Why does a cat sleep a lot and be lethargic after sterilization?

Many cats during the period of heat begin to behave inappropriately; they can rub against the legs of their owners or their guests, purr or loudly shout “wedding songs,” and also mark their territory by spraying their own urine in order to attract the attention of cats. This behavior of pets does not bring joy to their owners, so many see a way out of the situation in sterilizing the animal.

See also - age when you can sterilize a cat.

The operation is simple, its duration rarely exceeds a quarter of an hour, and the risk to the cat’s life is minimal. But still, do not forget that sterilization is a surgical intervention, so after it is carried out, the cat needs to be given attention and provided with competent care.

It is important to properly care for your cat after sterilization.

Postoperative care

As a rule, during the sterilization of cats, specialists use gas anesthesia. Despite the fact that animals tolerate it quite easily, after the operation is completed, pets need some time during which they will “recover” from anesthesia.

The effect of anesthesia manifests itself in impaired coordination of movements, so the cat should be placed in its usual resting place and its communication with other pets or children should be limited.

During the period when the cat recovers from anesthesia, which lasts about a day, the pet should not be placed on high surfaces. Impaired coordination of movements can lead to the animal falling from a height. It is recommended to lay a diaper in the cat's resting place, which will protect the bedding in case of possible attacks of vomiting.

Place a bedding on the floor, possibly near the radiator

Day four

In the morning we gave Aliska Felix solid food. She ate it with pleasure and also asked for more. But I haven’t really gone to the toilet yet. Although yesterday I was pushing in the tray. It’s difficult to get into the tray, so we removed the sides for now.

During the day everything lay in the hallway on the rug. But she herself came to the kitchen and meowed at the tray. Smart girl. She's already starting to purr when I stroke her head. The body is all tense, the ribs are sticking out, the poor thing is so thin.

Why are they making fun of me? It's better to leave them

In the evening, Alice went to the toilet a lot. Usually she diligently buried her feces in the filler, but here she left everything in sight. Rejoice.

He already walks around the house more. She looks longingly at the window, but I’m afraid to sit her on the windowsill in case she falls off it.

Cat behavior during recovery from anesthesia

During recovery from anesthesia, the cat sleeps most of the time. After waking up, the owners may notice lethargy in the pet’s movements, an uncertain, unsteady gait caused by general weakness of the body (see what a cat’s behavior should be after sterilization).

There is no need to worry, as this is a normal course of the process of coming out of a drug-induced state. During this period, it is necessary to carefully monitor the pet, do not allow it to hide or climb too high.

It is not recommended to feed the cat on the first day after the operation, but the animal needs clean drinking water. You can switch to a traditional diet only after the pet has finally recovered from the effects of sterilization. At first, the food should be light, its quantity small. Otherwise, constipation will have to be treated. If the animal does not want to eat, you should not try to force feed it.

It is very common for cats to tremble after sterilization. In this case, there is also no need to worry, since trembling is a consequence of a violation of the body’s thermoregulation caused by surgical intervention.

The owner of the animal must arrange for it to rest in a warm place, cover it with a blanket and place a bowl of warm water in the resting place.

Signs of postoperative pathology

In this case, the animal may observe the following:

The weakness after surgery is very pronounced; the cat cannot get up or does not try to do so at all, even when two days or more have passed since the operation. It’s not at all good when a pet meows pitifully and hoarsely, and then suddenly falls, as if cut down. This may indicate very serious postoperative pathologies.

The cat's breathing is unstable, shallow, intermittent and hoarse. In some cases, this clinical picture indicates the development of aspiration pneumonia or other pathologies of the respiratory system.

The pet is not only weak and lethargic, but also completely refuses to eat after two or three days from the moment of sterilization. It's much worse when she doesn't drink. In such cases, you should contact your veterinarian immediately.

Seam care rules

Many pets are bothered by the stitch, so they try to get rid of it by licking and scratching the wound. The owners must stop such attempts immediately. The fact is that in the claws and saliva of animals there are many different bacteria that can provoke one or another infectious disease.

It is necessary to ensure that the cat does not touch the wound, but it is better to cover this area with a blanket or a special bandage. The dressing must be changed periodically. If you use blankets, there should be two of them so that one of them can be washed in a timely manner. If the suture causes great discomfort to the animal, a special collar or bandage will help limit access to the wound. The postoperative suture heals quite quickly.

