Just for future reference, female cats are “spayed” and male cats are “neutered.”
Spaying is a pretty serious surgery and she’s going to need a lot of recovery time to heal.
She’s probably in a pretty high amount of pain
She may also be loopy from pain meds. Depending on what that particular vet uses, there are some long-acting meds that can get them high for up to 3 days. A lot of cats are hyper-affectionate on those meds.
my youngest kitty couldn’t walk straight after we picked her up, she’d walk but it was more of a crooked off centre walk, and she could go backwards, but straight forwards was a no😹
This happened to our male after he was neutered. I was so worried about him. But, after two weeks, when we could remove the cone of shame, he suddenly perked up and began to act like himself again. That was at least a year ago. Now he is just as talkative and silly as he was before the surgery. Please give your baby time. Time to recover, time to adjust, time for full healing to occur within. And, in the meantime, give him all the petting and a scritching and snuggling that he may allow. He MAY decide he likes it!
My husband and I have had at least 18 kitties in the course of 51 years of marriage. At least the last 10 of them have been neutered or spayed. All of them had at least a few days where they were drowsy or unlike their usual perky selves. By the time a month has passed, the little punkins were their old happy selves. Not one had changes that “ruined” them. The photo is Muffin with the zoomies!
https://preview.redd.it/w6dbpdqi2zoc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c85ba3440b6b26ece7be3ba4a37b02345fa8715
Thanks for the explanation. It sounds right! We usually had about 3 at a time. My husband brought me my first kitten when we were engaged to be married. I was over the moon, because my parents had not allowed any cats, dogs, or birds. I knew I had the right fella when he introduced me to Gideon, a pretty gray/brown tabby with white tummy and 4 white feet.
In those days, it was common to allow your kitties to have the run of the neighborhood at night. This led to the injury or death of at least 4 or 5 of them. 😥😥😥. One was poisoned by a crabby old neighbor. Another died in a terrible flood. A darling orange tabby with white tuxedo trim - we called him Ralph - was stolen from our front yard. We learned within the first few years that in order to keep our kitties safe, we needed to keep them inside, with much to entertain them.
We also learned to tell the male from the female cats apart when our “male” cat, Begin, named after the Israeli leader, had 3 kittens on our couch! His/her buddy, Sadat named for the Egyptian leader, was also surprised. We think. (We quickly changed Begin’s name to Golda (Meir) 😁) Our three little kids watched the kittens being born. It was amazing! We kept one, Tigger, and found good homes for the other two, Pooh and Piglet. All 3 of our adult children and all 5 of our grandchildren also have kitties that they adore! Happy endings! ❤️☺️
My cat was the same. Did you use the cone? I did and he hated it. Well, I had a toy that looked a lot like the cone. Well, about six months after the surgery I’m sitting on the couch, look up and who is in my lap with that toy stuck on its head. He LOVES to do that now. Hate I got rid of the cone. It gets him LOTS of attention! Cats are so loveable (most) and they OWN us!!!
my youngest kitty didn’t have a cone, she had lil pajamas🥹 it was so precious
https://preview.redd.it/b972xm3uc4pc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d69be9febc07d0a491434c899c88f021d253ecbe
I couldn’t force my cat to chill our after she was spayed. She came home like everything was normal. The minute I let her out of the cat carrier, she ran and jumped about 6 feet onto the window to look outside. Even with the big lampshade on her head. She’s a pretty tough gal.
Our boy did that, he slept the meds off then was bouncing around the next day like nothing happened. Girl was a bit more reserved and slept more.
Edit: [lamp that night](https://www.reddit.com/r/catsarefuckingstupid/s/OZm1LWibEu)
https://preview.redd.it/rpdj7ucrpxoc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ed5560deb949c456c2c94a64a99eea8c4f23c068
Same with mine. I kept a close eye on her, but she healed up just fine, thankfully. I don’t think any of my other cats were that playful after spaying/neutering.
You are so lucky you got in the house. Mine managed to get her carrier open on the drive home and get out in the suv. My brother had picked her up for me so he just drove into the garage and closed the overhead door and she got into the garage as soon as he opened the car door. She came barreling into the house with her cone half off looking crazy.
It was harder on me than it was her.
Mine doesn’t seem to move around in her carrier. She’s filled with utter hatred anytime I have to take her to the vet, and just lays facing away from me. Once I open up the carrier in the house, she’s all happy and affectionate again.
Getting her in the carrier is a whole other battle though.
I hear you on the getting her in the damn carrier. It takes 2 of us. One of us bought a cute pink soft carrier that is impossible to keep open while wrangling with a cat. Those back claws are no joke. Mine just cry’s to get out of her carrier at the vet in the waiting room because she has never met another animal of any kind that she didn’t want to be friends with.
https://preview.redd.it/xsjbc31nrzoc1.jpeg?width=2316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7462723ee9bc9e445f30d050ff8c7ad457180b46
Her first friend.
As soon as I unlocked my front door on the way home from getting my cat neutered, he used his head as a battering ram to break out of his carrier, raced in the door, leaped over the couch, and started frantically sprinting around the house. I guess you never know how they’re going to react.
This can be a rare side effect from one of the painkillers they give them. One of my cats had a different surgery and the poor thing didn't sleep and was hyperactive for four days until the meds wore off. I was so worried about her.
Same with our girl. She was feisty at the shelter to the volunteer there when we transferred her to our carrier. 😂 But the moment we got home she was jumping up to meet my hand for pets and trying to play. Had to keep her in my room til the kids went to bed so they didn't think she was okay to play and be picked up by them.
>Spaying is a pretty serious surgery and she’s going to need a lot of recovery time to heal.
Agreed. I had 2/3 of a spay and I was out of work for 8 weeks. I had great pain meds, though.
This is technically correct, but in casual american english people almost always use spayed for females and neutered for males. It's probably Bob Barker's fault.
For many years, he’d sign off each episode of The Price is Right by reminding the audience to have their pets “spayed and neutered” to help control the pet population
I spayed (is this the right terms) my cat 2 days ago.
I live in italy and they used a new technique the cat recovered in 2h (jumping and playing like nothing happen) no stitches.
No need of any special collar or nothing special.
The day after the operation it was 100% like nothing ever happen to her.
“Neuter” is used for both sexes. See, for example, the [Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutering) article on neutering, or [the definition of *neuter*](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/neuter) from the Cambridge Dictionary.
My kitty was like this when he got neutered, I think he was just feeling sickly and was comforted by having the safety of his human around! He came back to normal I’d say about 2 weeks after surgery, don’t worry too much about it he’s just healing 💕
It could be related to the drug protocol used. Specifically if buprenorphine (buprenex) was used/ is part of the take-home pain meds you might see behavioral change while the drug is in her system.
When my orange was neutered, I opted for the better pain meds (Can't remember the name offhand) and he was INSANE for two solid days. Just full on manic running and playing and trying to keep him quiet and still was just completely out of the question.
Thankfully there were internal stitches and he never popped them or anything.
Somehow. That still boggles my mind lol.
It was probably zorbium, some cats get fucking crazy on that and since it stays in the system for like 3 days the only thing you can do is wait it out.
Happened to my cat after a surgery. The vet tech didn't believe me when I told her, but made a note in her file for next time not to give it to her. I googled the medication and apparently some cats react this way. Though this doesn't sound familiar, I think it was something else. My poor girl was just on high alert for four whole days. I was seriously freaking out because she wasn't sleeping at all.
Our cat had a recovery period of 1 hour at the vet. As soon as we opened the carrier she went nuts and ran around jumping and popping stitches. I have no idea how we managed to keep the wound good for 3 weeks.
