Baby boys getting neutered on Thurday :(

Hi everyone, we are all getting very worried about Dexter and Chilli (they are going to be 6 months old this Monday) who are going in to be neutered this coming Thursday, I feel awful everytime I look at their little faces, we have taken a couple of days off work to keep an eye on them, but don't know exactly what to expect, some people say it OK for them to lick themselves a little, other people say they are not to lick at all. I am also worried that they might be in pain, I know it's the best thing to do for them as even thought they are brothers they would eventually start to fight and we want to keep them sweet and full of fun as they are just now! plus we don't want them to start to 'spray' in the house, but it still seems a little cruel doing this to them. :sad2:

Hi Silvergirl, I felt the same the night before Rocco was neutered (since he was my first MC) at 7 months old. I was a nervous wreck! I could not sleep that night but after the surgery the following day, Rocco came home feeling 'groogy' (hope I spelt it correctly). Two hours later, he was back to his usual self. I was not given any antiseptic solution or ointment; only told not to shower him the next 10 days.

Your Dexter and Chilli will be fine, I am sure. :)

The procedure is just a few minutes for boys, and sometimes you cannot even tell anything has been done to the them by the time you retrieve them. Girls on the other hand, do not feel good at all for a few days, which is very, very stressful. I would not worry!!

Don*t worry about it! They will be fine! Even the female cats, who have a way bigger surgery are doing pretty good afterwards. Mine wasn`t fully out of the anesthesia and could barely walk and still wanted to jump on the cat tree. OO So just stay with them and make sure they don`t try stupid things as long as they are still having some anesthetics in their body and everything will be just fine! :)

Hi there Silvergirl, please don't worry, they'll be just fine! It's really not cruel. Are you getting them done on the same day? My vet advised me to do this with my 2 when the time comes, so that they don't have an unfamiliar smell to each other.

By the way, I think Larry and Monty are almost exactly the same age as Dexter and Chilli - what's their birthdate? Mine were born on 22nd February. It's great fun having 2 together - double trouble!!

Harry was fine after his op. Like you I had sleepness nights worrying, really no need to worry at all ! Poppy (female) was fine too, although because she's black and they shaved her underbelly she looked like she'd had an operation, but to be fair by the following day was back to her usual self. Hope the boys (and you) get on ok, keep us posted. :)

Freyja will need to be done in about 3 weeks time - she'll be 6 months then. I have no idea what to expect, or what care she'll need - what's 'normal'? Are there any do's and don'ts - before and after - the op? Do their personalities change post-op? I'm getting quite anxious about the whole thing and every time I look at her lately I find myself thinking "You poor trusting, little thing, you have no idea what I've got planned for you!". I know it's the right thing to do, and that it's quite safe, but I can't help worry!

My two girls didn`t change at all. Boys tend to become a little calmer though. But my girls are as crazy as ever :D.
here is what to expect: When they came home from the vet they were acting really funny because of the anestethics which were still in their bodies. The bellys were shaved and you could see the fresh scar. Looked scary. One of my cats wasn`t paying attention to her wound at all, while the other wanted to lick and bite on it. Try to prevent licking and biting on the wound for a few days if possible. Although a little bit of licking is fine, the saliva helps heal the wound. I made a little bodysuit out of the arm of an old shirt for my cat, so she could not lick or bite on it anymore and open the wound... but as I said, how excessive your cat "works" on her wound depends on her character. Watch your girl closely and if she is just licking a little bit every now and then, let her. If she tries to bite the seam of the very first day, try to prevent that.
But really, your cat will be fine. It is way worse for you than for your cat. Try to act like it is no big deal and your cat won`t be nervous eighter. I hope this helped.

