How can I make myself less nervous to get my cats spayed?

I finally have the money to get 2 of my 3 females spayed.


Now I just have to make the appointment, but I%26#039;m super nervous even to do that.


The cats that I%26#039;m going to get fixed first is old grandma, Tabitha, she%26#039;s 9 years old. And Lily, she%26#039;s about 9 months old. Precious (the 5 year old) is going to have to wait another month or two.





I just have all these %26quot;What if?%26quot; questions going through my head. I know Tabitha is getting older, what if she dies during surgery? I%26#039;d be devistated if my pig pig dies. Would she stop being a witch to the other cats? She has randomly been smacking them for no reason, and has been very irritable to them. They are her (grown) kittens.





I know that they will have to have stitches for awhile.. what if they are playing with one of the other cats and the stitches get torn out? Or if they are cleaning themself and they rip the stitches out? How likely is this to happen?





I know I have had other worries, but that%26#039;s all I can think of right now..

How can I make myself less nervous to get my cats spayed?
Just think about how you%26#039;re reducing their risk of mammary cancer, and releasing them from the burden of heat cycles. Tabitha should be fine. The vet will run a preanesthetic blood test to ensure that she%26#039;s safe to undergo anesthesia. Your kitties won%26#039;t lose their personalities. Don%26#039;t worry about that, either. After the surgery, check their incisions twice a day for any redness or swelling. Keep them quiet and don%26#039;t let them jump around. Give them all of the pain medicine that the vet sends home. Use it until it%26#039;s gone. If they try to lick at the incisions, put the e-collar (party hat) on. No, they don%26#039;t like it but they%26#039;ll be ok with it. Your girls should be just fine. ;)
Reply:I have had many animals and most vets will tell you that spay or nuet will not change the animals true personality. it will however slow their metabolism and make them gain weight a bit more quickly but can be managed with the weight managment food on the market such as Purina. Just as with finding a doctor for yourself, find someone who is caring and perhaps get a recommendation from friends. Trust your instinct when going in to see the doctor. Your pet will always be nervous in a new environment but a good vet will put you right at ease and explain everything to you. You should feel comfortable with whoever you choose-remember you are paying them not the other way around! I love my vet and his staff -they are definitely animal lovers and it shows in the care they provide. remember animals recover from surgery much quicker than we do. My mini dach was fixed and she was up and running the next day! Your babies will do fine.
Reply:well heres one good thing about getting them spayed. they are less likely to get mammory cancer!


If the cats lick the stitches you will have to put one of those cones on their heads to make them stop. its not good for them to chew or scratch it out. But most cats dont care and will leave it alone.


Dont freak out when you get your cat home and they look sunking in on the sides, that goes away. Its just the stress of the surgery.


I dont think you have to worry about them ripping them out during play. Most wont even play for a whole week after the surgery, Which is the time you have to wait anyways.


Most are better around 7-10 days as well.


Theres always going to be a what if case when it comes to surgery, Theres no way to avoid it. But its better for them to be spayed in the long run.
Reply:i%26#039;ve never had a cat spayed, as i have owned males all my life. our current 4 month old is getting neutered next month, and i understand why you are nervous. but dont worry! vets do this spay/neutering procedure many times, and they are usually successful and have minimal side affects. dont worry about her dying; chances of that are extremely slim. just make sure she has a clean bill of health before the procedure; our kitty is still recovering from a URI, so he needs to wait to be fixed.





good luck with your kitties, and don%26#039;t be scared! it is a very common procedure.
Reply:Let%26#039;s take it in stages, as you have different situations with each. For Tabitha, as she is older, a blood profile is almost mandatory, so that the vet will know if there are any problems, and can tailor the anesthesia accordingly.





For Precious, probably blood work would be advised. For Lily, at her age, almost never a problem and blood work is rarely useful. If, for piece of mind, you wish, then go ahead but the money is often simply wasted at her age.





Your vet will probably suggest blood work for all. I simply am giving my opinion, and have had three kittens recently spayed, with no blood work.





There are no guarantees, and spaying is surgery. But spaying is about as routine as routine can be.





As far as afterwards, they will be groggy for the night after surgery, but will probably still insist on getting around. My one kitten dragged her back legs for several hours, before she was able to walk upright. The vet for the other two kept them overnight, so they were fully alert when I picked them up.