The bandage can be purchased at any veterinary pharmacy

As a rule, on the third day the wound is no longer noticeable, and after another week the skin in this place is completely restored.

The seam must be periodically treated with antiseptic agents. If inflammation, crusting, redness or swelling occurs, take your pet to a specialist immediately. He will eliminate negative manifestations and provide recommendations regarding proper care of the postoperative suture.

Also, the veterinarian may prescribe the following medications:

antibiotics when the animal scratches or licks a wound;
special medicinal ointments for the skin to prevent itching;
hemostatic drugs in case of slow blood clotting;
vitamins that will allow your pet to regain its former strength and mobility in a short time.

Day three

We woke up in the morning, the blanket was lying somewhere, and Aliska was sitting there licking her wounds. I'm shocked! They grabbed this weightless miracle and with difficulty put on the blanket. Most likely it’s wrong, but today we’ll get an antibiotic injection, they’ll tell us. In general, I read in people’s reviews that you can put a nylon stocking on a cat after cutting it out, she definitely won’t take it off. I also saw on the Internet special collars for the neck, with them she will not be able to reach the seam.

I pushed her into the carrier with difficulty, she desperately struggled and meowed. We went for an injection, it’s strange that the doctor scheduled it for someone other than her shift. The nurse looked at the suture and said everything was fine. I treated it and then gave it an injection. We paid another 148 rubles for this.

I asked the nurse about the tights. She was indignant - these are synthetics, they don’t breathe, the cat will snort under them, and then she will have to treat them.

I also forgot to ask what kind of surgery it was, did they just cut out the uterus? Or along with the pipes?

Now it’s only the 23rd to go to the doctor to have the stitches removed, how will we survive the week and one day?

In the morning Aliska also had an appetite, but after the injection it disappeared again. And, in general, my health worsened. She again lay with her eyes open and did not eat anything. And the cat began to walk backwards.

Receipt for an antibiotic injection

Features of feeding

At the end of the rehabilitation period, the animal becomes completely healthy, which means that its diet should be the same as before the operation. Very often, a sterilized cat begins to eat more than usual, as a result of which she quickly gains weight. The owner should pay attention to this and limit the intake of smoked, fatty, salty foods, as well as pasta, beans, fish and bread.

Obesity of a cat after sterilization

To prevent constipation, dry food offered to your pet should be pre-soaked. To prevent your cat from gaining excess weight, you need to play with it more than before.

Lethargy

Lethargy of a cat is one of the consequences of undergoing sterilization. But it should go away in three or four days. If your pet remains inactive for longer, there is a risk that the surgery may have complications. The following factors should also be taken into account:

Sleeps constantly - how many days is this behavior normal?

Does your cat sleep a lot and constantly after sterilization? This is fine. However, if more than three days have passed and she is still lethargic and inactive, then you need to consult a specialist.

Doesn't get up - is this normal?

This is normal on the first day. But after involuntary urination or vomiting, the cat must get up on its own and move, since all harmful toxic substances have left its body. If this does not happen, or even more, she lies in an unnatural position, it is urgently necessary to invite a veterinarian.

Meowing - should I be worried?

Often, after recovering from anesthesia, the cat may experience pain. Then she can behave aggressively, loudly, or, on the contrary, meow pitifully. In this case, you should not worry, but again you need to see a doctor who will prescribe a special pain reliever that is suitable for your animal. Under no circumstances should you give your cat anything without consulting your veterinarian.

Important!
This can cause her to vomit and result in paralysis.

What to do if the animal is vomiting?

If an animal vomits on the first or second day after sterilization, then this is completely normal. This is how it should be, because harmful substances that are used for general anesthesia must leave the body, otherwise they will begin to poison it. However, if vomiting continues in the following days, this means that the operation was not without complications and there is a likely risk of infection or infection. If you do not pay attention to this in time, your cat may become dehydrated. Therefore, it is very important to monitor your pet’s behavior and consult a veterinarian at the slightest change.

What could be the consequences of sterilization?

If the operation was performed by highly qualified specialists, there will be no negative consequences. However, it is impossible to completely predict the cat’s body’s reaction to such surgery. There are cases of unnatural lethargy or, conversely, increased aggressiveness of sterilized animals.

Sometimes sterilization does not relieve the cat from estrus, which in exceptional cases can even lead to conception and subsequent birth. However, this happens extremely rarely. If your pet has poor appetite, metabolic disorders, or weakness, you must contact a veterinarian who will prescribe a set of therapeutic treatments.

