after surgery depression

Question
My cat had minor surgery (removal of skin sore) 10 days ago. She has always interacted with us constantly. She is the fist at the table for meals and the sweetest most loving cat...however,since her surgery she is not interacting and not eating and barely drinking. She has been to the vet twice since surgery for fluid so that she doen't dehydrate. I am very concerned. Could she be depressed and if so how do I handle this?  She is 15 years old and has never had a medical problem. Only surgery was when she was fixed. I miss my old Pebbles and hope the surgery did not suck the joy out of her life.

Answer
Hi Sue,

You poor thing, I'm so sorry to hear this and can imagine how distressed you must feel.  I have to say I am just as concerned as you are, as this sort of behaviour is certainly not normal after an operation.  Usually a cat will be groggy and lacklustre for a maximum of 24 hours after an anaestethic and will be back to normal afterwards.  Pebbles's age should not affect her recovery time if she is otherwise healthy and there is no reason why a fairly minor op should make her want to give up on life.

Cats can suffer something a bit like depression, but this is usually caused by a change to their circumstances (such as a house move, new pet or new baby) or by illness or injury that is causing pain.  I am therefore wondering whether your vet has missed something that is hurting her and making her feel down.  A common cause of a lack of appetite in cats is a bad tooth - this can be very painful and stop cats from eating and drinking but can be quickly and easily removed.  Given Pebbles's age, a bad tooth is a likely scenario.

What did your vet say when you returned for fluids?  I am quite surprised that you have been sent away again with a cat that is clearly not behaving normally.  I would urge you to return to the vet and ask for further investigations, or even a second opinion from another vet.  At Pebbles's age, she needs to be eating and drinking well and I am really concerned that your vet doesn't appear to be investigating why this is not happening after as long as 10 days.  Owners can feel awkward insisting that their vet carries out more tests if they appear to think nothing is wrong, but remember that you are her owner and you know best whether something is wrong.

Very best of luck with this and I really hope Pebbles is on the mend soon.

Take care
Annie