How Long After Cat Neutering Can They Eat? 4 Reasons for Anorexia and Post-Surgery Care Guide
How Long After Cat Neutering Can They Eat? 4 Reasons for Anorexia and Post-Surgery Care Guide
Everyone knows the benefits of cat neutering, so I won't go into detail here. Recently, a netizen asked me, her cat has entered a state of anorexia or even food refusal after neutering. There are many reasons for cats to refuse food, but generally speaking, there are only four reasons related to those who have just been neutered.
1. Stress Response
“Although the whole world is our country, the king doesn't really like to go out to visit friends or travel!” Especially for sensitive and timid cats who have never been out of the house, taking them out of the house may cause them to have a stress response and become very sensitive. Even after being brought back to their familiar home, they will have a period of time when their emotions are overflowing, and they will not be in the mood to eat. In severe cases, it may even trigger various diseases.
“In the hospital, those strange humans actually touched my dragon body without my knowledge, doing unforgivable things!” Cautious cats are always nervous around strangers, even the shoveler dare not touch them casually, let alone strangers in white coats! Therefore, these experiences may lead to stress responses in cats, and poor appetite is a manifestation of stress response.
2. Gastrointestinal Motility Has Not Fully Recovered After Surgery
Because cats need to use anesthesia during surgery, it will lead to smooth muscle relaxation and a certain degree of inhibition of autonomic nerve response. Therefore, there is a rule that they must be fasted before surgery to prevent gastrointestinal contents from refluxing and blocking the respiratory tract, leading to accidents.
Humans are like this, so are cats. They cannot eat immediately after surgery, and the owner should not force them to eat to avoid this completely avoidable accident of vomiting and coughing into the respiratory tract. Speaking of cats, they are very self-reliant animals. When they feel uncomfortable, they don't want to eat themselves. Once their bodies recover, they will actively seek food. After all, cats are made of iron or steel, they will get hungry if they don't eat. Generally speaking, the side effects of anesthesia will be metabolized by the body within a few hours after surgery, but some cats who are more sensitive to anesthesia may be affected by anesthesia for the next two or three days, that is, due to weak gastrointestinal function, they have poor appetite and don't like to eat. This situation will naturally improve as their body recovers.
3. Appetite Loss Caused by Wound Pain
After surgery, the intensity of anesthesia will gradually subside. At this time, the pain caused by the wound will also cause the cat to be restless and unwilling to eat. This is also a normal post-operative reaction, and so are humans. It should be noted that the discomfort of the wound will make the cat lick, so after surgery, the cat must wear an Elizabethan collar (also known as a large horn head cover). If it is a multi-cat family, it is necessary to isolate it for a period of time to prevent other cats from taking care of the cat after surgery.
4. Reasons for Cat Refusal to Eat Due to Illness
If there is continuous neutering and no food intake, although it seems that it is caused by poor appetite after neutering, if this phenomenon persists for more than a week, other health problems of the cat cannot be ruled out. No matter what the reason is, if your cat does not eat or drink for more than three days, or for more than a week, your cat has fever, wound redness, bleeding or exudation, lethargy, and poor appetite, you must take it to the hospital for examination as soon as possible, do not miss the best medical treatment opportunity.
Post-Surgery Care Guide
Neutering is actually not complicated, especially for male cats. When my cat, Lele, was neutered, the whole process took less than 20 minutes. When I got home, I felt like nothing had happened. However, regardless of whether it is a male or female cat, the following points should be noted after neutering:
Avoid strenuous exercise for a week: Strenuous exercise will affect wound healing and may cause bleeding, inflammation, tearing, etc. If conditions permit, keep it alone in an empty room with no furniture or climbing frames. Multi-cat families are advised to isolate it to prevent fights.
Keep the wound dry: Do not touch water, because a moist wound is very suitable for bacterial growth and reproduction, which can cause wound infection.
Scientific and reasonable diet: Adopt a scientific and reasonable diet to supplement nutrition, so that it can recover faster.
Summary of Experience
After cat neutering, the owner needs to carefully observe the cat's condition and take timely measures to find problems. In addition to the four common reasons for food refusal mentioned above, there may be other reasons for cats to refuse food, such as other diseases, etc. Therefore, if the cat has anorexia after neutering, be sure to seek medical attention in time to rule out the possibility of other diseases.
