okay, i have a question for you animal experts.

i dropped my cat Nassi off today to be spayed at a low-cost spay-neuter clinic in chicago. i dropped her off at around 7:30 AM and she is getting picked up around 4:30-5 PM. my boyfriend is picking her up for me, and when i told him it was a same-day surgery, he freaked out. he was saying that it was really bad for them not to keep her overnight to make sure she is okay. i said that by the time we got her, she would be out of the anethsesia and had a few hours of recovery time, so it would be no big deal- we just would have to watch her and make sure she doesn't lick at the wound and doesn't jump around too much. he was still kind of angry though, like i did something wrong by getting her spayed at a low-cost place.

he was also ticked that i got her microchipped for some reason. :confused:

anyway, opinions are needed. is it okay that my kitty comes home the same day after her spay surgery? will she be just fine or will it effect her recovery? and do you think microchipping your pet is a good thing?

thanks guys.

My kitties came home the same day. They were still very groggy and I helped them with their water consumption, etc. There were no complications with my kitties.

My kitties came home the same day. They were still very groggy and I helped them with their water consumption, etc. There were no complications with my kitties.

yay! good to know!

did you get them spayed at a normal vet or a low cost vet?

Regular vet, but still...It's the same procedure. I am sure it's fine...Where did you take them? I go to the Portage Park Animal Clinic over on Irving.

I also picked up my dogs the evening they had their sugery. Other than some soreness and mior tummy issues, they had no problems.

Whats a low-cost vet? My doggies go to Banfield, the Petsmart vet.

Regular vet, but still...It's the same procedure. I am sure it's fine...Where did you take them? I go to the Portage Park Animal Clinic over on Irving.

good to know! i took her to the PAWS Lurie Family Spay/Neuter Clinic... it's kinda in the ghetto, but alot of people come there for the spay/neuter services. here's the web site: http://www.pawschicago.org/SpayNeuter/sn_main.htm

I also picked up my dogs the evening they had their sugery. Other than some soreness and mior tummy issues, they had no problems.

Whats a low-cost vet? My doggies go to Banfield, the Petsmart vet.

also good to know! a low-cost clinic is a place where they give really reduced-cost vaccinations, spaying and neutering and microchipping for people who don't have a lot of money. i paid $40 for the surgery, $12 for the vaccinations, and $25 for the microchip. they also do FREE sterilizations and vaccinations for families on welfare or fixed income, or who live in certian ZIP codes. and sterilization for pit bulls is free.

Is there staff on 24 hrs there? Unless there's people there 24 hrs that are going to be watching her, then there's no reason for her to be there any more than at home. Most vet clinics around here don't have all night staff, so its safer for the animals to be home so if anything did happen you could bring her to an emergency place, than to be in the hospital alone in a cage all night. We discharge all our spays/neuters same day.

Wow, that low cost clinic sounds great. Not sure if there is one in my area though. It sounds very supportive of the community.

The vet I used in my hometown did surgeries early in the morning, and I picked up my baby in the afternoon. The vet I used after I moved kept them overnight. Both were great vets, and both cats did fine after the surgery.

It's not necessary for them to stay overnight. Just make sure to keep her confined and quiet. No running and jumping around or anything else that would pull out the stitches. She should also have a cone on to prevent her from licking at the incision.

My dog and cat both came home on the same day. We had our vet, who is a family friend, do the dog's surgery and I just took her in first thing in the AM and picked her up before they closed, like you did. It was all fine and I think less stressful for them to be here with their family instead of at the vet.

It is the norm for cats to come home the same day. My cat was perfectly normal after her surgery, not even groggy or anything.

Your boyfriend sounds odd, why get upset about a microchip?

thanks everyone, you've been really reassuring. :) nassi is home and she seems to be doing fine, although i'm worried that she hasn't really eaten or drank, she is just sitting behind a chair in my roommate's bedroom doing nothing. is that normal?

it does seem strange for my boyfriend to freak out about such a dumb thing... i think he was just having a bad day and was looking for something to get pissed about.

i'll keep coming back for advice if the kitty doesn't come out from behind the chair soon. :)

a few days of not eating and sleeping a whole lot is normal after a spay. also being sorta zonky and overly skiddish. The anesthesia makes everything sound really loud and scary, so they often hide.

Did they give pain medication to your kitty? Do you have some at home? I've done spays and neuters there on the free days and no IV fluids, pre-op blood work or pain medications were done. There are reasons the prices are so low. The facility is nice though and everything is clean and sterile.
The main reason for keeping females overnight is to keep them quiet in a confined location, not so that someone watches them at all times. This is the most critical time to make sure they don't jump and run and dislodge the ligations on the blood vessels and bleed out into their abdomen and die. The majority of the time this does not occur, but it is a risk. Often the animal has enough medication that helps her relax in the unfamiliar environment.
Your cat should be feeling better in a day or so, even if she didn't get pain meds, and will start to eat. If she doesn't eat something within two days of coming home, try offering her something really tasty to entice her.