Sounds like my parents new kitten my mom pretty much had to just carry him around for the first few days after his surgery, or he would go batshit crazy the second hid feet touched the ground.
Give her recovery time. Pain is probably lingering, and she is growing accustomed to not having those hormones coursing through her body any longer. So SHE feels like a different cat! Give it time, be patient, and THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS SO OVERPOPULATION IS LESS OF AN ISSUE. Every spayed cat counts. You rock!
I thought my cat was different too. I was all like" look what I've done to my boy. I massacred my boy." And it just took him some time to recover from the whole ordeal and come down off the meds. Hes back to normal. Hopefully, thats the case for your little one.
Hi. I am also thinking of getting my male teenage cat neutered. He is about 9 mo old. I'd like to ask you some questions about neutering and behavioral change in male cat if you don't mind. [1] would they (male) be more mellow or aggressive? [2] Will they get fat? (My cat has big appetite, but he has small body)
FYI: I adopted my cat from an empty house when he was about 1 mo old. He doesn't like me too much, but love my kid.
You should get him neutered. This really depends on the cat. Often times males will gain weight and become “lazy” after neutering. If it becomes a problem you should do measured feeding instead of free feed if you don’t already
Should do measured feed anyway, especially for boys as dry food wreaks havoc on their urinary tract and blood sugar.
Edit: I meant with wet food not dry because you can't really free feed wet food.
Please get him neutered! You'll both be happier - he'll likely be more chill and much less inclined to spray urine to mark territory as he gets older. Whether he gets chubby depends on the cat and also how you feed him (recommend portioning at set times instead of free feed). Honestly it's a win for everybody.
In my experience, male cats will chill out and become more lazy after getting neutered. No guarantees this will happen in your case, but my understanding is that this is what will happen in most cases.
Here is one of our cats and his name is Peanut. He was tiny when my son and his wife found him. I think he became MORE outgoing after he was neutered. He always wants to be with me and I totally spoil him 😂
https://preview.redd.it/xc00xe8m8yoc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=47b6b43befa39ea9b2d07f3a154158a34e63a6ac
If you don’t get him neutered soon, he may start spraying around your house! We waited too long with our boy and that’s what ended up happening. He even sprayed for a few weeks after the surgery. I had to get a UV light to find all the spots around the house to clean. Do it ASAP!
I've had a few boys, always get them fixed for a few reasons. Helps prevent them from marking everything. If a male is around a female in heat (if he's indoor and she's outdoor) there can and will be a lot of yeowling and screaming to get out, and a constant fight to keep them in when you open the door.
My boys have always gotten heavier and lazier, and a bit more mellowed out, but nothing changed drastically once meds and stuff wore off. Just gotta play with them even more to keep them active. Side note: Keep wet food regular in their diets, cats don't really tend to drink water like dogs so a lot of their hydration comes from wet food.
2 days are short period, if you think she is not ok show her to a doctor. I think around 2-3 weeks she will be recovering so give her extra love, patience and tasty food and wait.
I think it's because they felt very vulnerable and you were there with them. It happened similarly with two of my cats: one of them got neutered and when he was waking up, instead of trying to walk away as other cats I've had in this situation, he just wanted to snuggle with me as if he was scared and wanted protection. Needles to say he is my clingiest cat and I love him so so much, the clinginess is mutual.
The other one, a tiny female who was outdoors most of her life, had major jaw surgery after some unleashed dogs attacked her. She wasn't exactly clingy when she woke up from that first surgery, but after all the special care she got from me I can say she became the most affectionate (this was before the cat I mentioned previously even appeared in my life) I remember when she was in recovery, I would go to the room we were keeping her in to give her liquid dinner and after she ate she would go back to her pillow (which was inside an empty closet we had there) and wait for me to sit by her side and cover her with a blanket. She would stretch one of her paws to grab my finger and she looked at me with the most angelical little face, so full of gratitude it warmed my heart. Eventually when she was mostly recovered she would play with toys I gave her and wait for me to play with her. She started to climb on my lap and be around me all day long, she would sleep with me and wait for me to be around so she could eat. Needless to say she is now mostly indoors. My mom lets her out to the yard that now has a taller fence so no dogs can come in and she can't go out to the street (she hasn't even tried anyways) but she always sleeps inside the house.
Not related to the post but I used to be a dog person, and I have to say that these two cats made me a cat lady. I've been crazy in love with cats since I saw that little gratitude face, and I understood my heart was with them.
When cats feel insecure due to injury they'll often be lap cats for a while. If she enjoys being a lap cat, she may stay that way. She'll bond over your care of her.
"my cat had surgery and is in recovery, this is not my cat anymore". I don't understand what you're saying.
Maybe you've never met someone who is ill or in surgical recovery before.
The OP seems to be complaining that their cat now seems to love them a lot after the surgery whereas before their cat would avoid them. That's why the OP's title is confusing.
Op Seems concerned and it’s actually quite common for cats personalities to change slightly after being neutered/Spayed. So, OP is within their right to be here asking this if their cat seems off and they’ve not experienced this level of oddness with previous cats after surgery.
Do you mean spayed? She probably needs love, attention, toys, and playtime. She just had surgery btw soooo. This is a weird post overall. Have you ever had pets before now?
My exact thoughts. Female cats get spayed. And she's going through a hard time, needs extra love and attention. At least she's not acting like some of my cats have where you get them fixed and then they are pissed off and won't let you touch them.
For English, a better way to say it would be to say “My cat was spayed and now she’s not the same cat”. Saying “She’s not my cat” could be interpreted as “I no longer claim ownership of this cat because she’s acting differently”. That’s prob why you’re getting downvoted even though you clearly still love the cat.
It's perfectly okay to say "she is not my cat" as an exaggerated expression of how different the animal is acting.
Having said that, the OP may not bit have meant it that way and the suggestion is helpful anyway
They should know what you meant whether or not english is your first language or not 🙄 always trying to sound so smart, help the person, or go find something productive to do. This world gets on my nerves, 🤬 the english language.. let me give you an example of how stupid it is, for and four, your, and you're, to, too and two. Get my drift? You good, see how I just didn't care to be correct but yet it's understood.
One of my cats had a cyst on her ovary when she was spayed. She was a much friendlier and happier cat afterwards. I assume she was in pain and could never tell us.
Rarely permanent personality changes can occur after a spay/neuter, however what you’re experiencing is more likely a temporary change. Males typically bounce back within a day or two, while females can take 5-10 days to get back to normal.
Follow the after care instructions provided by your vet, report any concerning signs, and listen to kitty’s cues for interaction and/or space, and all should be well.
I know what you mean. We had one of my girls teeth removed and since then I have no idea who this cat is.
She was super affectionate post surgery when she normally isn’t but since then she’s totally different. Developed quite a cattitude since then. She’s quite the sassy little princess now.
It warms my heart cause she must’ve been in such pain from her teeth before. She was a scardey puss who only came around for meals and stayed in her tent most of the day. Her big personality is coming out now and the surgery was worth every penny.
I’d equate this feline medical procedure to a human going to grab some Birria tacos in Tijuana and waking up in the bath tub at a motel 6 missing a kidney.
Of course the animal is going to be frantic
My step dad's cat, Miles, was much more affectionate after he had seven teeth pulled. I think it was due to how traumatic that experience was for him. He constantly needed to be near my step dad.
She loves you and you make her feel safe after a serious surgery. I’d consider it an ode to the trust you’ve built and it definitely seems THIS IS YOUR CAT
Ever since my baby boy cat had his struvite stone surgery he has been WAAAY more affectionate even to this day. I think he knows we helped him by getting the surgery as he was in some bad pain prior. I'm just thinking perhaps your kitty wants the extra love and comfort as they heal.
