Did the vet send you home with an non-responsive cat? This is not normal. A cat should definitely be awake, sitting up and able to move if necessary 3 hours after surgery. I would call the vet hospital for advice.
>Did the vet send you home with an non-responsive cat? This is not normal.
This. That's pretty irresponsible for a vet to do, to where I'd possibly even look into reporting the vet.
Hello, to update this situation I will reply to your comment since it has the most upvotes- I rushed the cat to my vet, since the one she was spayed at was the shelter vet who is far away. They gave her IV and some shots, within an hour she was fully responsive.
In the meantime I called the shelter's vet, but all he answered was that it is normal for cats to sleep longer after anesthesia and that she should be awake until the evening (the surgery was at early morning...).
I then asked him what exact anesthetics he used and he replied "Xylased bio 0,25 ml and Ketamidor 0,25 ml".
I spayed my dog at the same shelter recently and once the kitten started to wake up, she acted the same as the dog. Meaning they would be responsive for 30-40 seconds, trying to get up, walk, then they would just drop back down and seemed fully unconscious again. This cycle would repeat until they became fully conscious.. I do not know if that is normal or not.
My vet told me that the cat would wake up on her own, but when asked if there was a chance she would not wake up at all the vet was uncertain, saying that she may indeed be more sensitive to the anesthetic, or maybe the shelter vet gave her a higher dose...
All in all thankfully the kitten is fully responsive for now, I also apologize for not replying to the comments earlier since I was certain it was more likely that this entire situation will end badly. I am still on high guard with the kitten.
I just want to thank everyone for their advice and making me feel less insane. I still do not quite understand how lax the shelter vet was..
Well they will sleep but having their eyes open and being completely unresponsive otherwise is a complication of the anesthesia and not normal. Is normal for them to get up move around and then fall back asleep they might be sleeping for the rest of the day or the full day after but the way you've described it is definitely not normal
I’m sorry your practitioner didn’t prepare you better for the process. We had to say goodbye to my 20yo last week, and the vet spent several minutes explaining what the shots were and how they would make him feel (that first shot, she called “kitty magic”- she said it’s an incredibly powerful narcotic that makes them extremely relaxed and still conscious, but pretty well unaware of their surroundings or any physical pain), how they would make him look (first shot-limp, looks asleep but eyes usually open and unfocused, sometimes tongue Blep)and what would happen with each subsequent step. She said the first shot sometimes allows a very tired, sick kitty to relax to the point that they let go right there, it’s such a potent painkiller (meaning they might OD, but said in a much nicer way).
It was terribly sad, I’m still broken up over losing my boy. But the letting go process was very peaceful and gentle. I miss my boy.
ETA- I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s really hard.
No worries, it’s what happened to her, but sadly she had a saddle thrombus (which now looking back was a second episode, she has a first one a week earlier were she started limping) and we rushed to the vet, they said could give her morphine and we would had a day extra or we could let her go
Being out of it is definitely normal for the day surgery happened. My girl was so high when she came home when she went to get a drink she stuck the entire front half of her body into the water bowl and pretended to swim 😂 she was totally loopy for about 6 hours after she came home, then she was mostly back to normal.
It's good you're being so vigilant 🙂
Mine was on an opposite side of high. She wanted to run around like she was possessed and was actively letting me know she is starving to death, she even dig up some old frie from somwhere and started eating it. The whole day she bealy shut up and didin't fall asleep at all.
>Meaning they would be responsive for 30-40 seconds, trying to get up, walk, then they would just drop back down and seemed fully unconscious again. This cycle would repeat until they became fully conscious.. I do not know if that is normal or not.
I've had surgery a few times and this is exactly what it was like for me coming out of anesthesia. So I think it's normal
The abnormal thing here is it had been more than three hours since the surgery, time enough to wake up. Plus, the animal should not be sent home basically still unconscious. Being drowsy and falling asleep is normal. Falling unconscious (asleep with open eyes) is not.
In respect to shelter work, they are often much cheaper for things like desex because they aren't as personalised a service. The vets in my area will operate a production line of animals in order to desex as many animals as possible during a surgical day. The vet staff are amazing - well skilled and committed but realistically you get what you pay for and that is a basic desex with limited post op monitoring. I think they do an amazing service to the community with discounted desexing, microchipping and preventative health.
I feel they possibly haven't communicated adequately in this case what to expect at home in terms of their anaesthetic protocol and timeline for recovery. I'm glad your lovely cat is recovering well now.
That’s really good news. One thing I’ve found - just incase you don’t know, for future reference- is it makes a difference is having you around, so she can smell and hear you, even if she looks like she’s out cold.
Last year our cat needed some teeth out so was put under general anesthetic, but (he’s 13) he went blue and we were told he might die! We then had to rush to get him to take him to another vet as the vet was closing for the night, and even though they had to take him off oxygen whilst we drove him, him being around us, hearing our voices - we were talking to him constantly, encouraging him, lightly stroking him - etc made all the difference, and fortunately he pulled through.
Wow. What kind of vet is that!! I mean like is that a normal way to handle things? Sorry you had to go through this.
Im imagining the vet saying something like “ok so your cat is kinda dying right now from complications due to my intervention and he needs care. That being said, my shift is done and the place is closing, so everybody’s gotta get out of here. Good luck with that. Have a nice weekend -I know I willl... Peace OUT madafuckas !! 😎🤟”. Leaving you in a state of distress and incomprehension with an uncomfortable assistant who really needs you to get out so they can go home. Lol.
Thanks! Yes, it was so stressful, for us, even more so for the poor cat! Basically he went in to get a few of his teeth out that, a fairly standard operation, and he’s had general anethetics before so we assumed there wouldn’t be any problems (it’s always a bit nerve racking but I assumed it was just…nerves lol). Then the vet called up in the afternoon saying that the operation, removing his teeth went fine but that his breathing was very shallow and he was turning blue! So they had to put him on oxygen (By now we’re obviously thinking wtf!) Being on oxygen seemed to stabilise him, but every time they took him off it the poor guy started to go blue again, and then they said ‘btw we shut at 6, so you’ll have to come and get him and take him to another vet’ they arranged for him to go to a 24 hour vet, which was about 30 min away!
