Happy Pets

Before you actually arrive home with your new cat, you should make some preliminary decisions about where you are going to let it go in the house and where you are going to feed it and put its bed and litter tray. Areas designated out of bounds should be firmly established as such from the start.

Food bowls need to be placed where you will not keep tripping over them (or the cat) and where spills can be contained — some cats make a point of dragging their food out of the bowl! For protection, place the bowls — one for food, one for water and one for milk — on a newspaper or plastic sheet to keep the surface below clean. (more…)

The operation

Make arrangements with the vet in advance. Castration takes only a few minutes, spaying less than half-an-hour. Today both are performed under general anaesthetic, so the cat should not be fed for twelve hours beforehand, or given water or other fluids for six hours before. Usually the cat will be allowed home the same day and must be kept quiet and indoors for about forty-eight hours.

A female will have a small patch of fur shaved where the incision is made — it will soon grow again — and will have to be taken back about a week later to have her stitches removed. You should not encourage the cat to play energetic games but to rest as much as possible. Keep an eye open for the rare occasion when she might pull out some of her stitches before time. Ring the vet if she does and he will tell you whether to rush her in to him or whether it is really still quite safe. (more…)