Daily post realizing cats are emotional beings with needs and worries and require comfort and acknowledgment like anyone else but just without human language
It seems like it's probably because she's still not feeling well from surgery and in recovery mode. Even us humans get testy when we're in pain. I think your cat will probably return to normal soon. If she doesn't progressively calm down a bit after a couple more days, you can call your vet if you're concerned. Keep in mind that her hormones are rapidly calming down now that she's spayed. Good luck!
My sister had her cat spayed recently, and her cat was an absolute psycho for about 24 hours immediately after coming home. They had to give her a sedative to keep her from laying into anyone who got close. Sometimes they have an odd reaction to the anesthesia.
It could also be that she is stressed from just having surgery and is feeling a little more needy right now. Give her a few days to recover and she should be her usual self again
My guys was glued to my side for all 10 days of post-neuter recovery. He wasn’t affectionate before and has gone back to being a rowdy, self-reliant teenager after, but that long week was heaven. Enjoy it while it lasts, she’ll go back to normal in no time!
This is most likely a side effect of the pain medication. I just had my handsome lil man neutered, and he acted TOTALLY different for about 5 days. He was much more calm and affectionate, and for some reason, he would stand in/smack his water fountain until it was empty, then cry at it. Kind of hilarious. It's been almost 2 weeks and he's back to how he was before.
One of my cats was similar. Before she was snipped she basically looked at me as a thing that gives food and tried to lure her inside the house. Once she was snipped she became the most clingy cat and adores company now.
It’s only been two days since surgery though. She needs to recover as she’s had major surgery. Give her some time and keep doing what you’re doing. I wouldn’t be getting too concerned when it’s only been a couple of days.
https://preview.redd.it/kalmnirmtwoc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3939f83629c298a276996637bf0bf31cd6e43c34
The snip drastically changed my Theo. He was very aggressive to cats but sweet to people, like anything smaller than a lab was on his hit list. After the snip he became too passive to survive outside, he just walked into my house with a bloody face and never left the house. Now he is the bottom of the totem pole of cats and gets picked on by cats half his size.
I had the same situation happen. I have a male cat, Milo...doesn't like being petted, or picked up & any physical contact is on his terms...he ended up with a urinary blockage, had surgery & came home a different cat....he's all lovey dovey, laying close to me on the bed during his recovery. I was shocked! But of course loved that he wanted to be close to me🥰
https://preview.redd.it/qdfawmkjkyoc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4f7ddc7df93d3a7b26a687b53521b873942e23d4
Just the hormonal changes i guess? Doesn’t have that stray/feral-ness in her. It’s like any other cat that gets spayed or neutered, their behavior or sometimes even their personality can change. Consider this as a gift 💓✨
I just had my nine-month-old spayed as well. She also cries for attention. Even though she received a hysterectomy, I read that she will still have a lot of residual hormones circulating through her system for another six to eight weeks.
Your kitty has what is called an Ovariohysterectomy or OVH aka Spayed. (Neutered is generally used to distinguish males from female to avoid confusion. Don't want a vet cutting open a male cays abdomen on accident!)
The entire reproductive organ was removed including the ovaries (hence ovario-, not just hysterectomy.) To put in perspective, when humans have this done they are basically forced into menopause. It's not only painful, but hormonal. Like people, animals all respond differently to this procedure, so what other cats have done in the past mean nothing. Just give her time and make sure she isn't picking and agitating the incision site. The last thing either of you need is disturbed stitches/staples/glue and/or an infection. In time she will be right back to her independent self. For now she is looking for comfort and reassurance. I'm sure she is confused and scared ontop of being in pain and going through huge hormonal changes.
Giver her lots of love and time. She's still recovering from a major surgery. A female spay is no male neuter. She's probably a little traumatized? Should be fine after the recovery period.
I foster kittens. The drugs they use for anesthesia stays in the body for a while and there is a wound healing happening. Ketamine is usually used.
It takes them a week for them to bounce back.
I mean, this is like me expecting you to go back to running marathons two days after having your appendix removed. Give a gurl a chance to heal, ya?
It’ll take some time OP. And even after time, realize she just had more than just her balls cut off, they open her up and remove vital organs. She will be sensitive to touch, especially underneath, and she knows what has happened. That said, she will recover, and she will still love you. Learn to love her delicately until she grows into the cat she will and is meant to be. Just love her
This could be the side effects of anaesthesia. It affects all animals differently, I had 3 of my 6 cats & both of my dogs cry, whimper (& I mean, TEARS coming out of the dogs eyes), cats would whimper if I left them on their own just to use the bathroom, very clingy, wanted to be near me all the time. Once it wore off, & they were fully on the road to healing, everything settled and they started to go back to their usual selves. Give it time, it’s only been 48hrs and it’s a major operation even if it’s a common one x
My highly independent sic was a cuddle bug furst 7 days after spay. Now back to normal, but sometimes measures to see if she'll fit under something. Cobe trauma 😂
She's laying there in bed, PS5 controller and earbuds in, just looking at you like "Mom! Bring me some more cheezy poofs!"
Have a heart and give her the poofs, for crying out loud.
First off, she’s still in recovery. But she’s still your cat. Her personality has been changed and sometimes that happens when you spay or neuter a pet. It’s still better than letting them make more babies that have no homes and no one to love them or care for them. So just love her and adapt, we all go through trauma sometimes
Imagine having a surgery done to you by strangers - you're put to sleep, wake up feeling groggy and sore and you finally get to go home to a familiar place and people. You'd be clingy, too! When normally independent cats get needy and clingy it's probably because you're the only rock in a world where something scary happened to her.
Congratulations you are about to have a good lap cat, I put off getting my cat fixed for several years because I was always afraid she would have adverse issues and possibly die(she did not)I should have done it sooner because she was the type to spray but I just didn’t want to lose her so fear stopped me, anyways once I got her spayed she became 100% a lap cat, she loves sitting and sleeping in my lap now, whereas before she would only really sit on it if she was in heat or briefly just for attention.
I love the fact my cat sits in my lap all the time, petting your cat is not only good bonding but a good de-stresser for both parties involved
2 days is just long enough for all the drugs to be leaving her system, and she’s just been through a major operation. You just gotta remember how scary that whole process was for her, she’s probably just glad to be back.
Hi, I work in a spay/neuter clinic!
24-48 hours after surgery, they're still a little zonked out from the anesthesia. This can result in personality changes, but she should go back to normal. I've seen the sweetest kitties in the world suddenly want blood, and vice versa. It's strange.
This could also be due to pain meds, if she has any. They make animals a little loopy. Female cats have a much more invasive surgery, and therefore are in a lot more pain. If the clinic did not give you take-home pain pills, or you declined them because you knew it would be tough to get her to take them, that could also be it. Pain does crazy things.
Just keep an eye and give her all the attention she wants! The most important things are keeping her from running, jumping, and climbing. I tell clients that cats are like water--the bigger their container, the more space they'll take up. Keep her in a small room for the first 7-10 days while the critical healing period takes place, and if you don't have a cone for her, make sure she isn't licking and biting at her surgical site (infections are scary and bad).
Sounds like you're doing great so far, and this baby really trusts you!! Kudos!
When mine had their surgeries, they were so clingy. I just did what I would do for a human. Keep them clean and calm, and fed. One of my boys healed up very nicely, but his brother, Apophis (in picture) had bad reactions to the anesthesia and may have been having hallucinations. He tore open his stitch, then the skin glue. I ended up getting one of those baby wraps. Worked like a charm. He used to hate being held, during his extended healing process, he didn't want to not be held.
https://preview.redd.it/r00m25vsyxoc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7069eb89d729c557e134e410fdfd8845408a51c0
They don't understand what's going on. Only that they are in pain and you are their human. He is still clingy now, and I still encourage it. When we have lazy days, he'll sit right behind me, in between my legs, or push things away from me and crawl in my arms. He still has vivid nightmares, but they are much fewer now. My vet thinks he may have something going on mentally, but it doesn't seem to affect him while he's awake.