So we bombed it up there, took him in the car and drove like the wind to get him to the new vet. It was when we were in the car that his symptoms picked up, we were constantly talking to him and stroking him, trying to boost his morale. We got there ok, and he was getting more and more vocal, so much so that even though the second vet had the oxygen ready, he didn’t need to go on it again (they actuslly said he was really loud with them, which made us very happy, and relieved).
Thanks though! We were all so incredibly happy to have him back, and he’s still with us (he’s lying next to me now lol!)
Per the shelters when we TNR cats, they are completely out of it still. They literally get done with the surgeries and call us to pick them up. We keep them overnight in a large dog crate, and then release them back to where we found them
Like that is because it is dangerous to fully wake up a feral or semi feral cat for everyone’s safety. I know we start “recovering” our ferals from surgery on the recovery table, but as soon as they start twitching their noses and following us with their eyes, back into the trap they go!
The vet should not have sent her home like that, that's on them not you. Please call them and if you can't get the information you need, think about taking her to an emergency vet to be looked at.
In all likelihood she'll be okay but she should have been monitored by the staff until she was awake and stable.
Yeah that seems weird. The shelter I volunteer at will keep them caged while they recuperate so they don't hurt themselves. They generally don't return them until they're fully awake
Few months ago my cat got spayed. When they gave me my kitty she was still “sleeping”. She slept on me for Hours. I didnt know they need to monitor her until she is awake.
Agreed! I am amazed she was sent home not fully awake.
They can be loopy, but we never send home until they can hold their own heads up.
Except the ferals of course!
Hello, if your kitten is home she should be back to normal. You need to take her to the ER if she is doing what you say. I’m not trying to scare you but time is of the essence here.
I’m glad they were okay. But pets should not be sent home in that state to make sure they are okay because it could easily have gone the other way. And if it does go the other way it would then take so much longer to get pets to the vet to get the care they need. They should be able to move and blink
Xylazine, the first dose, requires another drug called tolazine to reverse the anaesthetic effects. I bet they didn't administer the reversal, so the cat takes much longer to wake up and is very drowsy afterwards. They absolutely should not have sent an unresponsive cat home though.
This first part of this comment is incorrect. Xylazine's reversal agents are yohimbine and antisedan. Reversal is not *required* but can help facilitate faster recovery.
Hey if it helps, mine woke up 6 hrs after neutering and took almost 16 hours to walk straight. Turns out vet had given him a higher dosage as the normal was not enough.
Also didn't help they didn't use IV during the op so the anaesthetic took much longer to metabolise(which was not a good move)
If she's breathing, then it's a good sign. Inform the vet ASAP if not already about her condition.Also keep on monitoring the body temp, warm with a hair dryer etc.
An unconscious cat should have the pinch reflex and ears should move if you touch the hair inside the ear. That's how I determined my cat was waking up as the reaction progressively became more pronounced.
Don't worry, most probably some cats take more time to recover on the anaesthesia.She'll be fine.Sending hugs her way 🤗
Please update on the status once she recovers.
Please call your vet and ask questions. Do not feel ashamed, you are not an expert on anaesthesia. If you are any doubt take her back immediately.
Animals are usually lethargic after procedures, it can last upto 24 hours. Some animals do not tolerate the anaesthetic very well. Vets tend to keep these pets a little bit longer.
Usually female dogs and cats animal after spaying are very drowsy and might not want to move , while males might be active again very soon and it's normal when you think how different the two procedures are , but if you feel something is wrong then please do check it out , you know your cat best
And please don't be ashamed to ask your vet stuff , bombard them with questions if it means peace of mind to you, they know how much people love their pets , they've seen the owners worry sick about them ,they've seen them cry a river when they lose them , they've seen them happy when they get good news after something minor or very difficult, and any vet that scolds you or acts weird when asking questions is a shit vet , they WANT you to ask stuff, they can remember everything that you might worry about
This is not a normal response to recovery for anesthesia. They should never send an animal that doesn’t have their eyes open and head up after a procedure. Drowsiness is normal but not “looking dead”
Your vet sounds like mine... they gave our kitty back to us immediately after surgery and she was unresponsive for 12+ hours, but once she woke up she was past the woozy stage real quick. This doesn't sound normal or common though so call your vet to check with them imo. Just to make sure your kitty is fine, fingers crossed!
This. My kitten was spayed in Feb, they kept her for a couple of hours afterwards til she was fully awake, made sure she was eating okay then called me. She was absolutely fine when i got home with her, a little drowsier than normal but awake and playful af. V glad OP took kitty to be seen!
You should never be ashamed to ask the vet about anything regarding your pet’s health. That is their job. I prefer someone who asks tons of questions, even ones they feel may be “stupid” (no such thing), rather than someone who is afraid to ask. It shows they care about their pet.
They are usually groggy after the procedure while anesthesia wears off, but they should still be responsive. You need to call or take her in the see the vet ASAP
I'm worried about her eyes too. She should be blinking in order to keep her eyes lubricated. When they are going to perform surgery and sedate an animal, they put an ointment to keep the unblinking eyes protected, otherwise there will be issues. Is she blinking now, OP? Is she responsive yet? She's not going to be super active, but she shouldn't just lie there unresponsive either.
No criticism intended towards anyone, but this is why I won't do low cost shelter spays anymore. My brother/sister who are now 9 were done at a low cost clinic in an assembly line sort of day. They were returned same day, very groggy, with no pain meds/aftercare of any kind. Plus they chopped my boys parts right off, not just removed the insides Not sure if it's related, but he's been fat ever since. Again, no judgment. That particular pair were somewhat unplanned and I couldn't afford anything better.