If this is not done on time, the animal may develop quite serious chronic diseases.

The main reasons why a cat is lethargic after sterilization

Firstly, the owner should not forget that his pet underwent abdominal surgery, which was performed under general anesthesia. This never goes away without a trace for the body.

Remember! All drugs used for general anesthesia are toxic to one degree or another and produce various side effects.

So in most cases, post-operative weakness is explained precisely by their action; at this moment everything is fine with the cat itself. You just need to give her body time to recover, after which the pet will completely return to normal.

Of course, not always and not in all cases, lethargy is a “physiological” sign. Sometimes this state of the animal is explained by more negative and disturbing factors. But how (even approximately) can you determine the causes of a cat’s lethargy so that, if necessary, you can immediately contact a veterinarian?

What is considered normal

Most likely, everything is fine with the animal if the following signs are observed:

For the first few hours after surgery, the cat sleeps soundly.

The animal's breathing is calm, uniform and deep, visible mucous membranes have a normal pinkish tint.

When a cat wakes up, it feels thirsty and wants to drink.

If the operation went well, then by the end of the first day after it the animal does not completely return to normal, but it already behaves quite “alive” and does not lie in the form of a bag. However, there are exceptions to this rule in the form of old animals, which, in principle, tolerate abdominal operations extremely difficult, taking a long time to recover from their consequences.

The cat is shaking on day 2

Signs of hypothermia, intoxication and pain accompanied by trembling may persist for 2 days after sterilization.

You can alleviate this condition:

the use of painkillers approved by a doctor;
rubbing paws;
placing a heating pad under the cat's back;
drinking plenty of water.

Sometimes, to quickly relieve intoxication, veterinary specialists perform intravenous injections with saline and glucose.

Lack of vitamins and minerals

If there is a lack of B vitamins, calcium and magnesium in the body, the cat develops nervous phenomena, manifested by muscle tremors (shaking) and convulsions. Despite the fact that hypovitaminosis develops gradually, the owner may not notice its clinical signs for a long time. But severe stress and anesthesia provoke a sharp deterioration in the female’s condition and the appearance of pathological symptoms immediately after sterilization.

This problem can be eliminated by introducing vitamin and mineral supplements into the diet, selected taking into account the age, body weight and breed of the cat.

What is the essence of sterilization?

Surgery involves removing just the uterus or ovaries, or both, to permanently eliminate sex drive when cats are out and causing unwanted pregnancy. Sometimes tubal occlusion is performed when the organs are ligated. This is safer than monthly use of hormonal drugs that suppress sexual instinct. Veterinarians consider the optimal age to be 6-8 months, after the first heat, when the animal’s body has formed and hormonal levels have normalized. The age limit is 1 year. The operation itself lasts 15-20 minutes. and is performed under anesthesia. Cats are castrated. After the intervention, the veterinarian gives painkillers and hemostatic injections.

The cat is shaking on day 2

Signs of hypothermia, intoxication and pain accompanied by trembling may persist for 2 days after sterilization.

You can alleviate this condition:

the use of painkillers approved by a doctor;
rubbing paws;
placing a heating pad under the cat's back;
drinking plenty of water.

Sometimes, to quickly relieve intoxication, veterinary specialists perform intravenous injections with saline and glucose.

Lack of vitamins and minerals

This problem can be eliminated by introducing vitamin and mineral supplements into the diet, selected taking into account the age, body weight and breed of the cat.

What can I do to help my animal get back to normal faster?

First of all, there is no need to panic. If the owner runs around his pet, nothing good will come of it. The animal will only get nervous and get even worse. So what to do in such situations?

Here is a list of necessary actions:

If the owner is confused by anything in the appearance or behavior of the cat (with the exception of lethargy), you should immediately arrange with a veterinarian to examine the animal.

It is necessary to create the most favorable living conditions for your pet. It is highly advisable to place the cat in a separate, isolated room where no one will disturb it.

For the first three days, we recommend feeding your cat rich chicken broth. This way the load on her digestive system will be minimal, which will allow the body to free up resources for full recovery.

Sterilization of a cat. Before and after.

12-14 hours before the operation, do not give the cat food, and about an hour before the operation, remove the water, since the stomach, intestines and bladder should be empty. Purchase 2 postoperative blankets in advance, make sure that there are no threads sticking out of them, since the cat can pull them out and swallow them.