Expert: Ali - 10/29/2008

Question
Hello i really hope you can help me please i am so worried!! my male cat was nueterd yesterday at around 3. I picked him up thismorning at 8am and he seemed ok, but his back leggs were shaking and he was a hissing a little bit at me when i went near him. I just thought he was in pain and trying to tell me to leave him alone. It is now 7:30pm he hasnt gotten up to eat or drink , altho he did pea twice.  My concern is that he is still so lethargic and looks like he is drooling just a bit? He wont drink or eat and looks like he is just dazed is this normal the next day? please im so upset please...?

Answer
Renee,

I would recommend that you take some time to step back and get calm...Sometimes cats will pick up on feelings of anxiety and guilt in their caretakers and capitalize on them by acting as though things are worse than they are. It sounds a bit odd that a cat neutered over 24 hours ago would be in significant physical distress - I have usually picked up my cats the same day when they were spayed or neutered, sometimes right after they came around from the anesthetic. Most male cats don't tend to notice that they are missing anything...It's perfectly acceptable for you to call your veterinarian and speak with him/her directly regarding how your kitty's surgery went...If you aren't able to speak with your vet by noon tomorrow I would recommend that you ask about bringing the cat in to be assessed to make sure that everything is physically okay with this kitty. What kind of pain relief did your kitty get after being neutered? Did the vet mention that anything abnormal happened during his anesthesia or surgery? Unless you are able to go to an emergency clinic there isn't too much you can do til morning. I have a few recommendations for you. Firstly, I think it's very important to call the vet clinic and speak to them about what's been happening with this little guy, don't be afraid to ask how the surgery went and if anything different happened during the surgery. It's also a smart idea to make sure that your little boy has been given appropriate pain relief. For tonight I would suggest setting your kitty up in a nice warm area on a cozy blanket. You can certainly offer him meat based baby food provided that there aren't any ingredients that aren't okay for cats to eat such as onions, garlic or excess salt. If you don't live in an area where there is an all night pharmacy then you can cook up a piece of chicken or beef and place it into the food processor, add a bit of water and puree the meat until it's the consistency of cooked oatmeal - it's a good idea to serve the pureed meat warm, about body temperature is perfect. Some cats aren't impressed when they've had to stay in the hospital overnight - my youngest resident cat cried from the time that I placed her in the cage to be spayed until she was placed under anesthesia and then as soon as she woke up until I came to pick her up....It's quite possible that your little guy is upset that you left him alone in a strange environment for 24 hours, after all cats are very intelligent and they don't like change. If nothing has gone wrong with pain relief or anesthesia then it's quite likely that your kitty is upset about his stay in the hospital - if this is the case you can certainly try out a homeopathic remedy called Bach's Rescue Remedy which is a blend of flower essences designed to calm and reassure. I would suggest that you put 5-7 drops of Rescue Remedy into something that you know for sure your cat will eat such as a tablespoon or so of tuna or another favorite treat. You can find Rescue Remedy in health food/natural health stores and I recently found this remedy in the vitamin/herbal medicine, and holistic health care section of my local Shoppers Drug Mart, it usually costs around $15 CAN. You should see a marked improvement in his demeanor unless there is something medical going on....