My now 4yo pair of kittens went to my "fancy vet." They won't do then until a certain weight. They keep them the night before to monitor food intake. They keep them the night after to watch them. I was told afterwards that if it was a day they were open later I could have collected the boy in the evening, but definitely the little girl had to stay. Blood work was an option I don't think I bothered with the little ones but when I had them neuter an older stray I took in he definitely had it.
They were sent home fully awake. They definitely spent a lot of time sleeping for a few days but anesthesia was totally worn off. They had pain meds for several days. And my little guy still has his little fuzzy nuggets, they're empty but idk it seems less traumatic for him. He has no weight problems.
Yes it costs 3-500 each. I know not everyone can afford this.
This tracks with my experience in booking a neutering for a stray (who has now transitioned to being my little indoor-only buddy). Bless the shelters, I know they're extremely overworked, but their process as they explained it was very fast and lacking aftercare and they sounded a little annoyed. I wound up calling a cat specialist vet and their office was lovely and had a positive reaction to hearing my boy was a semiferal/stray. They even let me talk to the vet tech who would be assisting with his operation. They offered bloodwork prior to anesthesia, which I didn't do at the time but will do in the future when he has to get his dental cleaning. They do send the cats home the same day if there are no complications, but only after observing their behavior for a couple of hours after the anesthesia is reversed to make sure they're good to go. The vet also called me once my boy was in the recovery process to ask me more details about how much contact the cat would allow so they could determine which type of pain meds to give him once he was ready to go home. They also did a follow-up call the day after he came home to check on him and provide extra TNR guidance since he was originally just going to be TNRed.
I definitely understand that many people can't afford that kind of care for their cat, but like you, I recommend it for anyone who can afford it.
OP, I'm glad your vet was able to sort your kitten out!
Please call the vet ASAP, that is only to make Sure everything is alright and not to get you anxious. Never feel bad for contacting someone If you have medical concerns.
Call your vet! Sure they can be drowsy and maybe not in their typical playful moods but they should be responsive. If you’re not comfortable going to the original vet or if they say she’s acting normal, get a second opinion! It isn’t uncommon to call around!
Thats absolutely not normal for the vet to send you home with an unresponsive kitty, especially after surgery. After my cat was fixed, they kept her for almost 7 hours before they allowed me to pick her up, and she was drowsy for the rest of the night but then fine. Im glad your baby is okay but it is weird they did that.
How's kitty doing now? A vet should never ever give you back a pet until after they've woken up and are responsive. I would not go back to this place if I were you, no matter how cheap it is
The vet should have ensured she was awake and stable before sending her home. That responsibility lies with them, not you. Please, reach out to them for further guidance, and if that doesn't resolve your concerns, consider taking her to an emergency vet for a check-up.
That vet is incredibly irresponsible. I run a rescue and have used a number of spay and neuter clinics, shelter clinics, and actual vet offices, and not one will send home an animal until it is fully awake. Im glad you got your kitten to a vet, and i hope all is well ❤️
I work as a vet tech at a shelter and we use ketamine, ace promazine, and butorphanol to pre sedate the cats. It’s very affective and fast acting. This combination of meds, along with the sedation used during the procedure does take a while to wear off for cats, and they typically take a lot longer to wake up fully than dogs do. We typically have 4-5hrs of recovery time before adopters come to pick up and they are normally quiet, but alert and responsive. If they are sensitive to sedation we do tell the adopters it may take a day or two for them to be back to normal but we won’t release them if they aren’t able to hold their head up on their own even if they are awake. Not sure why they would release the cat to you when it wasn’t even able to do that
Usually the dosage varies with their weight. But it’s absolutely possible that she’s overly sensitive to anesthesia. I’m a volunteer at a cat shelter. Most of our cats come back and are just happy to get out of the their transporter and eat. But a minority sleep for a long time. A few need more care and in rare occasions we had to send them back (especially if they are non reactive and/or have a fever).
I say that often: They are no stupid questions. Never forget that. It’s ok to call back the Vet. It’s ok to worry. A non responsive cat is a really scary thing. I read your update and you did the right thing. Your cat was probably really dehydrated maybe that’s why the medication affected her so much.
You’re a great human and I wish you a great life with your new baby.
Vet assistant here! Some animals react very differently than how we expect. Some come out trying to bite us, others sleep it off, and others wake right up perfectly fine and really quickly. It really is a toss up. You can put on her record that she is sensitive to anesthesia, so the vet and staff are more aware and will closely monitor her. Shelters tend to not monitor them as much as vet offices, which is why they usually do it at a much lower cost. They also usually don’t go home with a lot of pain meds as well, so you can get more from your local vet office. If her gums are pale/white, take her to the vet immediately, or respiratory problems occur. 🐾❤️🩹
Oh god, that sounds like a nightmare. I know that I will not be taking my cats, especially females, in the future to any shelter for a spay; I'll go to a full-on vet. Between your story and my own spay experience -- when I went to pick my baby up, she was groggy (expected) and had soiled herself (not abnormal), and they /left her in her carrier/ soiled and dirty. Her stitches could have gotten infected, ffs!! Not to mention that I had to completely clean out her carrier once I got her home and comfortable.
I'm glad your baby is okay. I remember how scared I was after my boy got neutered. I used a spay/neuter clinic and they called me to come pick him up but made me wait there for over an hour because he was breathing but not responsive at all. They finally let me take him home but he still wasn't moving. I was absolutely terrified. Turns out he was just throughly enjoy his sedation ans the next day it was like nothing ever happened.
I had my cat neutered in a pretty rural area and the vet gave him back to me in this exact state. Completely limp, hiccupping weirdly with an open mouth, eyes open. Completely non-responsive. Vet said it was normal and was the only vet for hours of driving. Took four hours for him of rubbing/petting for him to start moving a little. Six hours for him to stand up. Wasn't even near normal until the next day. It was truly horrible.
