Lucy Gets Spayed

 June 2021

Lucy in e-collar after spaying.

Being a responsible cat parent, you know spaying has to be done. But risk of anesthesia is always present. Words pound in your brain, “Everyday across the world hundreds of pets are being altered.”

The troubling part is, you have a special connection to your furry little family member, it becomes a personal thing. As with Lily, I tried to keep busy. Ready to drop whatever I was doing to go get her asap. You want to rescue them from the scary place of unknown smells and sounds. And let them know you haven’t abandoned them.

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Injection for pain

They gave her an injection of Buprenorphine-SR, a slow-release medication for pain. It lasts for 3 days, and it could disorient her during the duration. A few times when sitting she fell over, sad to see her listless.

She came home wearing a pink tee-shirt. Had to laugh, it said VIP and under that Very Important Patient. Reason: her temperature was low after the procedure, so they put it on her for warmth. When I got her home, I curled her up in my arms and laid her against my chest to keep her warm.

Lucy in her cute pink VIP tee shirt

I wonder if they have blue shirts for males. I’m sure customers would be livid to see their male wearing pink. Bet they have plenty of sizes too. Lucy weighed 5.4lbs, maybe the smallest size for a shirt. The tag was XS.

Lucy’s VIP tee shirt

E-Collar

The instructions for recovery. If she started licking and chewing on the incision to put an e-collar on her.

Well… that was a joke.

Even sedated, she still had plenty of spunk.

Put the collar on, tied with a simple bow. Off it came. Tried another method of tying. Again, she pulled it off. Tried without tying. Off again. Next, we tried a harness and attached it to the harness. A bit more difficult, but off again. Tried another method of tying to the harness. After the third try. Time to get a cat collar and thread through the e-collar.

She either used her front feet or back feet, sometimes four feet to remove the collar. Never seen a cat fight so hard to escape an e-collar.

New method worked until the next day.

Day 2 Battle

Heard a noise in the living room. Lucy encompassed the collar with her 4 feet strangling herself and gasping for air. We still had an ID tag on the collar from a previous cat. She got it caught between the collars and was in a panic. Got a hold of her and loosened the collar, which calmed her. But we needed to find a solution. Found a softer leather collar and used it instead.

Lucy has still tried to remove it but soon resolved to accept the confinements. A good thing, as she needed to stay calm for 10-14 days while she healed. I was wondering if it was possible to tame the wild beast. Wednesday was the surgery and now Monday, so we just might succeed. She likes to run, jump, and terrorize the house. When ‘house arrest’ is over, I’m sure her pent-up energy will explode the moment the e-collar isn’t part of her wardrobe.

Wild Child Wins on Day 9

You can’t keep a wild cat suppressed… hmm, should have kept the e-collar on for another month!

Spayed on June 9^th, took the collar off June 18^th AM. She acted as if she couldn’t eat, even with me holding the bowl. Okay, this has been happening for every meal since she got home. Yay guilty, she has become dependent on me. But that morning she barely ate. In a moment of weakness, I removed the collar. Those big blue eyes are captivating.

She only ate a third of her breakfast.

We decided since she had healed enough, the collar was no longer necessary.

She had learned how to run faster with it the night before, adjusting to the cumbersome attachment to her neck.

Preparing for a wild evening.

Morning of the 18^th she spent the time bathing from head to toe. Not a luxury maneuver until that day. By afternoon she was ready for a nap. Clean, rested, and prepared for a wild evening.

After Eight PM

We were playing Tri-Ominos in the kitchen. Our escape from TV reruns. Lily and Lucy were taking turns flying through the house, chasing each other.

Then quiet.

Crash…

Went to the bedroom to assess what damage transpired. Lucy was the culprit, as I had expected.

Lily sitting beside the bed, as if to say, “This was not my idea. I didn’t do it.”

Lucy had pulled the Kleenex box (what is with the Kleenex, her second attacked box) to the floor and yanked tissues out from the top. She knocked over bottles and clothes that were on the dresser. Grateful for the weight of other objects on the dresser covering. Or everything may have crashed to the floor.

We wait for Lucy’s next episode.

Thoughts… if a 21-day habit might calm the seas (21 days in an e-collar)? Nah… we love the surprises and OMG moments she provides. She keeps us laughing.

Note: Spay or neuter your cat. It will improve their life. Read the many reasons in our free Cats vs Us book. You can receive it by signing up to our email list. Find the information here.

Related article: Spay Day or Was It?

Comments are welcome: Have you had any unusual experiences with having your cat altered?