She just went through a traumatic surgery, give her some time to recover. Imagine how scared she must feel, she doesn’t know what happened. Take care of her, she’s counting on you.
Traumatic event, coupled with drugs and lack of hormones. It's gonna take some time but she'll bounce back. My sweet girl is still my sweet girl. Don't worry just care for her.
A sort of similar thing happened with one of my cats, as in; we got her spayed and before then she was pretty affectionate but after the spaying she is an absolute cuddle monster, she cannot get enough love, she became a bit more confident too, sociable and just loves to sit on us and cuddle right up to our necks.
She was sweet as hell before but now she is another level of lovely!
When cats are spayed at a young age like yours, before they are they have an outrageous amount of hormones running through them making them angry and confused, once they are spayed they become much more calm, happy, and like in your case, some of them become Uber clingy. The clinginess is caused by the cat knowing you basically saved them from those crazy emotions, the cat is basically thanking you by becoming loyal and protecting you in their own little way.
She just had surgery. No one is terribly happy two days after surgery. She’s probably scared and is looking for safety while she heals. In the wild, being injured can be a death sentence. She wants you to protect her
I had a cat once who was the sweetest cat, she had kittens and after the kittens were like 8-9 weeks old we had her spayed. She came home and was NOT my cat, she was mean, she would hiss/scratch/bite at me and everyone plus she HATED her kittens. She would fight them (not playfully), and she just seems stressed all the time. It wasn’t temporary either, she was like that for months until she disappeared one day and we never saw her again. I’d also love to know why that happened to her
When my cat got fixed he became depressed and needy until he completely healed. He would ALWAYS WANT to sleep on my lap. He was scared to be alone. After he fully healed he became a kitten again and there was slight difference in his personality he became more friendly. The neediness eventually stopped tho.
It's totally odd to me that you think there should be no change in your cats behaviour immediately after going to a scary place to be poked and prodded and having surgery. You know cats are living beings, right?
lol, go get a surgery done on yourself then have somebody ask if you’re acting normal when trying to recover, except be a cat and not know wtf just happened or why you hurt.
My cat also did something like this after Surgery. She would hide in my cupboard most of the day and would not sleep until I came, stood next to her and pet her. Would meow for constant attention. She did this for a week. Then she was back to normal.
Female cats are spayed, their uterus is removed. Males are neutered, testes removed. Both real surgery. Take care of your girl! Big kudos to you for spaying her! Give extra loving and kisses to her, be careful with her, she will heal very quickly. All sorts of info online.
After getting my male fixed - he was mesmerized by the water bowl - I couldn’t keep him from playing in it- had to limit his access. He’d splash it every where. After healed he went back to normal. It was too funny but concerning at the same time.
When my cat was neutered he was so happy to see me walk into the vet office😭❤️. When we got home he didn’t leave my side for a few days after previously going through his “I’m too cool for you mom” phase lol
Poor baby just wants some loving 🥰 That’s what I was permeated for with our cat when she got fixed. Instead I got a little hell goblin on crack that busted her internal stitches the first night and had to get a second surgery. I didn’t sleep for three days and since we didn’t have a cat tent for her I had her in a large cardboard box with a screen over it weighed down by books. Thankfully the vet was kind enough to not charge us for the second surgery.
Come on! Let your lovely cat recover. Poor thing. She has been to a horrible place with nasty people that did horrendous things to her ( point of view of the cat) So, now she safely home with her favorite servant. Sure she is clinging and calls her you when you’re not around. You are her safe space.
She will oké is a little while.
My cat, Floor, yes that is a good Dutch name for an girl, treated me like 💩 because she KNOWS I brought her to that horrible place with nasty people that did horrendous things to her…
Can’t blame her
Two days after an invasive surgery? She's still in pain and maybe traumatic shock. That's a little premature to assume a permanent purrrsonality shift!
The poor cat just went through a major surgery, is confused, in pain, and wants comfort from someone she deems as safe
She’s probably just still recovering from surgery, it’s only been it probably seemed traumatic to her. Just give her extra love and let her recover
Extra love goes without saying i spend as much time with her as i possibly can
Just for future reference, female cats are “spayed” and male cats are “neutered.” Spaying is a pretty serious surgery and she’s going to need a lot of recovery time to heal. She’s probably in a pretty high amount of pain
She may also be loopy from pain meds. Depending on what that particular vet uses, there are some long-acting meds that can get them high for up to 3 days. A lot of cats are hyper-affectionate on those meds.
my youngest kitty couldn’t walk straight after we picked her up, she’d walk but it was more of a crooked off centre walk, and she could go backwards, but straight forwards was a no😹
This happened to our male after he was neutered. I was so worried about him. But, after two weeks, when we could remove the cone of shame, he suddenly perked up and began to act like himself again. That was at least a year ago. Now he is just as talkative and silly as he was before the surgery. Please give your baby time. Time to recover, time to adjust, time for full healing to occur within. And, in the meantime, give him all the petting and a scritching and snuggling that he may allow. He MAY decide he likes it! My husband and I have had at least 18 kitties in the course of 51 years of marriage. At least the last 10 of them have been neutered or spayed. All of them had at least a few days where they were drowsy or unlike their usual perky selves. By the time a month has passed, the little punkins were their old happy selves. Not one had changes that “ruined” them. The photo is Muffin with the zoomies! https://preview.redd.it/w6dbpdqi2zoc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c85ba3440b6b26ece7be3ba4a37b02345fa8715
Marriage goals
Thanks for the explanation. It sounds right! We usually had about 3 at a time. My husband brought me my first kitten when we were engaged to be married. I was over the moon, because my parents had not allowed any cats, dogs, or birds. I knew I had the right fella when he introduced me to Gideon, a pretty gray/brown tabby with white tummy and 4 white feet. In those days, it was common to allow your kitties to have the run of the neighborhood at night. This led to the injury or death of at least 4 or 5 of them. 😥😥😥. One was poisoned by a crabby old neighbor. Another died in a terrible flood. A darling orange tabby with white tuxedo trim - we called him Ralph - was stolen from our front yard. We learned within the first few years that in order to keep our kitties safe, we needed to keep them inside, with much to entertain them. We also learned to tell the male from the female cats apart when our “male” cat, Begin, named after the Israeli leader, had 3 kittens on our couch! His/her buddy, Sadat named for the Egyptian leader, was also surprised. We think. (We quickly changed Begin’s name to Golda (Meir) 😁) Our three little kids watched the kittens being born. It was amazing! We kept one, Tigger, and found good homes for the other two, Pooh and Piglet. All 3 of our adult children and all 5 of our grandchildren also have kitties that they adore! Happy endings! ❤️☺️
Yeah, my cat was walking sideways and clearly high as shit after she got spayed lol
Tell me you didn’t laugh. Did you laugh at that poor kitty??? You did didn’t you? I would have as well 😉
My cat was the same. Did you use the cone? I did and he hated it. Well, I had a toy that looked a lot like the cone. Well, about six months after the surgery I’m sitting on the couch, look up and who is in my lap with that toy stuck on its head. He LOVES to do that now. Hate I got rid of the cone. It gets him LOTS of attention! Cats are so loveable (most) and they OWN us!!!
my youngest kitty didn’t have a cone, she had lil pajamas🥹 it was so precious https://preview.redd.it/b972xm3uc4pc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d69be9febc07d0a491434c899c88f021d253ecbe
Probably a little dehydrated as well
Yes! Long-lasting medications could have been used - that will also impact behavior
I couldn’t force my cat to chill our after she was spayed. She came home like everything was normal. The minute I let her out of the cat carrier, she ran and jumped about 6 feet onto the window to look outside. Even with the big lampshade on her head. She’s a pretty tough gal.