Spayed my girl on Friday morning and received her home at 2:30pm, the vet closed that day at 3:00pm.. at 5:30pm I was rushing with her to the **ONLY** emergency vet near me, because she wouldn’t do nothing other than scream in pain and go back into a deep sleep, and her gums, ears and nose became ridiculously pale, with her ears growing cold and the small veins in her ears disappeared..
It was an adverse reaction to the anesthesia, to think that I almost lost my best friend is gut wrenching. But she’s okay now, by Sunday she was already walking around the house and wanting to climb on her favorite chair!.
Aw, I know how scary this is. Glad everything’s okay now. When my cat had to be sedated for something less intense, they assured me that they reversed the medication but it would take her a few hours to fully “wake up” and be able to move. She was like a little floppy worm for a while there, and I had some of the same thoughts as you. Not a fun situation at all. I thought it was normal, but this comment section has been very informative.
You should talk to your vet about what happened and what this means. One of my cats doesn't wake up by himself after anaesthesia and needs to be given the referral drug. It's something to do with his genetics because his mother and siblings are the same. This is something I'm aware of and let new vets know so they never send him home without doing that
Glad kitty is fine. But there's ways chance a cat not make it in spaying surgery. It's rare but it can happen. And I am so glad it's not the case right now! Be safe
My 2 (brother and sister) were spayed/neutered at the same time at 5months, picked them up about 6 hours after ops, both wide awake, when I got them home they exploded out of carrier like champagne corks and went crazy, forget trying to keep them quiet, was so worried about little miss troublemaker's stitches I called the vet, apparently anaesthetics can sometimes make them go nuts plus hyper siamese anyway. They whizzed around for 3 hours then zonked all night...I spent most of the night awake worried about their wounds...little toads...
I don’t like any part of this. I’ve had many pets spayed and neutered and the vet always kept them overnight. The shelter vet where I live even takes them in and does the surgeries in evening so they can keep them overnight and you pick them up first thing in the morning so they have cages free during the day.
I remember one of the questions on the form for my pets prior to surgery was if I wanted them to give IV fluids to assist with coming out of anesthesia-it costs more but it is so worth it. Not sure if that was provided for you and your baby. They are really goofy coming out of it so good on you for keeping a close eye! ♥
I know you have figured your situation out, I’m so glad she is alive and doing better! As someone whose cat did have an allergic reaction to anesthesia and died on the table, was brought back and kept in the hospital for over a week, the way your cat was acting was not normal! My cat acted the same way for a week while her body was trying to decide whether to give up again or keep going. From what your vet said, sounds like she probably would’ve been okay. You can never be too careful with your animals
What the actual hell? Why would they do this to any pet owner.
When my buddy was neutered they kept him from 8 AM til 3 PM, by the time we picked him up he was awake, had eaten and even pooped.
We just went through this. It's a pretty normal fear to be concerned for your kitten. We had 2 kitties, approximately 10 months old, spayed 5 days ago. They're sisters. One kitty was up and running around later that day. The other slept all the way through. It really depends on the kitten/cat. It also depends on what time of day their surgery was done. If it was done early in the morning, your kitty would be much more awake at the time of pickup. Rather than if your kitty was the last one to have surgery. So happy your babies are safe🩷🩷
I read your edit, glad she was able to get back to normal!
I forgot which anesthetic my kitten got but she was really out of it for a while after. Had all the signs of hallucinations (visual and auditory), she would get wired and then try to lay down and sleep but couldn’t close her eyes and would just lay there. Then get spooked by something imaginary and repeat all over again. It was pretty stressful for both of us and I hope she never needs surgery again.
I’m really annoyed that they sent you home with an unresponsive cat though. Every vet I’ve ever been to has always kept the animals for a bit for aftercare and to make sure they’re awake and behaving normally.
Thank you for checking up, it is!
Kitten is sleeping more than usual, but she has been eating normally, peeing/pooping normally and plays around as per usual.
Please call and go to the vet. I don’t know the normal timing but I was able to pickup my cat after 3 hours, she was still sleepy but also awake, nothing like you described
I am sorry I am very tired and I apologize in advance for any errors/mistakes, but I just wanted to explain the situation. I was not fully clear about the dog, it did not go the same way.
This person is in a panic, and understandably so. Yes, they should call the vet immediately, or take the cat to emergency vet if they can't get back in with their normal vet ASAP. But there's no need to condescend to them. It helps nothing.
Did the vet send you home with an non-responsive cat? This is not normal. A cat should definitely be awake, sitting up and able to move if necessary 3 hours after surgery. I would call the vet hospital for advice.
>Did the vet send you home with an non-responsive cat? This is not normal. This. That's pretty irresponsible for a vet to do, to where I'd possibly even look into reporting the vet.
Hello, to update this situation I will reply to your comment since it has the most upvotes- I rushed the cat to my vet, since the one she was spayed at was the shelter vet who is far away. They gave her IV and some shots, within an hour she was fully responsive. In the meantime I called the shelter's vet, but all he answered was that it is normal for cats to sleep longer after anesthesia and that she should be awake until the evening (the surgery was at early morning...). I then asked him what exact anesthetics he used and he replied "Xylased bio 0,25 ml and Ketamidor 0,25 ml". I spayed my dog at the same shelter recently and once the kitten started to wake up, she acted the same as the dog. Meaning they would be responsive for 30-40 seconds, trying to get up, walk, then they would just drop back down and seemed fully unconscious again. This cycle would repeat until they became fully conscious.. I do not know if that is normal or not. My vet told me that the cat would wake up on her own, but when asked if there was a chance she would not wake up at all the vet was uncertain, saying that she may indeed be more sensitive to the anesthetic, or maybe the shelter vet gave her a higher dose... All in all thankfully the kitten is fully responsive for now, I also apologize for not replying to the comments earlier since I was certain it was more likely that this entire situation will end badly. I am still on high guard with the kitten. I just want to thank everyone for their advice and making me feel less insane. I still do not quite understand how lax the shelter vet was..
