Cat after sterilization

If you own a cat, it is worth considering the sterilization process in the first three years of life. It is worth giving the cat time to fully develop its body and then proceed to the sterilization process.

Sterilization is recommended for cats that are not intended for breeding or if the owner is forced to perform the procedure for other reasons. How to behave after sterilization? What to look for? Can our pet’s character change after sterilization? In today’s article, I will try to describe the topic of cat sterilization in more detail.

Sterilization and castration procedure

What is sterilization? In most sources, you can find that the term sterilization is assigned to female cats, and the term castration is assigned to male cats. However, it is worth mentioning that sterilization can be carried out in cats and males. Same with castration. Castration can be performed on male and female cats.
What is the difference between sterilization and castration. Sterilization is the ligation of the fallopian tubes in the case of a female and the vas deferens in the case of a male. In other words, it is surgically conferred infertility. In addition, sterilization is often performed laparoscopically. Castration, on the other hand, is a permanent procedure and consists in removing the reproductive organs, i.e. the fallopian tubes in cats and the testicles in males.

What to pay attention to during sterilization

Before sterilization, it is worth making sure that you choose the right clinic that will properly perform the sterilization of your cat. It should be noted that the course itself is not complicated. However, there is always a risk of complications during surgery, so it is worth preparing for it in advance.

The aforementioned choice of the clinic and the right doctor is a very important point. Try to choose such specialists who treat the pet as if it were a living being. Unfortunately, more and more often I see a tendency to treat the client very objectively, like “leave the money and run”. Remember, try to avoid this type of clinic. There are a wide variety of veterinarians on the market, but few of them truly care about the well-being of the pet.
Another important aspect is the performance of basic blood tests – morphology and biochemistry, even before the sterilization procedure. Often, procedures are performed without prior examination, and this is the basis for administering anesthesia to the pet. It should be remembered that blood tests give a signal whether a cat is eligible for surgery. If the parameters deviate from the norm, then it is better to postpone the treatment to another day, try to normalize the results and perform the procedure when the results return to normal. Blood tests are unavoidable and every doctor should take care of their performance before sterilization of the cat. Thanks to this, we can protect our cat from life-threatening and avoid postoperative complications.

When the blood results confirm the correct condition for the procedure, and the doctor sees no contraindications, we can prepare for sterilization. Usually, each caregiver receives information about the guidelines before sterilization. The basic activities that should be performed are not feeding the cat a minimum of 6-10 hours before sterilization. It is better not to give evening dinner and breakfast. This is very important because the stomach must be empty during the procedure, without food.

Feeling after sterilization

The sterilization procedure is not a pleasant thing for our pet. Unfortunately, the cat may be very apathetic and unwilling to prank and play for the next few days. In addition, he may be reluctant to eat and drink. You can read more about the selection of food for sterilized cats in the article “How to feed a sterilized cat”.
The aforementioned apathy is caused by pain and the condition after anesthesia. Probably after two days the cat should return to “alive”. However, careful observations must be made. If you notice disturbing symptoms that worsen as the days go by, be sure to contact the doctor who performed the procedure. It is worth noting that we should not force the cat to play for the next two weeks. During several days after sterilization, we should take care of proper wound healing. Therefore, all games should be postponed “for later”, because they can lead to tearing of the stitches.

Sterilization wound

After sterilization, it is worth taking care of the postoperative wound. If the procedure was performed using a laparoscope, then the wound is small.
First of all, you should listen to the advice of the doctor who performed the procedure. Typically, the cat is prescribed an antibiotic and wound care products. If we do not obtain information on the care of the cut, then for the first 3 days it is worth washing it with, for example, a solution of rivanol, which disinfects, but does not cause a pinching sensation. If a scab appears, try to wash the wound less and less often. In addition, it is worth getting special clothes that prevent the cat from licking the wound. It is worth buying such a suit especially in the first few days after surgery. Thus, the cat will not irritate its wound and the applied stitches.

A few days after sterilization, we should go to the vet for a check-up to assess the healing of the wound. If everything is going well, further washing of the wound is not necessary. In addition, cats’ saliva contains lysozyme, which has disinfecting properties. Therefore, when licking, the cat automatically cares for the healing wound.

Change of cat’s character after sterilization

Some cats undergo sterilization better than others. Some change their behavior, others don’t. However, it should be noted that the process of sterilization and removal of reproductive organs has a huge impact on the functioning of the body. Therefore, you need to prepare for the fact that the cat may be less active and sleep more. In addition, there may be a deterioration in the quality of the coat and a change in the behavior of the cat. Usually, sterilized cats are even bigger pets.