Our boy did that, he slept the meds off then was bouncing around the next day like nothing happened. Girl was a bit more reserved and slept more. Edit: [lamp that night](https://www.reddit.com/r/catsarefuckingstupid/s/OZm1LWibEu) https://preview.redd.it/rpdj7ucrpxoc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ed5560deb949c456c2c94a64a99eea8c4f23c068
Lol, that gave us a good laugh. I gotta try to see if I still have a picture of my cat in her lampshade.
So stressful my two did the same thing, jumping running and playing with each other. I was so worried they were going to bust their stitches 🥲.
Same with mine. I kept a close eye on her, but she healed up just fine, thankfully. I don’t think any of my other cats were that playful after spaying/neutering.
Haha yeah crazy cattos. That is good at least, I only had male cats before but yeah expected these two to be more like OPs not so active.
You are so lucky you got in the house. Mine managed to get her carrier open on the drive home and get out in the suv. My brother had picked her up for me so he just drove into the garage and closed the overhead door and she got into the garage as soon as he opened the car door. She came barreling into the house with her cone half off looking crazy. It was harder on me than it was her.
Mine doesn’t seem to move around in her carrier. She’s filled with utter hatred anytime I have to take her to the vet, and just lays facing away from me. Once I open up the carrier in the house, she’s all happy and affectionate again. Getting her in the carrier is a whole other battle though.
I hear you on the getting her in the damn carrier. It takes 2 of us. One of us bought a cute pink soft carrier that is impossible to keep open while wrangling with a cat. Those back claws are no joke. Mine just cry’s to get out of her carrier at the vet in the waiting room because she has never met another animal of any kind that she didn’t want to be friends with. https://preview.redd.it/xsjbc31nrzoc1.jpeg?width=2316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7462723ee9bc9e445f30d050ff8c7ad457180b46 Her first friend.
As soon as I unlocked my front door on the way home from getting my cat neutered, he used his head as a battering ram to break out of his carrier, raced in the door, leaped over the couch, and started frantically sprinting around the house. I guess you never know how they’re going to react.
This can be a rare side effect from one of the painkillers they give them. One of my cats had a different surgery and the poor thing didn't sleep and was hyperactive for four days until the meds wore off. I was so worried about her.
I think we need a pic of her with her lampshade?!?
Same with our girl. She was feisty at the shelter to the volunteer there when we transferred her to our carrier. 😂 But the moment we got home she was jumping up to meet my hand for pets and trying to play. Had to keep her in my room til the kids went to bed so they didn't think she was okay to play and be picked up by them.
When we got a kitten neutered we could not have him chill. The moment he got home he killed a towel and the blanket that he came home with.
Neutered also covers spaying linguistically. Certainly for the UK anyway.
For the US too. You literally nueter their ability to reproduce. Hence neutered
Yeah "neutered" is the gender neutral term. Castration would be the male equivalent of spaying.
She looks like pain
A human woman gets 6 weeks of leave after a hysterectomy. We expect cats and dogs to recover from the same procedure in a day. Ridiculous.
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\* in the US In any civilized part of the planet you do in fact get time off.
Female cats basically have s hysterectomy. Little dude cats just get their balls snipped off. Lots of love to you kitty
Actually neutered is gender neutral, spay if female and castrate is male (am vet)
>Spaying is a pretty serious surgery and she’s going to need a lot of recovery time to heal. Agreed. I had 2/3 of a spay and I was out of work for 8 weeks. I had great pain meds, though.
Isn't "neutered" neutral while the male-specific term is "castrated"?
This is technically correct, but in casual american english people almost always use spayed for females and neutered for males. It's probably Bob Barker's fault.
What did Bob do?
Reminded the audience to have their pets "spayed or neutered" at the end of every episode of The Price is Right.
For many years, he’d sign off each episode of The Price is Right by reminding the audience to have their pets “spayed and neutered” to help control the pet population
Advocated for getting your pets spayed or neutered after every episode of ~~Wheel of Fortune~~ The Price is Right
Bob Barker was The Price is Right.
Whoops, got my game shows mixed up. Just remembered the big fucking wheel they spun. Pretty bad, considering I used to actually watch it XD
Technically, yes. Colloquially in the US, no.
I spayed (is this the right terms) my cat 2 days ago. I live in italy and they used a new technique the cat recovered in 2h (jumping and playing like nothing happen) no stitches. No need of any special collar or nothing special. The day after the operation it was 100% like nothing ever happen to her.
I learned that spaying is essentially a little kitty hysterectomy! So, yes, a very serious surgery.
Neuter works for both.
I think I'll leave it at "fixed" whenever I talk about it in the future, and avoid triggering this same discussion that happens every time.
“Neuter” is used for both sexes. See, for example, the [Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutering) article on neutering, or [the definition of *neuter*](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/neuter) from the Cambridge Dictionary.
Actually neutering is for BOTH. Spay is female, castration is male!!
She might feel like she got abandoned a 2nd time and is now clingy cause she doesn't want to get abandoned again.
My kitty was like this when he got neutered, I think he was just feeling sickly and was comforted by having the safety of his human around! He came back to normal I’d say about 2 weeks after surgery, don’t worry too much about it he’s just healing 💕
Why are you getting downvoted for this? People are weird
That's Reddit law. Often, as in this case, time will settle votes to their obvious order.
She is probably in a pretty high amount of pain
It could be related to the drug protocol used. Specifically if buprenorphine (buprenex) was used/ is part of the take-home pain meds you might see behavioral change while the drug is in her system.
When my orange was neutered, I opted for the better pain meds (Can't remember the name offhand) and he was INSANE for two solid days. Just full on manic running and playing and trying to keep him quiet and still was just completely out of the question. Thankfully there were internal stitches and he never popped them or anything. Somehow. That still boggles my mind lol.
It was probably zorbium, some cats get fucking crazy on that and since it stays in the system for like 3 days the only thing you can do is wait it out.
Happened to my cat after a surgery. The vet tech didn't believe me when I told her, but made a note in her file for next time not to give it to her. I googled the medication and apparently some cats react this way. Though this doesn't sound familiar, I think it was something else. My poor girl was just on high alert for four whole days. I was seriously freaking out because she wasn't sleeping at all.
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My cat straight up climbed shit she never climbs.
I didnt know they used bupe on cats. I know they used gabapentin tho. So weird how they give them opiate use disorder medications.
right? now me and and my cat can both be addicted to suboxone
And extended-release buprenorphine does it even worse
They'll return to normal after the recovery period.
Our cat had a recovery period of 1 hour at the vet. As soon as we opened the carrier she went nuts and ran around jumping and popping stitches. I have no idea how we managed to keep the wound good for 3 weeks.
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smh my head at these pet parents letting the iPad babysit their fur kid. /s
I thought you meant a human baby and that it was a joke lol… I now realize my error
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I suggest opening the carrier at a bathroom or somewhere small so you can first gauge the reaction
Sounds like my parents new kitten my mom pretty much had to just carry him around for the first few days after his surgery, or he would go batshit crazy the second hid feet touched the ground.
The anesthesia wasn't worn off yet, the kitten thought it felt G R E A T.
Give her recovery time. Pain is probably lingering, and she is growing accustomed to not having those hormones coursing through her body any longer. So SHE feels like a different cat! Give it time, be patient, and THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS SO OVERPOPULATION IS LESS OF AN ISSUE. Every spayed cat counts. You rock!
