due to seepage of blood under the skin edges. In some cases a small amount of blood may seep intermittently from a fresh wound for up to 24 hours, especially if the animal is active.

Please contact the surgery if you see any of the following at the wound:-
1. Continuous seepage or a large quantity of blood.
2. Intermittent blood seepage continuing for more than 24 hours.
3. Any swellings, excessive redness of the skin or discharge.

When do the stitches need removing?
In general most skin stitches (also called sutures) are removed 7-14 days after the operation depending on the type of surgery performed. You will be instructed when is the most appropriate time for your cat.

When can my cat resume a normal active life?
This will depend upon the nature of the operation. In the case of a minor procedure involving a small incision, some restriction of exercise should be maintained until a few days after the skin stitches are removed. However, if major operation has been performed or a large incision is present a longer period of convalescence will be required, which may involve keeping your cat house-bound for a number of weeks.

If you have been given any medication
Please READ THE LABEL CAREFULLY and ensure that all medication is administered as instructed. If you are experiencing any difficulty in dosing your cat please contact the surgery for advice. "


--------> Second, here is a very helpful, informative CAT FIRST AID site which, even if it doesn't help you with your current situation, is a very good site to have at your fingertips for any possible future needs :
http://www.cathealth.com/FirstAidPrince.htm

Here are some excerpts from the above site that address wound dressing ( However, please note that none of these excerpts specifically address *post-surgery wound dressing* ) :

" Dirty wounds and burns can be gently flushed with body-temperature sterile saline and gently covered with a non-stick wound dressing for transport. An awake cat will not allow complete cleaning of wounds so a trip to the clinic is in order. "

" Cats generally tolerate topical creams and ointments poorly. If they can reach it, they will groom it off. Cats often also tolerate bandages poorly, so these should be reserved for situations where professional advice has deemed them necessary. "

" If cleansing a wound, do not put any soaps, alcohol, peroxide, powders or ointments etc down inside the wound. This can be very painful and lead to tissue damage and poor healing. Sterile diluted salt-based (saline) solutions such as human nose or eye wash (without preservatives) warmed to body temperature are suitable for first aid cleansing. Wound treatments can be applied at the wound margins, or to superficial scrapes. "

" If applying an emergency support bandage, the area to be bandaged should be larger than the area of concern. Band-aid type treatments will not stay in place. For example, a cat with a wound of the front leg half way down should have the bandage placed to cover the leg joint next to the wound both near to the body and far from the body. In this case, a bandage covering the whole limb up to and including the elbow would be suitable. Avoid applying a tight wrap to a leg / tail and leaving the foot / tail tip unwrapped as tissue fluids will build up, causing swelling, and eventually, lead to loss of circulation and damage if left on too long. "

--------> Third, here are some Veterinary Cost Assistance sites, each offering a slew of links to organizations that assist financially challenged pet owners to get low-cost or no-cost vet care :

http://www.handipets.com/haven/modules/weblinks/viewcat.php?cid=15
http://www.sparkyfightsback.com/financial_aid.htm
http://imom.org/fa/

( Again, these are sites that are good to have at your fingertips, even if they are not helpful to you during your current situation. )

If your kitty is in need of immediate vet care, you may not have the time to deal with any of the qualifying processes required by some of the organizations ... however, if I were you, I would still at least email / phone as many of the organizations as possible, asking them if they know of any low-cost or no-cost vet care facilities in your immediate area.

***** For your immediate situation, the quickest way for you to find low-cost or no-cost vet care might be to contact your local Humane Society / Animal Shelter(s), explaining your financial situation and asking them where you could take your kitty. *****


I hope that some of this information helps you. I'll be sending good thoughts your way along with my best wishes for a speedy recovery for your kitty. Good Luck !!!

Answer 2

I once had an adult female feral neutered and the wound actually did open after she jumped on furniture. With a kitten you should know that the incision is much smaller (she was not pregnant yet) and I personally would take the chance and let her play. Even if the wound should slightly open it can be fixed and there is absolutely no danger that gut will come out.

Answer 3

Let her play! When I had my kittens done they were playing within hours of coming home. Keep an eye on the incision and if it gets red then take her to the vet. Don't put her in a cage and don't make her sleep alone, it'll hurt her feelings. She doesn't understand what's wrong with her but if she is in pain she will probably refrain form playing.

Answer 4

Let her play. You can't really stop her. But, do keep an eye on her as you are. If it does rip, it wont rip all at once. Keep an eye out for bleeding, redness (not pink), or signs of pain in your cat.

There shouldn't be any problem with letting your cat sleep with you. Carefully lift her onto the bed so that she won't have to jump--be sure to avoid pushing on her stitches. Or, you could sleep on the floor with her. We had to do this for my aunt's dog after she had major surgery on her legs--trust me, she won't expect you to continue to sleep on the floor later.

Good luck, and thanks for being a concerned pet owner!

Answer 5

Let her play but if you see her about to try a record-setting jump or hurdle, stop her. It has been several days now and baby cats heal pretty fast (surgery techniques and materials have improved vastly too) so a this point, unless she does do something extreme, she'll be just fine.

Answer 6

let her play. she knows her limits. just continue doing what your doing by checking her incision and keeping it clean. ours did the same when she was spayed

Answer 7

she knows how much she can take...

let her play and act as normal as possible... if you think she is getting too rough consult your vet

Answer 8

go ahead and let ler play if it is hurting her she will stop.