Neuter Nightmare

[NinjaSmurf]

We were finally able to get a vet whose spay/neuter prices we could afford, (10 bucks for males, 40 for females!) which is a godsend since we have a male and female cat we are keeping (out of four we've had and none of them altered) and we are moving in with my moms boyfriend, who has a cat and lives in town, so we couldn't wait any longer. Well, my cat Jack went in today and got snipped, but while we were paying the vet my mom noticed he wasn't breathing steady, and the vet (who was dealing with a guy whose dog had a dead puppy in it and looked about ready to die herself so I understand why she didn't see it right away) realized he wasn't coming out of the anesthesia (sp?). He almost died right there on the table while we watched. It was horrible, and I felt awful cause here I was trying to do the right thing, cut down on the cat population and keep him from wandering and fighting, and then it almost kills him. He's breathing regularly again, but it took about two hours until he was breathing okay, and he's been knocked out since around seven thirty and he still knocked out now at twelve thirty. Now he's dribbling pee out on the newspaper I have under his butt, and I'm still worried. I don't know how long he could be out, and it's really freaking me out because we already lost two of our cats since we've lived in this house, and I can't bear to loose him too. Plus now I'm really panicky about taking my other cat Kali in to get spayed, I don't want the same thing or worse to happen to her.

Sorry so long but I don't have anyone else to talk about this. Has anything like this happened to anyone else? The vet said in 21 years she only had one cat die like that, but I need to know if this is something I need to reallt worry about for my other cat.

 

[mm_simb]

There are some special cases where surgery can be a problem with some animals. It's basically like humans, some can go through it and with others special precautions have to be taken. Both of my cats were fine during their surgeries. The only thing with the female was that she was really tired for a while. She was also not allowed to jump that high or run around a lot.
I've never taken any animals to get clipped in any places where the prices are low. I just don't really trust them. I was going to take my friend's dog to one because of the low prices but I don't want to risk her life. It would just not be worth what I saved money-wise. I would rather take her to someone that charges more.

 

[NinjaSmurf]

She's a good vet, she has to be considering the humane shelter gave us her number, and as much as I would like to be able to afford fifty and eighty bucks a cat, I can't. I've been saving up babysitting money just so I can get these cats fixed, and that's gotten screwed up because of bills. We had one of our cats (one who died last year) fixed about three years ago along with my grandmothers cat, and the vet we had then didn't say anything about this sort of thing happening to them. I don't know if it just seems worse because we got to bring him home right away and we didn't have that last time so we've never dealt with them coming out of the anesthesia like this, or because of watching what happened to him.

 

[mm_simb]

If the shelter told you to go to that vet then I'm guessing your other cat will be fine. Like I said, it's not something that happens all the time. It just happens to some cats. How old is the male? How much does he weigh? Does he get sick often? And is he an outdoor or indoor cat?

 

[pica_nuttalli]

*hug* i'm a cat person too...

 

[The-Wolf]

I feel for you NinjaSmurf (hugs)

can I ask how old Jack is?
it's just that after 7 years old surgery with general annasetic becomes more risky, your vet should've told you that if Jack is over 7.

I hope he pulls through and lives for a long time

 

[Bloo]

To neuter a male cat is usually a very simple and very quick procedure. Many places who do it cheaply and quickly, "might" not take the extra precautions and provide pre & after care if they are working with many cases. Therefore, the more expensive places, do not just charge more because they feel like doing so - but they also factor in an extra pair of hands or two - administer premeditations, provide a shot of antibiotics and also painkillers (not always, but mostly). Hence being more expensive. Where as the $10 ones will do the bare minimum to make it more cost effective for those who really can't afford the higher costs. On the whole, this is a superb service and very valuable but not without some extra risks.

Also, the majority of male cats to be neutered, do not receive a gaseous anaesthetic, but just an intravenous injection which in effect knocks them out completely for a certain period of time (really just long enough to do the procedure). The amount to administer is judged by weight and age and if this is calculated incorrectly, the cat can either wake up too soon, or take a lot longer to recover. When they come round from the procedure, some (most) animals make jerking movements, so it might seem as though the animal is having a fit or perhaps even dying. This must be distressing to see as an owner, but it's quite normal. I guess this is what happened in your cat's case and that he more than likely received an overdose and just did not come round properly before you collected him. Hope he's ok now

 

[RandomWiktor]

::nods in agreement to everything Bloo said::
It sounds like your vet should have told you guys what to expect after a surgery; some animals, especially ones who did turn out to be sensitive to the anesthesia, will be out of it for a few days even. It sounds like, from the breathing trouble, he just wasn't quite ready to be moved around and should have had more time in cage rest without being disturbed; since the respirations are so low following anesthetic, they really have some trouble if you start waking them up or jostling them around too early as they physically are unable to compensate for the sudden extra need for air. However, I wouldn't give up on the vet entirely; it sounds like perhaps he either was just so busy that he didn't have time to tell you how the cat will probably behave for the next several hours/days/etc. or one of his techs wasn't monitering the cat close enough to notice the breathing trouble. After all, once the vet leaves the surgery, its all up to his techs and assistants.