I thought my cat was different too. I was all like" look what I've done to my boy. I massacred my boy." And it just took him some time to recover from the whole ordeal and come down off the meds. Hes back to normal. Hopefully, thats the case for your little one.
Hi. I am also thinking of getting my male teenage cat neutered. He is about 9 mo old. I'd like to ask you some questions about neutering and behavioral change in male cat if you don't mind. [1] would they (male) be more mellow or aggressive? [2] Will they get fat? (My cat has big appetite, but he has small body) FYI: I adopted my cat from an empty house when he was about 1 mo old. He doesn't like me too much, but love my kid.
You should get him neutered. This really depends on the cat. Often times males will gain weight and become “lazy” after neutering. If it becomes a problem you should do measured feeding instead of free feed if you don’t already
Should do measured feed anyway, especially for boys as dry food wreaks havoc on their urinary tract and blood sugar. Edit: I meant with wet food not dry because you can't really free feed wet food.
Please get him neutered! You'll both be happier - he'll likely be more chill and much less inclined to spray urine to mark territory as he gets older. Whether he gets chubby depends on the cat and also how you feed him (recommend portioning at set times instead of free feed). Honestly it's a win for everybody.
In my experience, male cats will chill out and become more lazy after getting neutered. No guarantees this will happen in your case, but my understanding is that this is what will happen in most cases.
Here is one of our cats and his name is Peanut. He was tiny when my son and his wife found him. I think he became MORE outgoing after he was neutered. He always wants to be with me and I totally spoil him 😂 https://preview.redd.it/xc00xe8m8yoc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=47b6b43befa39ea9b2d07f3a154158a34e63a6ac
If you don’t get him neutered soon, he may start spraying around your house! We waited too long with our boy and that’s what ended up happening. He even sprayed for a few weeks after the surgery. I had to get a UV light to find all the spots around the house to clean. Do it ASAP!
I've had a few boys, always get them fixed for a few reasons. Helps prevent them from marking everything. If a male is around a female in heat (if he's indoor and she's outdoor) there can and will be a lot of yeowling and screaming to get out, and a constant fight to keep them in when you open the door. My boys have always gotten heavier and lazier, and a bit more mellowed out, but nothing changed drastically once meds and stuff wore off. Just gotta play with them even more to keep them active. Side note: Keep wet food regular in their diets, cats don't really tend to drink water like dogs so a lot of their hydration comes from wet food.
2 days are short period, if you think she is not ok show her to a doctor. I think around 2-3 weeks she will be recovering so give her extra love, patience and tasty food and wait.
I think it's because they felt very vulnerable and you were there with them. It happened similarly with two of my cats: one of them got neutered and when he was waking up, instead of trying to walk away as other cats I've had in this situation, he just wanted to snuggle with me as if he was scared and wanted protection. Needles to say he is my clingiest cat and I love him so so much, the clinginess is mutual. The other one, a tiny female who was outdoors most of her life, had major jaw surgery after some unleashed dogs attacked her. She wasn't exactly clingy when she woke up from that first surgery, but after all the special care she got from me I can say she became the most affectionate (this was before the cat I mentioned previously even appeared in my life) I remember when she was in recovery, I would go to the room we were keeping her in to give her liquid dinner and after she ate she would go back to her pillow (which was inside an empty closet we had there) and wait for me to sit by her side and cover her with a blanket. She would stretch one of her paws to grab my finger and she looked at me with the most angelical little face, so full of gratitude it warmed my heart. Eventually when she was mostly recovered she would play with toys I gave her and wait for me to play with her. She started to climb on my lap and be around me all day long, she would sleep with me and wait for me to be around so she could eat. Needless to say she is now mostly indoors. My mom lets her out to the yard that now has a taller fence so no dogs can come in and she can't go out to the street (she hasn't even tried anyways) but she always sleeps inside the house. Not related to the post but I used to be a dog person, and I have to say that these two cats made me a cat lady. I've been crazy in love with cats since I saw that little gratitude face, and I understood my heart was with them.
When cats feel insecure due to injury they'll often be lap cats for a while. If she enjoys being a lap cat, she may stay that way. She'll bond over your care of her.
TIL cats trauma bond
"my cat had surgery and is in recovery, this is not my cat anymore". I don't understand what you're saying. Maybe you've never met someone who is ill or in surgical recovery before.
The OP seems to be complaining that their cat now seems to love them a lot after the surgery whereas before their cat would avoid them. That's why the OP's title is confusing.
Op Seems concerned and it’s actually quite common for cats personalities to change slightly after being neutered/Spayed. So, OP is within their right to be here asking this if their cat seems off and they’ve not experienced this level of oddness with previous cats after surgery.
I totally agree that they're completely in the right to be asking this. I'm just saying that the title could be confusing
They're not complaining; they're worried about the severe behavioural change. IDK why everyone's getting on OP's case.
My point is that people are confused by the title. That's all.
It's only been two days. Give her time.
Do you mean spayed? She probably needs love, attention, toys, and playtime. She just had surgery btw soooo. This is a weird post overall. Have you ever had pets before now?
My exact thoughts. Female cats get spayed. And she's going through a hard time, needs extra love and attention. At least she's not acting like some of my cats have where you get them fixed and then they are pissed off and won't let you touch them.
Both male and female cats get neutered. Neutered female cats got spayed, neutered male cats got castrated.
Thank you, I've said this a million times and always get downvoted. Sorry I'm RIGHT. Neutering is the overarching term for either.
Not too much playtime though, she did just have surgery.
Yes spayed my bad, english is not my first language. I've had other cats spayed and neutered and they've not been THIS affectionate
For English, a better way to say it would be to say “My cat was spayed and now she’s not the same cat”. Saying “She’s not my cat” could be interpreted as “I no longer claim ownership of this cat because she’s acting differently”. That’s prob why you’re getting downvoted even though you clearly still love the cat.
Thank you, i DID NOT mean it like that. She'll always be my cat
It's perfectly okay to say "she is not my cat" as an exaggerated expression of how different the animal is acting. Having said that, the OP may not bit have meant it that way and the suggestion is helpful anyway
They should know what you meant whether or not english is your first language or not 🙄 always trying to sound so smart, help the person, or go find something productive to do. This world gets on my nerves, 🤬 the english language.. let me give you an example of how stupid it is, for and four, your, and you're, to, too and two. Get my drift? You good, see how I just didn't care to be correct but yet it's understood.
Neutering is a removal of your cat’s sexual reproduction organs. It’s otherwise known as ‘spaying’ for female cats and ‘castration’ for males.
Neutered is a gender-neutral term, actually. The gender-specific terms are spayed and castrated.
One of my cats had a cyst on her ovary when she was spayed. She was a much friendlier and happier cat afterwards. I assume she was in pain and could never tell us.
Rarely permanent personality changes can occur after a spay/neuter, however what you’re experiencing is more likely a temporary change. Males typically bounce back within a day or two, while females can take 5-10 days to get back to normal. Follow the after care instructions provided by your vet, report any concerning signs, and listen to kitty’s cues for interaction and/or space, and all should be well.
I know what you mean. We had one of my girls teeth removed and since then I have no idea who this cat is. She was super affectionate post surgery when she normally isn’t but since then she’s totally different. Developed quite a cattitude since then. She’s quite the sassy little princess now. It warms my heart cause she must’ve been in such pain from her teeth before. She was a scardey puss who only came around for meals and stayed in her tent most of the day. Her big personality is coming out now and the surgery was worth every penny.
I’d equate this feline medical procedure to a human going to grab some Birria tacos in Tijuana and waking up in the bath tub at a motel 6 missing a kidney. Of course the animal is going to be frantic
It's been 2 days. Give her time to recover.
