The Spay from Hell

Where to begin?

When Trixy was tiny

Trixy got bought by my aunty and spayed Wednesday nearly a fortnight ago. She is forever onwards going to be referred to as Misty. We have kept her since her surgery until her stitches are out and she should be moving to her new home some time this week.

Spay surgeries are invasive. When done at such a young age there is the risk of complications. Keeping a kitten contained thats doped up on painkillers (that last three days) is like telling an ice block not to melt.

Needless to say like all other female cat's I've had the pleasure of taking care of during their 10 to 14 day recovery period nothing goes without problems.

Lets look back just for a few seconds

Missy our permanent resident kitty had over three weeks to recover from her surgery as she let her brother lick it so it got infected, she then used the edge of the bucket hood to itch it thus causing irritation and eventually numerous vet trips later we ended up inventing the sock coat to cover her wound/bandage so she'd leave it the heck alone.

Missy wearing her sock

Terra was the second culprit -another permanent resident - she had her spay done in the side. With the invention of the sock she had a relatively quiet spay recovery. I dont remember if she ended up getting infected or not but she too wouldnt stay still.

Terra and her sock (man she was tiny back then)

 Lilo was supposed to stay overnight and then get transferred to another shelter but her spay got so infected she ended up needing to go back under the knife.

Lilo and her mesh coat that never stayed on...

JoJo (Now Millie) was also one I'd forgotten I had the pleasure of knowing after spay surgery. She managed to get herself in an awful tangle with the bucket hood in her litter tray (oh the mess). Once the sock was put on I don't think there were any hassles and she was the easiest recovery of the lot. Now since lives with my other Aunty.

JoJo and her sock

Enough of memory lane back to Misty...

Misty was overactive and her pain medication wore off on Saturday. She was in a world of pain to the point she couldn't sit comfortably and was whining if you tried picking her up. Her wound was quite swollen and looked painful.

I was unsure whether it was serious enough to call a vet and go in or if she'd be alright until Monday when it wasn't a double charge fee for weekends.

In the end her discomfort drove me to take her in.

The vet was great, she said it was unusually swollen and likely a bit of blood was leaking between the layers of stitches or something. She pierced the small bulge and a bit of blood came out but it stopped fairly quickly. She put a pressure bandage on and advised it be kept on for as long as possible with a minimum of two hours but to remove it before bedding her down for the night.

Poor Misty had a little trouble getting accustomed to her little coat (modified sock to deter her from chewing the stitches) but eventually stopped moving like a drunken sailor. Now with the pressure bandage on she couldn't quite get her balance right once again.

A picture of her spay wound after it had settled down.

PS - Unfortunately only just realized I have no pictures of miss Misty in her sock....

The vet also gave her an antibiotic and another pain killer injection and just advised me to keep her quiet. Heh...yeah...

Misty was very quiet for the remainder of the day and spent most of it on my lap with her blankie a fluffy white wool pad that goes in a dome bed. She likes kneading and sucking on it while purring up a storm. When she began doing that I knew she was feeling a bit better.

Misty snuggled on me

The following Monday she went in for a check up to see if the swelling had gone down. I got a different vet but that vet said it was looking good.

A few days later Misty was back to her 'I'm feeling great lets climb over your back as you clean my cage and hoon around the floor' *face palm*

I'm not trouble, I just love to play

She irritated her spay site again and caused a bit of soreness and swelling once again. It wasn't to the point of the first lot of swelling but the fact she was complaining 'ouch' when it was touched around the swelling concerned me.

Once again the following day she got taken in for another check. The vet (another different one) took her out the back and had some others look her over. She returned saying the spay site looked alright and to try keep her quiet. She told me to keep returning if I had any concerns as the kitten is still a baby and doing them so young its better to be safe than sorry.

Since then things have been pretty good. Her spay hasnt swollen again even after I've let her run a little (being cooped in a cage all the time wasn't fair). Most of the time her play time was again not planned as she is pretty quick at skipping out the minute the cage door is opened. So while I cleaned she gets a run.

Do I have to go back in there?

To me her spay is looking really good. Very clean, no swelling and I hope she has her stitches out on Wednesday.

Today was the big day. Misty moved in with her new family. Although house bound for now she will eventually be able to freely wander this amazing property.

One of the many views

Misty was very nervous to begin with but by the time we were preparing to leave she had settled down and was interacting with her new mother. The little mite tried tucking herself on my lap for a nap but I had to discourage any more bonding and usher in the direction of her new parents.

Misty in her new home checking out a toy

Not quite sure of her new surroundings

By the sounds of it already she's proving quite the hit and I know she'll be loved for many more years to come. Who knows in the near future there might be some updates as we watch this little one become a big kitty.

Goodbye baby girl may you live a long happy life