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Spaying my cat

14:33:26

Question
Hi Karen!

I would appreciate your advice on spaying my cat.
My family raised a lot of cats before, mostly outdoor ones, and we made a mistake of not neutering/spaying them, until some of them dissapeared because of roaming, territorial fighting, traffic, or unfriendly neighbors. I had to give away many kittens to other people. In my country people rarely sterelize cats and dogs, and I think it's wrong.

I recently found an abandoned 3 month old healthy female kitten and I don't want to repeat the old mistake. I'm planning to spay her before she becomes ready for mating, for her healthy and long life.

I'm scared in advance of the pain and fear she might feel and the operation. How the recovery looks like? When is the right time to do that? Are there analgesics and how to give them to her? Are they risks of infections of the wound? How long does it take to heal? Are there any other things I should pay attention to?

Thank you very much!
Lily

Answer
Hi Lily,

I commend you on doing the right thing and getting your cat spayed. She can be done as young as 4 months old. There aren't too many analgesics for cats. There is one called Meloxicam that can be used on cats. You can ask your vet about it.

Recovery from the operation is in about five to seven days. You would need to keep her in a large cage or small room during her recovery. Make sure it is big enough to have a litter box, food dish and water dish in it. And make sure she has enough space to turn around in, but not enough so that she can jump around. This is to keep her quiet. Any wound stands the risk of infection. But if she is kept quiet and in a clean area she should be okay.

Cats heal fast. In about week she should be all okay to go about her normal activities. Good luck and take care.

Ciao, Karen