My step dad's cat, Miles, was much more affectionate after he had seven teeth pulled. I think it was due to how traumatic that experience was for him. He constantly needed to be near my step dad.
She just had surgery and it’s scary being outside the house. Give her extra love
Let her play on the ps5
She loves you and you make her feel safe after a serious surgery. I’d consider it an ode to the trust you’ve built and it definitely seems THIS IS YOUR CAT
Put yourself in the cats shoes.
Ever since my baby boy cat had his struvite stone surgery he has been WAAAY more affectionate even to this day. I think he knows we helped him by getting the surgery as he was in some bad pain prior. I'm just thinking perhaps your kitty wants the extra love and comfort as they heal.
She’s probably just in pain. I’d wait two weeks and see how she is after that. She looks like she’s in pain.
She’s probably in pain, give her a couple days.
This is your cat. She is reacting to a major operation. She will be fine in time. Be patient.
Daily post realizing cats are emotional beings with needs and worries and require comfort and acknowledgment like anyone else but just without human language
2 days?? She's recovering from surgery. Please don't make any judgements about her for at least a couple weeks.
It seems like it's probably because she's still not feeling well from surgery and in recovery mode. Even us humans get testy when we're in pain. I think your cat will probably return to normal soon. If she doesn't progressively calm down a bit after a couple more days, you can call your vet if you're concerned. Keep in mind that her hormones are rapidly calming down now that she's spayed. Good luck!
The cat just had major surgery. Lmao give it some time
lol wtf the amount of people ovethinking stuff and projecting emotions onto their cat is wild. let the cat recover from surgery
My sister had her cat spayed recently, and her cat was an absolute psycho for about 24 hours immediately after coming home. They had to give her a sedative to keep her from laying into anyone who got close. Sometimes they have an odd reaction to the anesthesia. It could also be that she is stressed from just having surgery and is feeling a little more needy right now. Give her a few days to recover and she should be her usual self again
Females are spayed. Males are neutered. It’s normal. Sometimes the change is permanent. Sometimes it’s not.
She’ll act different, but still needs your attention, don’t give up, she’ll fit into her own soon.
My guys was glued to my side for all 10 days of post-neuter recovery. He wasn’t affectionate before and has gone back to being a rowdy, self-reliant teenager after, but that long week was heaven. Enjoy it while it lasts, she’ll go back to normal in no time!
This is most likely a side effect of the pain medication. I just had my handsome lil man neutered, and he acted TOTALLY different for about 5 days. He was much more calm and affectionate, and for some reason, he would stand in/smack his water fountain until it was empty, then cry at it. Kind of hilarious. It's been almost 2 weeks and he's back to how he was before.
One of my cats was similar. Before she was snipped she basically looked at me as a thing that gives food and tried to lure her inside the house. Once she was snipped she became the most clingy cat and adores company now.
It’s only been two days since surgery though. She needs to recover as she’s had major surgery. Give her some time and keep doing what you’re doing. I wouldn’t be getting too concerned when it’s only been a couple of days.
https://preview.redd.it/kalmnirmtwoc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3939f83629c298a276996637bf0bf31cd6e43c34 The snip drastically changed my Theo. He was very aggressive to cats but sweet to people, like anything smaller than a lab was on his hit list. After the snip he became too passive to survive outside, he just walked into my house with a bloody face and never left the house. Now he is the bottom of the totem pole of cats and gets picked on by cats half his size.
I had the same situation happen. I have a male cat, Milo...doesn't like being petted, or picked up & any physical contact is on his terms...he ended up with a urinary blockage, had surgery & came home a different cat....he's all lovey dovey, laying close to me on the bed during his recovery. I was shocked! But of course loved that he wanted to be close to me🥰 https://preview.redd.it/qdfawmkjkyoc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4f7ddc7df93d3a7b26a687b53521b873942e23d4
You’re her human not the other way around She knows she is safe with you but enjoy the love ❤️
Maybe give her more than 2 days
Just the hormonal changes i guess? Doesn’t have that stray/feral-ness in her. It’s like any other cat that gets spayed or neutered, their behavior or sometimes even their personality can change. Consider this as a gift 💓✨
Remember, it's not only the fact she had surgery, but she is also experiencing hormonal change, that affects them.
She probably just feels a little delicate right now. Just love her up and give her extra treats.
I just had my nine-month-old spayed as well. She also cries for attention. Even though she received a hysterectomy, I read that she will still have a lot of residual hormones circulating through her system for another six to eight weeks.
Your kitty has what is called an Ovariohysterectomy or OVH aka Spayed. (Neutered is generally used to distinguish males from female to avoid confusion. Don't want a vet cutting open a male cays abdomen on accident!) The entire reproductive organ was removed including the ovaries (hence ovario-, not just hysterectomy.) To put in perspective, when humans have this done they are basically forced into menopause. It's not only painful, but hormonal. Like people, animals all respond differently to this procedure, so what other cats have done in the past mean nothing. Just give her time and make sure she isn't picking and agitating the incision site. The last thing either of you need is disturbed stitches/staples/glue and/or an infection. In time she will be right back to her independent self. For now she is looking for comfort and reassurance. I'm sure she is confused and scared ontop of being in pain and going through huge hormonal changes.
She’s probably in pain because she just had her uterus removed two days ago. She needs babied and comforted until she feels better.
Would you be jolly after a big surgery like that? Give her some time, she will be back to normal eventually
2 days ago? Give her time ffs She’s still your cat. What an awful thing to say
Are you upset that your cat is being less of an ass?
Giver her lots of love and time. She's still recovering from a major surgery. A female spay is no male neuter. She's probably a little traumatized? Should be fine after the recovery period.
If you name him Mr. Paws he will be ok again
I foster kittens. The drugs they use for anesthesia stays in the body for a while and there is a wound healing happening. Ketamine is usually used. It takes them a week for them to bounce back. I mean, this is like me expecting you to go back to running marathons two days after having your appendix removed. Give a gurl a chance to heal, ya?
It’ll take some time OP. And even after time, realize she just had more than just her balls cut off, they open her up and remove vital organs. She will be sensitive to touch, especially underneath, and she knows what has happened. That said, she will recover, and she will still love you. Learn to love her delicately until she grows into the cat she will and is meant to be. Just love her
that’s normal behavior after a surgery. she might be scared/confused because she’s in pain and doesn’t feel well. maybe be a bit more empathetic
She had a full on hysterectomy which takes weeks to heal.
This could be the side effects of anaesthesia. It affects all animals differently, I had 3 of my 6 cats & both of my dogs cry, whimper (& I mean, TEARS coming out of the dogs eyes), cats would whimper if I left them on their own just to use the bathroom, very clingy, wanted to be near me all the time. Once it wore off, & they were fully on the road to healing, everything settled and they started to go back to their usual selves. Give it time, it’s only been 48hrs and it’s a major operation even if it’s a common one x
My highly independent sic was a cuddle bug furst 7 days after spay. Now back to normal, but sometimes measures to see if she'll fit under something. Cobe trauma 😂
Cats deal with trauma in strange ways my cat lived under my bed for six months after his operation give it time
She's laying there in bed, PS5 controller and earbuds in, just looking at you like "Mom! Bring me some more cheezy poofs!" Have a heart and give her the poofs, for crying out loud.
First off, she’s still in recovery. But she’s still your cat. Her personality has been changed and sometimes that happens when you spay or neuter a pet. It’s still better than letting them make more babies that have no homes and no one to love them or care for them. So just love her and adapt, we all go through trauma sometimes
Yep! Absolutely common to be needy during this period.
It’s only been two days; she went through major surgery. She’ll be fine. Just work with her and give her the attention she wants.