When I go to work tomorrow I will be looking after at least six little bundles of joy that mums & dads will be worrying about until they can phone us after lunch for a pick up time.
The main thing to remember before you take them is the starvation period prior to anaesthetic,afterwards we always tell people to keep the cats in for the first 48hrs & as our vet does dissolving sutures under the skin on the girls so they can't pick at them {not all vets do it this way} he normally says treat them the same as the boys after that.We don't even have them back to check unless the owner is worried as very often that can stress the cat even more.Most of them will have a bit of a lick at the wound but it is only very rarely you have to use something to stop them getting at it.Keep their food light when they come home afterwards,some will eat straight away some take a day or two,some will play as if nothing has happened,some are sleepy for a little while,sometimes with girls they can react to the suture material but that also is very rare & an inj.can help to settle that so all in all more of a worry for the owners who do leave feeling very guilty.
I will be having lots of furry cuddles though so we are all okay.....

I know how you are feeling as I was there two weeks ago. I can honestly say that I was amazed afterwards! I will say that the fast was horrible as my two love their food and are very vocal at feeding times so no supper was bad enough as every time one of us went into the kitchen we were mugged by them they form a picket line by where their food is kept and stand there demanding food! Next morning was worse no breakfast I really dont want to think what they were saying when they were talking! ↲When we left them at the vets (okay when the nurse had managed to remove the carrier from my grip!) I was a wreck. Why was I worried we collected them at half three with care instructions and returned home with them, as soon as the carrier was opened they shot out straight to where their food bowls should be and started talking honestly I have never seen bowls cleaned so fast. Then they started to play and played like nothing had happened to them.↲Honestly dont worry about them too much as they recover so fast and the only way I could tell they had had an op is by the bald patches.

Thank you for your reply, I know everyone is giving me good advice and I am feeling a little better about it I think! Luv Lisa x

Yes they are getting done on the same day, our vet thought it would be best too, thanks for the sound advice and thoughts. Luv Lisa x

Thank you for your kind thoughts, there has been such excellent support and advice from everyone, but it's soo hardnot to worry about your babies! I will let everyone know how it goes, I'm looking forward to my nerves getting back to normal too! Lisa x

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww they will be fine the only thing that upset Louie was missing his brekfast & we had a bit of trouble getting him back off the vets to :LOL:

I will think of you in the morning silvergirl knowing you have got to face two hungry boys! Let us know how they get on.

Only one more sleep & it will all be over,what a relief teatime tomorrow will be....
Give them both a cuddle from me.

Thinking of you 3 today! Everything will be fine! Let us know, how it went!

Thanx sooo much everyone for you kind support, we had an awful night with the boys last night as they feed on demand at their little feeding stations, which we had to take away, and as they can flick the door handles open now, they kept coming in thru the night nuzzling us. They were clearly ravenous in the morning, I think Chilli was actually trying to eat my hair!, However we got them to the vets nice and early and were told to call back at 3pm, which was the longest 7 hours of my life, not helped by the fact we were over tired nervous wrecks. I actually phoned the vet a 3pm from the car outside the vets door! and when they said they could go home I was in there within 10 seconds! Now back at home Dexter seems OK but quiet but Chilli is still a bit spaced out, looking around bewildered! he is so sweet, but other than being a bit quieter than is usual for them they seem OK, but I am to scared to pick them up in case I hurt them. I'm sure tho in a few days they will be back to their usual mischevious selves. Luv Lisa xxx

Awwwwwwwwwwwww bless there big little paws, they will be fine later or tomorrow :smile: x

Im so pleased all went well, but I would not worry about picking them up for a cuddle my pair were running around as normal when they got back home after they had eaten of course! Big cuddles to your boys.

Help! Behaviour very odd, which is what I expected to some extent, but Dexter has been stalking after Chilli climbing on top of him, biting his neck and holding on. Was so worried I called the vet, she said he might think Chilli smells different or is angry at his ordeal, and to keep them apart during the night, keeping an eye on them tomm. I hope Dexters sweet nature hasnt been ruined, has anyone else experienced this kind of thing? Lisa xxx

I am sure they will both be fine come the morning,most probaly if Chilli had been round as much as Dexter you wouldn't have had a problem but because his mate was behaving a bit different to normal that would have been his way of showing that he felt there was something wrong.Bet they both eat breakfast as friends in the morning...

