How to take care of the cat after neutering? There are specific attentions depending on whether it is a male or female cat. Let’s find out what they are.
Neutering is a highly recommended intervention for domestic cats, in order to avoid unwanted pregnancies but also to reduce the risk of contracting some dangerous diseases that can especially affect female cats.
Sterilizing a cat, therefore, is practically a routine intervention for a veterinarian: this does not mean that attention must be paid to taking care of the animal correctly after sterilization, immediately to reduce any risks of post-operative infections in the cat, but also then keeping some attention necessary to avoid the onset of feline obesity problems.
But what are the right attentions to take care of the cat, male or female, after neutering? Let’s find out together in this article.
Cat care after neutering: here’s what to do
Immediately after the sterilization procedure, the cat needs to be calm and recover from the effects of anesthesia: once the cat has been brought home, it must be left in a quiet room, with doors and windows closed and without obstacles, placing the bowl close to each other. baby food, water and litter.
In the following days of convalescence, it is essential to avoid that the cat moves too much, plays too lively games with runs and jumps, but above all you must pay attention to the stitches: make sure that it does not lick or scratch itself near the surgical wound. Also, if we have other cats or pets in the house, let’s keep them separate from the newly neutered cat for a while.
To protect the wound and take care of it, it is important to follow specific hygiene rules: you can learn more about the topic in our article dedicated to the care of cat sutures after surgery.
Sterilization is a different procedure depending on whether it is a male cat or a female: for the cat we are talking about actual sterilization, while in the male cat it is more a case of castration. Depending on whether the cat is male or female, special care must be reserved after neutering.
Male cat care after neutering
Male cat castration surgery is usually simpler and faster than cat sterilization, as it consists in the removal of the testicles and not in an operation that involves opening the abdomen.
Male cats recover more quickly both from anesthesia (their intervention involves local anesthesia) and in convalescence, moreover it is more rare that they are able to lick the wound since it is in an area more difficult to reach.
Nonetheless, it is important to welcome the cat back from the surgery with additional cuddles and tranquility to better overcome the stress of sterilization. In addition, after castration it is necessary to pay more attention to the feeding of the cat to avoid the appearance of stones, cystitis in the cat and problems of obesity.
Female cat care after neutering
The sterilization operation of female cats is more complex and invasive: the operation involves the removal of the ovaries and in some cases also of the uterus, making it necessary to cut the abdomen under total anesthesia.
Following the operation, the veterinarian will prescribe an analgesic drug therapy to be continued at home during the days of convalescence: the administration of drugs to the cat is therefore the first aspect to be taken into consideration in post sterilization care.
In the week following the operation it is important to carefully avoid that the cat can lick or scratch the surgical wound: usually, the veterinarian recommends that the cat wear a special Elizabethan collar and cover the sutures with sterile gauze.
As for nutrition, it is important that in the weeks immediately following neutering the cat can count on a healthy and light diet. Later, once the convalescence is over, the vet will recommend the best diet to prevent the cat from gaining too much weight.