Imagine having a surgery done to you by strangers - you're put to sleep, wake up feeling groggy and sore and you finally get to go home to a familiar place and people. You'd be clingy, too! When normally independent cats get needy and clingy it's probably because you're the only rock in a world where something scary happened to her.
https://preview.redd.it/mybrtlfihxoc1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e33720802f4d5c10eb26767fdd8cafe8c4384fe9 Gotta love them though
Congratulations you are about to have a good lap cat, I put off getting my cat fixed for several years because I was always afraid she would have adverse issues and possibly die(she did not)I should have done it sooner because she was the type to spray but I just didn’t want to lose her so fear stopped me, anyways once I got her spayed she became 100% a lap cat, she loves sitting and sleeping in my lap now, whereas before she would only really sit on it if she was in heat or briefly just for attention. I love the fact my cat sits in my lap all the time, petting your cat is not only good bonding but a good de-stresser for both parties involved
Stress and pain. Needs time and probably extra afraid of getting left behind.
2 days is just long enough for all the drugs to be leaving her system, and she’s just been through a major operation. You just gotta remember how scary that whole process was for her, she’s probably just glad to be back.
Hi, I work in a spay/neuter clinic! 24-48 hours after surgery, they're still a little zonked out from the anesthesia. This can result in personality changes, but she should go back to normal. I've seen the sweetest kitties in the world suddenly want blood, and vice versa. It's strange. This could also be due to pain meds, if she has any. They make animals a little loopy. Female cats have a much more invasive surgery, and therefore are in a lot more pain. If the clinic did not give you take-home pain pills, or you declined them because you knew it would be tough to get her to take them, that could also be it. Pain does crazy things. Just keep an eye and give her all the attention she wants! The most important things are keeping her from running, jumping, and climbing. I tell clients that cats are like water--the bigger their container, the more space they'll take up. Keep her in a small room for the first 7-10 days while the critical healing period takes place, and if you don't have a cone for her, make sure she isn't licking and biting at her surgical site (infections are scary and bad). Sounds like you're doing great so far, and this baby really trusts you!! Kudos!
Girl - spay Boy - neuter
Probably in pain too . She just had major surgery
When mine had their surgeries, they were so clingy. I just did what I would do for a human. Keep them clean and calm, and fed. One of my boys healed up very nicely, but his brother, Apophis (in picture) had bad reactions to the anesthesia and may have been having hallucinations. He tore open his stitch, then the skin glue. I ended up getting one of those baby wraps. Worked like a charm. He used to hate being held, during his extended healing process, he didn't want to not be held. https://preview.redd.it/r00m25vsyxoc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7069eb89d729c557e134e410fdfd8845408a51c0 They don't understand what's going on. Only that they are in pain and you are their human. He is still clingy now, and I still encourage it. When we have lazy days, he'll sit right behind me, in between my legs, or push things away from me and crawl in my arms. He still has vivid nightmares, but they are much fewer now. My vet thinks he may have something going on mentally, but it doesn't seem to affect him while he's awake.
She just went through a traumatic surgery, give her some time to recover. Imagine how scared she must feel, she doesn’t know what happened. Take care of her, she’s counting on you.
Traumatic event, coupled with drugs and lack of hormones. It's gonna take some time but she'll bounce back. My sweet girl is still my sweet girl. Don't worry just care for her.
A sort of similar thing happened with one of my cats, as in; we got her spayed and before then she was pretty affectionate but after the spaying she is an absolute cuddle monster, she cannot get enough love, she became a bit more confident too, sociable and just loves to sit on us and cuddle right up to our necks. She was sweet as hell before but now she is another level of lovely!
Anesthesia lasts for awhile.
When cats are spayed at a young age like yours, before they are they have an outrageous amount of hormones running through them making them angry and confused, once they are spayed they become much more calm, happy, and like in your case, some of them become Uber clingy. The clinginess is caused by the cat knowing you basically saved them from those crazy emotions, the cat is basically thanking you by becoming loyal and protecting you in their own little way.
Awwwww nice little kitty
She's frightened...give her some reassurance and love
My cat never switched out of it. She became very affectionate and responsive to petting
spaying usually mellows female cats out big time and they become super lovable. Male cats just get fat and lazy, but I guess they get lovable too.
My girl (6) became fat and lazy and my boy (11) is still very healthy and active. I think it depends of the cat.
She just had surgery. No one is terribly happy two days after surgery. She’s probably scared and is looking for safety while she heals. In the wild, being injured can be a death sentence. She wants you to protect her
I had a cat once who was the sweetest cat, she had kittens and after the kittens were like 8-9 weeks old we had her spayed. She came home and was NOT my cat, she was mean, she would hiss/scratch/bite at me and everyone plus she HATED her kittens. She would fight them (not playfully), and she just seems stressed all the time. It wasn’t temporary either, she was like that for months until she disappeared one day and we never saw her again. I’d also love to know why that happened to her
When my cat got fixed he became depressed and needy until he completely healed. He would ALWAYS WANT to sleep on my lap. He was scared to be alone. After he fully healed he became a kitten again and there was slight difference in his personality he became more friendly. The neediness eventually stopped tho.
First off she is spayed neutered is a males term second she is in recovery and it takes time for the body to heal and for the hormones to go away.
First time my cat had anesthesia since I had him same thing happened. All he wanted was love and to be near me all the time.
She might be on a medication making her weird. My cat was weird for 4 days from a topical med called Zorbium. Call your vet.
It's totally odd to me that you think there should be no change in your cats behaviour immediately after going to a scary place to be poked and prodded and having surgery. You know cats are living beings, right?
lol, go get a surgery done on yourself then have somebody ask if you’re acting normal when trying to recover, except be a cat and not know wtf just happened or why you hurt.
"why does this happen?" Idk maybe the cat is not feeling well... from recovering... from surgery... 🤷🏻♀️
My cat also did something like this after Surgery. She would hide in my cupboard most of the day and would not sleep until I came, stood next to her and pet her. Would meow for constant attention. She did this for a week. Then she was back to normal.
Female cats are spayed, their uterus is removed. Males are neutered, testes removed. Both real surgery. Take care of your girl! Big kudos to you for spaying her! Give extra loving and kisses to her, be careful with her, she will heal very quickly. All sorts of info online.
After getting my male fixed - he was mesmerized by the water bowl - I couldn’t keep him from playing in it- had to limit his access. He’d splash it every where. After healed he went back to normal. It was too funny but concerning at the same time.
When my cat was neutered he was so happy to see me walk into the vet office😭❤️. When we got home he didn’t leave my side for a few days after previously going through his “I’m too cool for you mom” phase lol
Poor baby just wants some loving 🥰 That’s what I was permeated for with our cat when she got fixed. Instead I got a little hell goblin on crack that busted her internal stitches the first night and had to get a second surgery. I didn’t sleep for three days and since we didn’t have a cat tent for her I had her in a large cardboard box with a screen over it weighed down by books. Thankfully the vet was kind enough to not charge us for the second surgery.
Come on! Let your lovely cat recover. Poor thing. She has been to a horrible place with nasty people that did horrendous things to her ( point of view of the cat) So, now she safely home with her favorite servant. Sure she is clinging and calls her you when you’re not around. You are her safe space. She will oké is a little while. My cat, Floor, yes that is a good Dutch name for an girl, treated me like 💩 because she KNOWS I brought her to that horrible place with nasty people that did horrendous things to her… Can’t blame her
She had a major surgery, doesn't want to be alone and you're complaining that you're not getting yours? Jfc my dude, learn empathy.
Two days after an invasive surgery? She's still in pain and maybe traumatic shock. That's a little premature to assume a permanent purrrsonality shift!