Two of my kittens bounced back almost the next day, while my third, who was a bit smaller, took several days to get back to normal.





As far as the stitches go, two of my kittens were almost gut kicking each other in wrestling within days of the surgery. I have had only females, and none of them have had problems with the stitches. If they bite on them, it will probably cause discomfort, and they will stop. Naturally, they will lick around the incision point to keep it clean.





In 10-14 days, you will return to the vet for removal of the stitches, or your vet may use absorbable stitches. On one of my kittens, I had to return as they were slow to absorb. On my third kitten, the stitches were in place the day before the vet visit, but she had removed them over the night, and they were gone when I got to the vet. And the vet said, that happens.
Reply:I would just think of the postives like no more kittens and cancer cats when they are not spaided. They might have to be seperated until the stitches come out.
Reply:OMG - I was the exact same way! A little over a month ago I took in a stray that was in a friend%26#039;s garage over the summer and she%26#039;s my first pet (vet said about 3 years old). So, she had one heat cycle here and I felt so bad for her added with the benefits to her from everything that I had read online, so I decided it would be best have her spayed. I went through the SPCA because of $$ vs. the vet, and I was a complete basket case the week before. My cat even picked up on it too I think because she was more skittish and timid than usual (she%26#039;s an unusually gentle and affection cat - but only w/ me - the guys in the house she%26#039;s afraid of). Then she threw up the AM the day before I was to drop her off (this particular clinic has no vet onsite, so they keep them overnight, drive to another clinic and you pick them up late the following afternoon).





But, long story even longer - she was absolutely fine and has been since. They do get internal stitches that their activity should be limited in the first few days/week (climbing stairs, furniture). Also, I was advised to watch that she doesn%26#039;t try to pick at the external stitches (there%26#039;s usually only 1 or 2). My cat was fine with that although she did jump up and climb stairs the following morning. She didn%26#039;t have an appetite that night, but her release papers said that was normal and she was back to eating the very next AM.





As everyone is saying - you are doing Tabitha and Lily such a service because you%26#039;re reducing their risk of certain cancers and eliminating the stress that a heat cycle puts their body through, so both of them will live longer. The SPCA used dissolvable stitches, so I don%26#039;t have to go back to have them removed.





Easy to say, but try not to stress it - I definitely overstressed it and as I said she picked up on it. They both will be fine and you will be too! The best of luck!
Reply:yeah. your helping your cat out. so your cat won%26#039;t hurt anymore, won%26#039;t have any problems, nothing. don%26#039;t worry your doing your cat a favor.
Reply:You might have to separate the cats for a while to prevent them from ripping each other%26#039;s stitches out- as for ripping them out themselves they might put cones around their necks but that won%26#039;t hurt them.It isn%26#039;t likely she will die if you have a good vet even though she is getting old- she isn%26#039;t REALLY old so she should be OK. :) Hope everything goes well!
Reply:Remmber that you are doing good not bad we have somany cats/dogs/horses/ect....that cant get homes and have to be put down and the vets are extremly careful in what they do we have 5 cats all spayed and nutered and we have took in 89 cats in the past month and every single one was fine during the sugrey and all of them got loving homes,and the vets makes sure the stitches can come out until he/she takes them out,yes cats are friendlier once fixed,and trust me they will be fine.
Reply:Seperating your kitties might be a good idea after they have surgery. Honestly, when I brought my female home (I got her fixed around 9 months) she ws purry and lovey and clingy and sweet and she hasn%26#039;t stopped since then.................lol. Before that she was only friendly when she wanted attention or food. So she%26#039;s completely opposite now. I was soooo worried about getting my babies fixed too but believe me, they%26#039;ll be ok. They%26#039;ll sleep a lot when they first come home. Just make sure they have a clean litter box and fresh food and water at all times. It isn%26#039;t very likely that they will rip the stitches out themselves, they%26#039;ll be careful because they will know something is different.





Now when you bring them home, expect your other kitties to hiss and growl at them. It is because they smell different. (since they were at the vet all day) This usually lasts a couple of days and then all the cats are fine. I found that wiping my cats down with kitty wipes helped to get the vet smell off of them.





Good luck!



super nanny