Everyone knows the benefits of cat neutering, so I won't go into detail here. Recently, a netizen asked me, her cat has entered a state of anorexia or even food refusal after neutering. There are many reasons for cats to refuse food, but generally speaking, there are only four reasons related to those who have just been neutered.
1. Stress Response
“Although the whole world is our country, the king doesn't really like to go out to visit friends or travel!” Especially for sensitive and timid cats who have never been out of the house, taking them out of the house may cause them to have a stress response and become very sensitive. Even after being brought back to their familiar home, they will have a period of time when their emotions are overflowing, and they will not be in the mood to eat. In severe cases, it may even trigger various diseases.
“In the hospital, those strange humans actually touched my dragon body without my knowledge, doing unforgivable things!” Cautious cats are always nervous around strangers, even the shoveler dare not touch them casually, let alone strangers in white coats! Therefore, these experiences may lead to stress responses in cats, and poor appetite is a manifestation of stress response.
2. Gastrointestinal Motility Has Not Fully Recovered After Surgery
Because cats need to use anesthesia during surgery, it will lead to smooth muscle relaxation and a certain degree of inhibition of autonomic nerve response. Therefore, there is a rule that they must be fasted before surgery to prevent gastrointestinal contents from refluxing and blocking the respiratory tract, leading to accidents.
Humans are like this, so are cats. They cannot eat immediately after surgery, and the owner should not force them to eat to avoid this completely avoidable accident of vomiting and coughing into the respiratory tract. Speaking of cats, they are very self-reliant animals. When they feel uncomfortable, they don't want to eat themselves. Once their bodies recover, they will actively seek food. After all, cats are made of iron or steel, they will get hungry if they don't eat. Generally speaking, the side effects of anesthesia will be metabolized by the body within a few hours after surgery, but some cats who are more sensitive to anesthesia may be affected by anesthesia for the next two or three days, that is, due to weak gastrointestinal function, they have poor appetite and don't like to eat. This situation will naturally improve as their body recovers.
3. Appetite Loss Caused by Wound Pain
After surgery, the intensity of anesthesia will gradually subside. At this time, the pain caused by the wound will also cause the cat to be restless and unwilling to eat. This is also a normal post-operative reaction, and so are humans. It should be noted that the discomfort of the wound will make the cat lick, so after surgery, the cat must wear an Elizabethan collar (also known as a large horn head cover). If it is a multi-cat family, it is necessary to isolate it for a period of time to prevent other cats from taking care of the cat after surgery.
4. Reasons for Cat Refusal to Eat Due to Illness
If there is continuous neutering and no food intake, although it seems that it is caused by poor appetite after neutering, if this phenomenon persists for more than a week, other health problems of the cat cannot be ruled out. No matter what the reason is, if your cat does not eat or drink for more than three days, or for more than a week, your cat has fever, wound redness, bleeding or exudation, lethargy, and poor appetite, you must take it to the hospital for examination as soon as possible, do not miss the best medical treatment opportunity.
Post-Surgery Care Guide
Neutering is actually not complicated, especially for male cats. When my cat, Lele, was neutered, the whole process took less than 20 minutes. When I got home, I felt like nothing had happened. However, regardless of whether it is a male or female cat, the following points should be noted after neutering:
Avoid strenuous exercise for a week: Strenuous exercise will affect wound healing and may cause bleeding, inflammation, tearing, etc. If conditions permit, keep it alone in an empty room with no furniture or climbing frames. Multi-cat families are advised to isolate it to prevent fights.
Keep the wound dry: Do not touch water, because a moist wound is very suitable for bacterial growth and reproduction, which can cause wound infection.
Scientific and reasonable diet: Adopt a scientific and reasonable diet to supplement nutrition, so that it can recover faster.
Summary of Experience
After cat neutering, the owner needs to carefully observe the cat's condition and take timely measures to find problems. In addition to the four common reasons for food refusal mentioned above, there may be other reasons for cats to refuse food, such as other diseases, etc. Therefore, if the cat has anorexia after neutering, be sure to seek medical attention in time to rule out the possibility of other diseases.
This article is original, please keep the link when forwarding:https://www.5zo.net/showinfo-4-81617-0.html