Either way, I'm sure that some stumbling and "drunken" behavior aside, he'll be right as rain in a few hours-days

You're not alone, btw, on scary nueter experiences. When we neutered my cat, Leo, the darn surgical glue didn't stick together right so he was able to lick it all off (he woke up VERY soon after, so the stuff probably wasn't even completely solidified yet). Well, soon he had all of these swollen, red chords and tissue hanging out of his poor little scrotum! Then he decided these would be a good thing to chew on. In short, a $15 nueter turned into almost a $100 nueter when we had to rush him to an emergency clinic at 11:00 at night to have everything disinfected, stuffed back in, and sewn shut. He was also a kitty cone head for a week or two after that just in case he tried it again.
However, our cat may have been a complicated surgery anyways; he is FIP+ and thus retains a lot of water even if he doesn't get food/water prior to surgery. We're lucky they didn't have more trouble, really. Darn diseased little petters ::shakes fist::

BTW, I know it wasn't a good experience, but I would like to commend you on getting your boy nuetered. I'm sure there are some happy queens out there who won't have to bear kittens again this spring thanks to you! Awesome!

 

[NinjaSmurf]

He's better now, he only wakes up for a few minutes and then falls asleep again. He's only about four years old, and an indoor/outdoor cat.

As to what happened at the vets, she gave him the shot and went to deal with the dog while I pet him as he feel asleep, which took about fifteen minutes, she snipped him and then we went back in after about five minutes to collect him. That was when my mom noticed the breathing thing, and she ended up giving him two more shots of something in order to get him breathing right. We waited till he looked better and then took him home, which was about an hour long car ride with him in my lap. She said he was holding his breath.

What I think bugs me the most is the fact that you always here how simple and safe it is to get your pets fixed but then you don't here about stuff like this. I've read I don't know how many cat books and I really don't remember them saying anything about them dying just from the anethesia. Our dog was put under once for x-rays and nothing like this happened, and she was like twelve. I can't imagine how they put kittens under now that they fix them so young.


And thanks for the hugs guys, it really helps

 

[mm_simb]

Well on another forum I go to I read a thread where that person's dog died. I forgot if it was a spay or neuter but she/he didn't make it through the surgery. Hope your kitty recovers.

 

[Bloo]

Really glad to hear he is doing better !
It's sad to say, but a mere anesthesia can kill a young animal (or any animal)just like that - though do understand that this is rare (in the grand scheme of things). There are also many different types of anesthesia and animals can react differently. When something goes wrong during an procedure or things are not quite as they should be, steps can quickly be taken to rectify this. It's usually only when carelessness and human error becomes a factor, when an animal dies on the table. So you are right, you don't hear about stuff like this as it's not common that the extreme happens. Don't worry - You definitely did the right thing by taking your cat, so well done !

 

[NinjaSmurf]

Well, he's walking around now, eating canned food and he even went in the litter box, so I'm a happy camper. He still looks stoned out of his mind though, which is sort of funny now that I can relax about him. He moves around slowly and that third eyelid keeps covering his squinted eyes up so he looks like he's possessed, but other than that he's doing really well. He's passed out on my moms desk chair now after his excitement about eating, drinking and taking a leak.


Thanks a lot guys, and keep your fingers crossed for him and Kali, who is going in on the 23rd.

 

[Bloo]

Wow poor chap sounds like it really hit him hard if he's still a bit zonked so long after the op Do remember that when Kali goes in (the female I take it) things will be very different, as it's obviously an entirely different procedure, and different anaesthetics will more than likely be used. She will have a fairly large shaved patch either on her belly or on her flank and will have a number of stitches. When you collect her, try to wait as long as you can in the waiting room before the car journey home - that might almost certainly help.
Females take a lot longer to recover (and be their normal up and running selves) than males, as it's a lot more surgically invasive than for a male cat. She will be sore for a few days so just let her take things easy and slow. Just keep an eye on her that she doesn't start pulling on the stitches. You might want to get a bucket collar for her for a day or so to stop her from doing that. Licking and cleaning is fine after the first day or so - if she has no collar to prevent her. If she's an outdoor cat, try to keep her indoors for a couple of days (and most certainly do not let her outside with a bucket collar) until things start healing over and keep food bowls on the ground so that she doesn't have to jump up on anything.
But I'm sure your vet will tell you all of that too
All the best!

 

[Booboo puppy]

Glad to hear kitty is doing fine now.

 

[NinjaSmurf]

Well, he's totally back to normal now. Um, but now I have a new problem. Kali is in the house with him, and they tried to get it on in the living room. I'm guessing it's because he still has all those hormones pumping through him for a little, but how long to I have to wait till they stop trying to go at it? And is there any way in hell he could have one last little bit of 'go' in him to knock her up with? I have them seperated now, but my mom would have my head in a basket if Kali ends up pregger (even though I love kitties... I don't want to deal with anymore lol).