Sterilization is an important part of our efforts to reduce the homeless pet population in our community. Spaying and neutering also decrease the chances of breast and testicular cancers and additional reproductive illnesses and diseases. All DPR animals must be spayed or neutered before they are eligible for adoption.
Kittens and cats qualify for spay/neuter surgery if they weight two lbs or more, are at least eight-weeks-old and are healthy.
Preparation
Most Spay/Neuter Veterinarians ask that your cat/kitten fast after 12a the day of their surgery, although water is permitted.
This is to prevent nausea/vomiting and to prevent food from aspirating into the lungs. It is also a good way to prevent your foster cat/kitten from having an accident inside of their carrier.
After-Care
Your foster may still be experiencing the effects of anesthesia when it comes home from surgery. It is important that you keep your foster separate from other animals in the event that their intoxication is seen as weakness and provides an opportunity for it to be bullied or dominated. Once its senses have returned and its lethargy has worn off, it is OK to let it join other animals with supervision.
Your foster’s appetite will also return as the anesthesia wears off, but it is recommended that it is only provided with a light snack and water. Too much food may result in an upset stomach and a big mess for you to clean up!
If your cat/kitten was spayed/neutered at MASH, you may notice after you’ve pick them up that they still appear woozy from the anesthesia. Due to the nature of a mobile-vet, recovery space for serviced animals is limited, so after the MASH team’s initial observation of your cat/kitten coming out of anesthesia is complete, the cat/kitten will be ready for pickup. This means that they may still be showing signs of their sedation on the ride home, or for several hours after pick up (for example: unsteadiness, loud meowing or growling, or difficulty keeping their eyes open).
We recommend that once you arrive back home, you place your cat/kitten in a quiet and dark place where they can continue to sleep off the anesthesia without stress.
Continue to keep an eye on your foster cat’s surgical site for the next few days. Slight redness and swelling are normal; however, any signs of deep redness or infection should be reported immediately to a DPR Administrator.
Occasionally, following a feline spay, a cat may develop a “bubble” (aka, Seroma) on or near their suture site. A seroma occurs as part of the postoperative healing process. Your cat/kitten’s immune system has detected that her body has been invaded and trauma has been inflicted. This results in an inflammatory state, as the immune system goes to war at the site to combat infection and achieve healing. This leads to the accumulation of fluid, which typically gets reabsorbed and redistributed by the body over time, so you may be instructed to simply monitor the seroma at home and to apply warm or cold compresses. Veterinarian’s also suggest that you attempt to reduce your cat/kitten’s activity to prevent further swelling. If the swelling begins to show signs of an infection, please immediately notify a DPR Administrator.
You might also notice that your cat/kitten has a new green or blue mark on their belly. The Veterinarian who has performed your cat/kittens spay or neuter uses a tattoo gun to make this mark. The mark will indicate to other animal health professionals that your cat has been spayed/neutered, and prevent them from having to do any kind of “exploratory” surgery to come to this conclusion.