How Long To Keep Cat Confined After Spay
The day of the surgery
The day after the surgery
Day two after the surgery
Day three after the surgery
Day four after the surgery
Day five after the surgery
Spay day can be a nerve-wracking experience for cat owners.
On the day of your cat’s spay surgery, you’re likely to be nervous and excited. The cat might feel some of this as well, but she will also have her own set of concerns. Press Tab to write more…
If your cat is particularly anxious or fearful around new people, places or animals—or if she has a history of being aggressive—you’ll want to do everything possible to make sure that she stays calm during her transport to the vet. This will minimize her stress level and decrease any potential for injury in case there’s an accident on the way there or back home again afterwards.
You can use this time as an opportunity to practice positive reinforcement training methods with your cat (and also with any other pets). Reward her whenever she does something calmly and appropriately by giving her treats or petting her gently. If another animal is present in the room during these interactions with each other—such as a dog who could potentially get involved if things get too intense between them both—be sure that it remains quiet so as not to distract from what’s going on between yourself and whichever animal(s) need attention at that moment in time.”
Here are a few things you should know in order to prepare your cat for her spay surgery, and to speed up healing time afterward.
You may have heard the word spay, but what exactly does that mean? In veterinary medicine, we use the term spay to refer to a female cat’s ovariohysterectomy (or “OHE”). This surgery involves removing her uterus and ovaries so that she can no longer have kittens.
A cat’s veterinary visit will likely involve several steps before you take your pet home:
- The doctor will perform an examination on your cat. During this exam, he or she will listen to your pet’s heart and lungs; check his or her eyes, ears and nose; feel her abdomen for tumors; palpate the joints for inflammation or swelling; check for lumps in various places around her body; test various reflexes (such as pulling back when touched near certain areas); and more.
- If needed based on this initial physical examination alone—and not because of any symptoms you’ve noticed—the veterinarian might recommend blood work or X-rays of different parts of your kitty’s anatomy before proceeding with surgery. These tests are generally used to rule out health problems such as severe anemia that could make anesthesia risky for cats who have them
The day of the surgery
- Make sure your cat is healthy and in good condition before surgery.
- Make sure your cat is well-hydrated before surgery.
- Make sure your cat is not overweight before surgery.
- Make sure you have no reason to suspect that she’s pregnant or lactating, as neither can be determined until after the spay procedure has been performed, which may result in complications such as uterine infection (pyometra), mammary abscesses and Milk Fever.
The day after the surgery
The day after the surgery:
- Keep your cat indoors.
- Don’t let her jump on furniture.
- Don’t let her play with toys.
- Don’t let her eat solid food, even if she begs for it; this is when she’s most likely to vomit (which can be very dangerous if it goes into her lungs). If you are worried about her not getting enough nutrition, dilute regular canned cat food in water and feed that instead of liquid meals or syrups (which are usually high in sugar). Make sure there is plenty of fresh water available at all times so she doesn’t get dehydrated—cats don’t drink as much water as dogs do while they’re recovering from surgery and anesthesia because they’re nauseous and often confused by the fact that their bodies feel different than usual. It’s also important not to give them anything cold like ice cubes or cool drinks until 24 hours after surgery since this can cause trouble breathing or pneumonia due to coughing fits caused by irritation from eating too fast.[1]
Day two after the surgery
After 24 hours:
- If your cat is acting normal and not showing any signs of pain, you can start to let her move around a bit more on the second day after her surgery.
- If your cat is still acting normal and not showing any signs of pain, you can start to let her eat a little more on the second day after her surgery.
- If your cat is still acting normal and not showing any signs of pain, you can start to let her drink a little more on the second day after her surgery.
Day three after the surgery
- Check for bleeding. The incision site should be dry and without any signs of bleeding. A small amount of discharge is normal, but it shouldn’t be excessive or contain clots. If you see blood-tinged discharge, or if the area feels warm and tender to your touch, contact your vet immediately.
- Check for swelling. Look at both sides of the abdomen and around the incision site. Swelling may occur as early as six hours after surgery or as late as 24 hours after surgery—although it’s most likely to happen on day one or two after surgery (and will go down by day three). If expected swelling has not decreased significantly by day three, call your vet right away because this could indicate an infection in your cat’s abdominal cavity (which needs treatment right away).
- Check for pain/abdominal discomfort/distress while urinating/defecating: Your cat should be able to urinate normally within 24 hours after surgery; otherwise there may be a problem with her urethra, bladder neck muscles or kidney function—all serious issues that require immediate attention from a veterinarian who has experience treating these problems in cats (typically only board-certified veterinary surgeons).
Day four after the surgery
If you have a male cat, he can return to his normal routine on day four after the surgery. If your cat is female and had an ovariohysterectomy (spay), then she can return to her normal routine on day five.
The following are things that your cat should be able to do once they’ve reached this point:
- Eat and drink normally
- Play with other pets in the house – or even outside if it’s safe!
- Get up and down from a position lying down on the floor or bed
- Go to the bathroom normally
Day five after the surgery
It’s time to let your cat outside again! If your cat was eating normally before the procedure, she should be able to eat normally again.
If you’re taking your pet for a walk outside for the first time since her surgery, keep her on a leash until you are sure she won’t run away or get into any trouble.
During recovery time, keep your kitty calm and comfy!
As your cat recovers from the surgery, it’s important to keep her calm and comfortable. The following tips will help ensure your kitty has a smooth recovery period:
- Keep her away from other animals, children and stairs. These are all places where she could hurt herself or make her stitches come undone if she jumps down too quickly. If you have any questions about how long to keep cat confined after spay surgery check with your veterinarian for answers.
- Keep her away from drafts or cold temperatures that would also be uncomfortable for her during recovery time.
- Keep her away from the door because once she is fully healed, you’ll want to take her out on walks again!
If you have any questions about your cat’s recovery time after spay surgery, we encourage you to reach out. Our team is here for you and we can help answer any questions or concerns that may arise during this process!