We only ever had one male at a time done and frankly noticed almost nothing different even immediately after they returned home. However, we definitely have had the cats act as if they don't know one that has just come back from the vet, with hissing, etc. for a while. Seems to be due to the vet visitor smelling odd. What you describe though sounds like aggressive but still normal play between two males. Certainly our two males often climb on one another and bite each other's neck. Your two have never ever played like this before? Males can be very physical when playing. I would be astonished if they are not fine, as they are under for just a few minutes for this procedure.

Hi. Sounds like everything went well! If you think the different smell might bother them, you could also take an used blanked and rub both with it, so they will smell alike afterwards. But I think, too, that they are just playing. My cats do that kind of stuff, too, sometimes.

Hi everyone, the boys have always played together and enjoyed some rough and tumble, but we have never seen anything that resembled real agression, it was always very playful, which is why we were so shocked. I think JCKKerrison had a point that Chilli was still spaced out as later on he came round and started attacking Dexter!, we kept them apart during the night (first time ever) and rubbed them in their fleecy blanket as Rum Tum suggested, and this morning they have been busy chasing each other round the house, their play still seems a bit rougher than usual but nothing like last night, they even shared a plate of meat, boy have they been ravenous! the vet said to give them a light dinner, in the end they had four light dinner and were still looking fior more! I was probably being a bit pathetic and over reacting last night, which is not like me honest! but in my defense it was a very stressful day! I am happier about things today and I'm sure things will be fine, just as you all said! Thanks again Guys. Luv Lisa xxx

Thats good news to read this morning,although they seem ok the anaesthetic can still stay in their system for up too 48hrs afterwards so could still account for seeming to be a bit rougher with each other at the moment,they all take & react to it in different ways & even though the boys op is quick they still have had an anaestheic.
Pathetic you,no,you are a mum & we are all like that,when I had a bitch spayed a lot of years ago she was done on the Friday so I had the weekend with her,when I went to work on Monday my then boss asked how she was & I said both of us had a rough weekend,she didn't want to be left & I was hand feeding her with cooked chicken & she looked really unhappy,he then asked if a client phoned up & reported the same what would I tell them & the reply would have been if the wound looks ok & she is not vomiting her food back take it that she is playing you up,treat her as normal,don't molly coddle her,put her food down & walk away & leave her if she is still the same in 24hrs bring her in,he just looked at me & said take your own advice & walked away.I went home lunchtime & said right you little b****r you made me look a fool,put her food down walked away & a few minutes later she was there with her ball wanting to play , I then had a job to keep her quiet enough for her wound to heal.I think we very often make it worse by the"Oh you poor thing syndrome"but we wouldn't be human would we if we didn't .....

I'm glad they've come through the op OK, and I'm sure they'll settle down soon (once the anaesthetic is out of their system and they smell 'normal' again).

This evening they seem to be very quiet, quite sleepy and are almost ignoring each other! got to be better than yesterday tho! All's quiet on the western front! Thanx again to everyone for all your support. Luv Lisa xxx

Glad to hear things sounds better. I think you may find as they get older that their play becomes more aggressive. Our males are one and two now, so the older one was a year older when we got the second one at around 12 weeks. We got the second male mainly because the older male had gotten bigger than our female that he played with as a kitten and she no longer was willing to play with him. The bigger male let the smaller guy do pretty much anything to him for a long time, but as the younger one got older and much larger, their play changed. They got so they didn't wrestle nearly as much; it looked like they were trying to figure out how to still do this given that they were nearly the same sizes--and large sizes at that. They clearly sometimes got mad at one another when playing, when one went too far for the other--which often did happen. This seems to be improving recently in that they appear to be more controlled in their play, but there were times over the last several months where we have intervened to reduce the aggressiveness of the interactions (we have also tried to keep their nails trimmed to reduce the possibility of one injuring the other).