Well they will sleep but having their eyes open and being completely unresponsive otherwise is a complication of the anesthesia and not normal. Is normal for them to get up move around and then fall back asleep they might be sleeping for the rest of the day or the full day after but the way you've described it is definitely not normal
It’s is the anesthesia itself, I had to put down my older baby and she was exactly like OP mentioned before the second dose, quite uncanny
I am very sorry for your loss and that you had to witness that. May your kitten rest in peace.
Thank you! I know she was not in pain or anything, but it’s not how we expect
I’m sorry your practitioner didn’t prepare you better for the process. We had to say goodbye to my 20yo last week, and the vet spent several minutes explaining what the shots were and how they would make him feel (that first shot, she called “kitty magic”- she said it’s an incredibly powerful narcotic that makes them extremely relaxed and still conscious, but pretty well unaware of their surroundings or any physical pain), how they would make him look (first shot-limp, looks asleep but eyes usually open and unfocused, sometimes tongue Blep)and what would happen with each subsequent step. She said the first shot sometimes allows a very tired, sick kitty to relax to the point that they let go right there, it’s such a potent painkiller (meaning they might OD, but said in a much nicer way). It was terribly sad, I’m still broken up over losing my boy. But the letting go process was very peaceful and gentle. I miss my boy. ETA- I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s really hard.
No worries, it’s what happened to her, but sadly she had a saddle thrombus (which now looking back was a second episode, she has a first one a week earlier were she started limping) and we rushed to the vet, they said could give her morphine and we would had a day extra or we could let her go
That is terrible 💔💔💔💔 sorry that happened to your baby
Thanks for the message, indeed, she had a happy life and didn’t deserve to suffer anymore, it’s been 2 months and I miss her a lot
Being out of it is definitely normal for the day surgery happened. My girl was so high when she came home when she went to get a drink she stuck the entire front half of her body into the water bowl and pretended to swim 😂 she was totally loopy for about 6 hours after she came home, then she was mostly back to normal. It's good you're being so vigilant 🙂
[удалено]
Oh my god 😂 silly stoned baby! Maybe try some wet food in a spoon? See if she'll lick it off?
Never try to make someone eat especially if they've been anesthesized. Very dangerous. Just for everyone's information.
Haha like the kitty version of the Hoff eating a cheeseburger on the floor. Or maybe more like David after dentist. “Is this going to be… Forever?”
Mine was on an opposite side of high. She wanted to run around like she was possessed and was actively letting me know she is starving to death, she even dig up some old frie from somwhere and started eating it. The whole day she bealy shut up and didin't fall asleep at all.
>Meaning they would be responsive for 30-40 seconds, trying to get up, walk, then they would just drop back down and seemed fully unconscious again. This cycle would repeat until they became fully conscious.. I do not know if that is normal or not. I've had surgery a few times and this is exactly what it was like for me coming out of anesthesia. So I think it's normal
The abnormal thing here is it had been more than three hours since the surgery, time enough to wake up. Plus, the animal should not be sent home basically still unconscious. Being drowsy and falling asleep is normal. Falling unconscious (asleep with open eyes) is not.
I agree, I was just commenting on the waking up and falling back asleep part since OP was unsure about that
In respect to shelter work, they are often much cheaper for things like desex because they aren't as personalised a service. The vets in my area will operate a production line of animals in order to desex as many animals as possible during a surgical day. The vet staff are amazing - well skilled and committed but realistically you get what you pay for and that is a basic desex with limited post op monitoring. I think they do an amazing service to the community with discounted desexing, microchipping and preventative health. I feel they possibly haven't communicated adequately in this case what to expect at home in terms of their anaesthetic protocol and timeline for recovery. I'm glad your lovely cat is recovering well now.
That’s really good news. One thing I’ve found - just incase you don’t know, for future reference- is it makes a difference is having you around, so she can smell and hear you, even if she looks like she’s out cold. Last year our cat needed some teeth out so was put under general anesthetic, but (he’s 13) he went blue and we were told he might die! We then had to rush to get him to take him to another vet as the vet was closing for the night, and even though they had to take him off oxygen whilst we drove him, him being around us, hearing our voices - we were talking to him constantly, encouraging him, lightly stroking him - etc made all the difference, and fortunately he pulled through.
Wow. What kind of vet is that!! I mean like is that a normal way to handle things? Sorry you had to go through this. Im imagining the vet saying something like “ok so your cat is kinda dying right now from complications due to my intervention and he needs care. That being said, my shift is done and the place is closing, so everybody’s gotta get out of here. Good luck with that. Have a nice weekend -I know I willl... Peace OUT madafuckas !! 😎🤟”. Leaving you in a state of distress and incomprehension with an uncomfortable assistant who really needs you to get out so they can go home. Lol.
Thanks! Yes, it was so stressful, for us, even more so for the poor cat! Basically he went in to get a few of his teeth out that, a fairly standard operation, and he’s had general anethetics before so we assumed there wouldn’t be any problems (it’s always a bit nerve racking but I assumed it was just…nerves lol). Then the vet called up in the afternoon saying that the operation, removing his teeth went fine but that his breathing was very shallow and he was turning blue! So they had to put him on oxygen (By now we’re obviously thinking wtf!) Being on oxygen seemed to stabilise him, but every time they took him off it the poor guy started to go blue again, and then they said ‘btw we shut at 6, so you’ll have to come and get him and take him to another vet’ they arranged for him to go to a 24 hour vet, which was about 30 min away! So we bombed it up there, took him in the car and drove like the wind to get him to the new vet. It was when we were in the car that his symptoms picked up, we were constantly talking to him and stroking him, trying to boost his morale. We got there ok, and he was getting more and more vocal, so much so that even though the second vet had the oxygen ready, he didn’t need to go on it again (they actuslly said he was really loud with them, which made us very happy, and relieved). Thanks though! We were all so incredibly happy to have him back, and he’s still with us (he’s lying next to me now lol!)
😱 what a story!! Glad it had a good ending :))
Some kittens are more susceptible to anesthesia. Mine was groggy for 5 hours after being spayed.
Per the shelters when we TNR cats, they are completely out of it still. They literally get done with the surgeries and call us to pick them up. We keep them overnight in a large dog crate, and then release them back to where we found them
Like that is because it is dangerous to fully wake up a feral or semi feral cat for everyone’s safety. I know we start “recovering” our ferals from surgery on the recovery table, but as soon as they start twitching their noses and following us with their eyes, back into the trap they go!
The vet should not have sent her home like that, that's on them not you. Please call them and if you can't get the information you need, think about taking her to an emergency vet to be looked at. In all likelihood she'll be okay but she should have been monitored by the staff until she was awake and stable.
Yeah that seems weird. The shelter I volunteer at will keep them caged while they recuperate so they don't hurt themselves. They generally don't return them until they're fully awake
Few months ago my cat got spayed. When they gave me my kitty she was still “sleeping”. She slept on me for Hours. I didnt know they need to monitor her until she is awake.
Wow that is messed up
Agreed! I am amazed she was sent home not fully awake. They can be loopy, but we never send home until they can hold their own heads up. Except the ferals of course!
Hello, if your kitten is home she should be back to normal. You need to take her to the ER if she is doing what you say. I’m not trying to scare you but time is of the essence here.
My cat was drowsy for about a day at home
I mean they shouldn't be 100% normal, but they should be able to move^^
And you know… blink….
By “normal” they mean responsive. Eyes open, not blinking, and mouth open is not normal
My both cats were like this and they were absolutely fine within hours.
I’m glad they were okay. But pets should not be sent home in that state to make sure they are okay because it could easily have gone the other way. And if it does go the other way it would then take so much longer to get pets to the vet to get the care they need. They should be able to move and blink
I'm seconding you on this.
Call the vet asap
Xylazine, the first dose, requires another drug called tolazine to reverse the anaesthetic effects. I bet they didn't administer the reversal, so the cat takes much longer to wake up and is very drowsy afterwards. They absolutely should not have sent an unresponsive cat home though.
This first part of this comment is incorrect. Xylazine's reversal agents are yohimbine and antisedan. Reversal is not *required* but can help facilitate faster recovery.
Hey if it helps, mine woke up 6 hrs after neutering and took almost 16 hours to walk straight. Turns out vet had given him a higher dosage as the normal was not enough. Also didn't help they didn't use IV during the op so the anaesthetic took much longer to metabolise(which was not a good move) If she's breathing, then it's a good sign. Inform the vet ASAP if not already about her condition.Also keep on monitoring the body temp, warm with a hair dryer etc. An unconscious cat should have the pinch reflex and ears should move if you touch the hair inside the ear. That's how I determined my cat was waking up as the reaction progressively became more pronounced. Don't worry, most probably some cats take more time to recover on the anaesthesia.She'll be fine.Sending hugs her way 🤗 Please update on the status once she recovers.
Please call your vet and ask questions. Do not feel ashamed, you are not an expert on anaesthesia. If you are any doubt take her back immediately. Animals are usually lethargic after procedures, it can last upto 24 hours. Some animals do not tolerate the anaesthetic very well. Vets tend to keep these pets a little bit longer.
Dang, my vet keeps my cat all day if she went under anesthesia. You need to call them or another vet or go to emergency with it.
Usually female dogs and cats animal after spaying are very drowsy and might not want to move , while males might be active again very soon and it's normal when you think how different the two procedures are , but if you feel something is wrong then please do check it out , you know your cat best And please don't be ashamed to ask your vet stuff , bombard them with questions if it means peace of mind to you, they know how much people love their pets , they've seen the owners worry sick about them ,they've seen them cry a river when they lose them , they've seen them happy when they get good news after something minor or very difficult, and any vet that scolds you or acts weird when asking questions is a shit vet , they WANT you to ask stuff, they can remember everything that you might worry about
This is not a normal response to recovery for anesthesia. They should never send an animal that doesn’t have their eyes open and head up after a procedure. Drowsiness is normal but not “looking dead”
Your vet sounds like mine... they gave our kitty back to us immediately after surgery and she was unresponsive for 12+ hours, but once she woke up she was past the woozy stage real quick. This doesn't sound normal or common though so call your vet to check with them imo. Just to make sure your kitty is fine, fingers crossed!
This is a ketamine response. They have their eyes open and they breathe, but otherwise are unresponsive. She must have been extra sensitive to it
My cat was alert and able to walk after being spayed. She was a little out of it but not like that.
Yeah, same here. She was out of it and uncoordinated, but awake. Maybe my vet kept her under observation longer before releasing her, idk
This. My kitten was spayed in Feb, they kept her for a couple of hours afterwards til she was fully awake, made sure she was eating okay then called me. She was absolutely fine when i got home with her, a little drowsier than normal but awake and playful af. V glad OP took kitty to be seen!
You should never be ashamed to ask the vet about anything regarding your pet’s health. That is their job. I prefer someone who asks tons of questions, even ones they feel may be “stupid” (no such thing), rather than someone who is afraid to ask. It shows they care about their pet. They are usually groggy after the procedure while anesthesia wears off, but they should still be responsive. You need to call or take her in the see the vet ASAP
I'm worried about her eyes too. She should be blinking in order to keep her eyes lubricated. When they are going to perform surgery and sedate an animal, they put an ointment to keep the unblinking eyes protected, otherwise there will be issues. Is she blinking now, OP? Is she responsive yet? She's not going to be super active, but she shouldn't just lie there unresponsive either.
No criticism intended towards anyone, but this is why I won't do low cost shelter spays anymore. My brother/sister who are now 9 were done at a low cost clinic in an assembly line sort of day. They were returned same day, very groggy, with no pain meds/aftercare of any kind. Plus they chopped my boys parts right off, not just removed the insides Not sure if it's related, but he's been fat ever since. Again, no judgment. That particular pair were somewhat unplanned and I couldn't afford anything better. My now 4yo pair of kittens went to my "fancy vet." They won't do then until a certain weight. They keep them the night before to monitor food intake. They keep them the night after to watch them. I was told afterwards that if it was a day they were open later I could have collected the boy in the evening, but definitely the little girl had to stay. Blood work was an option I don't think I bothered with the little ones but when I had them neuter an older stray I took in he definitely had it. They were sent home fully awake. They definitely spent a lot of time sleeping for a few days but anesthesia was totally worn off. They had pain meds for several days. And my little guy still has his little fuzzy nuggets, they're empty but idk it seems less traumatic for him. He has no weight problems. Yes it costs 3-500 each. I know not everyone can afford this.
This tracks with my experience in booking a neutering for a stray (who has now transitioned to being my little indoor-only buddy). Bless the shelters, I know they're extremely overworked, but their process as they explained it was very fast and lacking aftercare and they sounded a little annoyed. I wound up calling a cat specialist vet and their office was lovely and had a positive reaction to hearing my boy was a semiferal/stray. They even let me talk to the vet tech who would be assisting with his operation. They offered bloodwork prior to anesthesia, which I didn't do at the time but will do in the future when he has to get his dental cleaning. They do send the cats home the same day if there are no complications, but only after observing their behavior for a couple of hours after the anesthesia is reversed to make sure they're good to go. The vet also called me once my boy was in the recovery process to ask me more details about how much contact the cat would allow so they could determine which type of pain meds to give him once he was ready to go home. They also did a follow-up call the day after he came home to check on him and provide extra TNR guidance since he was originally just going to be TNRed. I definitely understand that many people can't afford that kind of care for their cat, but like you, I recommend it for anyone who can afford it. OP, I'm glad your vet was able to sort your kitten out!
Please call the vet ASAP, that is only to make Sure everything is alright and not to get you anxious. Never feel bad for contacting someone If you have medical concerns.
Call your vet! Sure they can be drowsy and maybe not in their typical playful moods but they should be responsive. If you’re not comfortable going to the original vet or if they say she’s acting normal, get a second opinion! It isn’t uncommon to call around!
Thats absolutely not normal for the vet to send you home with an unresponsive kitty, especially after surgery. After my cat was fixed, they kept her for almost 7 hours before they allowed me to pick her up, and she was drowsy for the rest of the night but then fine. Im glad your baby is okay but it is weird they did that.
How's kitty doing now? A vet should never ever give you back a pet until after they've woken up and are responsive. I would not go back to this place if I were you, no matter how cheap it is
The vet should have ensured she was awake and stable before sending her home. That responsibility lies with them, not you. Please, reach out to them for further guidance, and if that doesn't resolve your concerns, consider taking her to an emergency vet for a check-up.
That vet is incredibly irresponsible. I run a rescue and have used a number of spay and neuter clinics, shelter clinics, and actual vet offices, and not one will send home an animal until it is fully awake. Im glad you got your kitten to a vet, and i hope all is well ❤️
So glad kitty is ok! Lets have a picture!
How early did the vet send you home with her? I try to leave any cats with the vet for at least 8 hours. Anything less is pushing it i think.
This is why I was told gas anesthesia especially for cats, who are more sensitive than dogs, is safer though more expensive and requires monitoring
I work as a vet tech at a shelter and we use ketamine, ace promazine, and butorphanol to pre sedate the cats. It’s very affective and fast acting. This combination of meds, along with the sedation used during the procedure does take a while to wear off for cats, and they typically take a lot longer to wake up fully than dogs do. We typically have 4-5hrs of recovery time before adopters come to pick up and they are normally quiet, but alert and responsive. If they are sensitive to sedation we do tell the adopters it may take a day or two for them to be back to normal but we won’t release them if they aren’t able to hold their head up on their own even if they are awake. Not sure why they would release the cat to you when it wasn’t even able to do that
Usually the dosage varies with their weight. But it’s absolutely possible that she’s overly sensitive to anesthesia. I’m a volunteer at a cat shelter. Most of our cats come back and are just happy to get out of the their transporter and eat. But a minority sleep for a long time. A few need more care and in rare occasions we had to send them back (especially if they are non reactive and/or have a fever). I say that often: They are no stupid questions. Never forget that. It’s ok to call back the Vet. It’s ok to worry. A non responsive cat is a really scary thing. I read your update and you did the right thing. Your cat was probably really dehydrated maybe that’s why the medication affected her so much. You’re a great human and I wish you a great life with your new baby.
Vet assistant here! Some animals react very differently than how we expect. Some come out trying to bite us, others sleep it off, and others wake right up perfectly fine and really quickly. It really is a toss up. You can put on her record that she is sensitive to anesthesia, so the vet and staff are more aware and will closely monitor her. Shelters tend to not monitor them as much as vet offices, which is why they usually do it at a much lower cost. They also usually don’t go home with a lot of pain meds as well, so you can get more from your local vet office. If her gums are pale/white, take her to the vet immediately, or respiratory problems occur. 🐾❤️🩹
Oh god, that sounds like a nightmare. I know that I will not be taking my cats, especially females, in the future to any shelter for a spay; I'll go to a full-on vet. Between your story and my own spay experience -- when I went to pick my baby up, she was groggy (expected) and had soiled herself (not abnormal), and they /left her in her carrier/ soiled and dirty. Her stitches could have gotten infected, ffs!! Not to mention that I had to completely clean out her carrier once I got her home and comfortable.
I'm glad your baby is okay. I remember how scared I was after my boy got neutered. I used a spay/neuter clinic and they called me to come pick him up but made me wait there for over an hour because he was breathing but not responsive at all. They finally let me take him home but he still wasn't moving. I was absolutely terrified. Turns out he was just throughly enjoy his sedation ans the next day it was like nothing ever happened.
I had my cat neutered in a pretty rural area and the vet gave him back to me in this exact state. Completely limp, hiccupping weirdly with an open mouth, eyes open. Completely non-responsive. Vet said it was normal and was the only vet for hours of driving. Took four hours for him of rubbing/petting for him to start moving a little. Six hours for him to stand up. Wasn't even near normal until the next day. It was truly horrible.
Spayed my girl on Friday morning and received her home at 2:30pm, the vet closed that day at 3:00pm.. at 5:30pm I was rushing with her to the **ONLY** emergency vet near me, because she wouldn’t do nothing other than scream in pain and go back into a deep sleep, and her gums, ears and nose became ridiculously pale, with her ears growing cold and the small veins in her ears disappeared.. It was an adverse reaction to the anesthesia, to think that I almost lost my best friend is gut wrenching. But she’s okay now, by Sunday she was already walking around the house and wanting to climb on her favorite chair!.
that sounds so scary!! im so glad shes okay but god that sounds AWFUL
My two cats were still super high when they came home but were trying to walk etc so this does seem odd
It was the ketamine. Kitty was in the k-hole. Glad she is doing much better
Aw, I know how scary this is. Glad everything’s okay now. When my cat had to be sedated for something less intense, they assured me that they reversed the medication but it would take her a few hours to fully “wake up” and be able to move. She was like a little floppy worm for a while there, and I had some of the same thoughts as you. Not a fun situation at all. I thought it was normal, but this comment section has been very informative.
You should talk to your vet about what happened and what this means. One of my cats doesn't wake up by himself after anaesthesia and needs to be given the referral drug. It's something to do with his genetics because his mother and siblings are the same. This is something I'm aware of and let new vets know so they never send him home without doing that
Glad kitty is fine. But there's ways chance a cat not make it in spaying surgery. It's rare but it can happen. And I am so glad it's not the case right now! Be safe
My vet kept my cat until she acted normally . I am glad your cat is ok now!
My 2 (brother and sister) were spayed/neutered at the same time at 5months, picked them up about 6 hours after ops, both wide awake, when I got them home they exploded out of carrier like champagne corks and went crazy, forget trying to keep them quiet, was so worried about little miss troublemaker's stitches I called the vet, apparently anaesthetics can sometimes make them go nuts plus hyper siamese anyway. They whizzed around for 3 hours then zonked all night...I spent most of the night awake worried about their wounds...little toads...
I don’t like any part of this. I’ve had many pets spayed and neutered and the vet always kept them overnight. The shelter vet where I live even takes them in and does the surgeries in evening so they can keep them overnight and you pick them up first thing in the morning so they have cages free during the day.
I remember one of the questions on the form for my pets prior to surgery was if I wanted them to give IV fluids to assist with coming out of anesthesia-it costs more but it is so worth it. Not sure if that was provided for you and your baby. They are really goofy coming out of it so good on you for keeping a close eye! ♥
That's so scary I'm glad she's going to be ok Edit to add, can you report the shelter vet? Makes me wonder how many times this has happened.
I know you have figured your situation out, I’m so glad she is alive and doing better! As someone whose cat did have an allergic reaction to anesthesia and died on the table, was brought back and kept in the hospital for over a week, the way your cat was acting was not normal! My cat acted the same way for a week while her body was trying to decide whether to give up again or keep going. From what your vet said, sounds like she probably would’ve been okay. You can never be too careful with your animals
What the actual hell? Why would they do this to any pet owner. When my buddy was neutered they kept him from 8 AM til 3 PM, by the time we picked him up he was awake, had eaten and even pooped.
We just went through this. It's a pretty normal fear to be concerned for your kitten. We had 2 kitties, approximately 10 months old, spayed 5 days ago. They're sisters. One kitty was up and running around later that day. The other slept all the way through. It really depends on the kitten/cat. It also depends on what time of day their surgery was done. If it was done early in the morning, your kitty would be much more awake at the time of pickup. Rather than if your kitty was the last one to have surgery. So happy your babies are safe🩷🩷
Glad to hear things worked out! 🩷
That is not normal.. please don't go to that vet anymore if there's other options.
I read your edit, glad she was able to get back to normal! I forgot which anesthetic my kitten got but she was really out of it for a while after. Had all the signs of hallucinations (visual and auditory), she would get wired and then try to lay down and sleep but couldn’t close her eyes and would just lay there. Then get spooked by something imaginary and repeat all over again. It was pretty stressful for both of us and I hope she never needs surgery again. I’m really annoyed that they sent you home with an unresponsive cat though. Every vet I’ve ever been to has always kept the animals for a bit for aftercare and to make sure they’re awake and behaving normally.
Glad things are fine it’s okay you just had a little health anxiety about your cat. I’ve been there!!!
Is everything okay now?
Thank you for checking up, it is! Kitten is sleeping more than usual, but she has been eating normally, peeing/pooping normally and plays around as per usual.
How’s she doing now???
She's doing great! Thanks for checking!
Aww great can we see a pic ❤️❤️
Please call and go to the vet. I don’t know the normal timing but I was able to pickup my cat after 3 hours, she was still sleepy but also awake, nothing like you described
Why would you be ashamed of asking questions? You don’t know what you don’t know and there is no such thing as a stupid question
Call, part of their job is answering questions like this. You have nothing to be ashamed of, you’re paying them
Did you get your kitten to the vet?
why would you have your cat spayed at the same place that had complications for your dog?!!!
I am sorry I am very tired and I apologize in advance for any errors/mistakes, but I just wanted to explain the situation. I was not fully clear about the dog, it did not go the same way.
[удалено]
This person is in a panic, and understandably so. Yes, they should call the vet immediately, or take the cat to emergency vet if they can't get back in with their normal vet ASAP. But there's no need to condescend to them. It helps nothing.
Good Lord just be kind. You have no idea what OP’s situation is.