Post-op painkillers for my cat...unnecessary?

barbiedoll

Morning pet lovers!

My female kitten was neutered yesterday, she came home full of beans and raring to go. (I did wonder why the vet asked me to pick her up "as soon as possible" :rotfl:)

She has been eating and drinking well, we have tried to keep her quiet but she's not having any of it, she has been playing with her toys and generally behaving as though nothing has happened. I've been given a small vial of "Metacam" to be given to her: 0.2ml each day for 3 days, the vet told me that it is her pain relief.

As she doesn't appear to be in any pain and is quite happy to be stroked and handled (gently), do I really need to give it to her?

Thanks!

krlyr

She will most likely have been given a painkiller by injection after the operation, hence the apparent lack of pain. Also, an animal survives by hiding pain - survival of the fittest and all that.

She's just been spayed, it's not a minor op, and whilst it's done as minimally invasively as possible, she's just had her reproduction organs removed! She will get sore, and I would advise giving the painkillers as recommended. The vets do this on a regular basis and will know best - give them a ring for their opinion if you're concerned.

paddypaws101

I have never been given Metacam to use post spay, and can honestly say I have never noticed anything in the various cats' behaviour that suggested they needed ongoing pain relief.
personally, I would prefer not to use such a strong drug without good reason.

moggymutt

We've had many thousands of cats done, and never been given painkillers to take home, they just get the one shot whilst still at the vets before they wake up. Never heard of it before.

nonnatus

I'm a great believer in the "NO PAINKILLERS FOR ANIMALS" school of thought. They don't understand what has happened to them, they don't know how to take it easy etc, and the only thing stopping them from acting mentally and possibly doing damage is PAIN. The pain is the natural warning system and needs to be present.

Plus that Metacam does awful things to their tummies, especially post surgery, when they have been starved for more than 12 hours. Nasty stuff. Your kitten sounds like she's dealing with life just fine. If she was quiet, listless, panting etc I'd start to worry, but until then, admire her spirit!!

moggymutt

Nonnatus, I don't think you mean no painkillers for BADLY injured or ill animals, painkillers won't take away all the pain in these cases, just make it more bearable.

barbiedoll

Thanks for all replies.

I have had other cats that have been neutered and have never been given painkillers for them either, that's why I asked for your opinions and experiences.

I don't think that she needs any pain relief at present, it is now over 24 hours since her operation and she is still running around and is eating and drinking normally. I will keep an eye on her, we are seeing the vet tomorrow for a post-op check anyway, so I will ask her opinion then.

danih

Metacam is also an anti inflammatory, I wonder did the vet prescribe it to aid wound recovery as well as for pain relief?

Although I've had 3 tom cats and 2 male dogs neutered over the past 5 years, one only a few weeks ago - they all had a long acting painkilling / anti-inflammatory injection given by vet before I took them home.

Might be worth a wee phone call to vet to check was there any particular reason for themetacam

meritaten

I think I would ask too why Metacalm was prescribed - none of mine ever had painkillers when they came home.
there may be a good reason, but if vet prescribes them as a 'matter of course' I would be returning them and asking for a refund on them. as they are plainly not needed.

paddypaws101

recently, I drove a friend to pick up her cat post spay from a local vet well known for their high charges. The bill came to £130!
When we checked the detailed bill (which I asked for) it included a bag of special post operative food and a 3 day supply of Metacam...items which we promptly returned for full refund along with the buster collar.
Interestingly, I have uses this same practice when I have taken local strays for neutering under C4 scheme....and non of those expensive items were included for those operations!

aileth

When our kitty got neutered, we had nothing. He literally acted totally no bothered, wasn't even wobbly when he came home. You would never have been able to realise.

However, when our pup got neutered he really suffered. He seemed to be really sensitive to it all and we had to ring the vet to request pain relief. They said that it is uncommon, but yes they can be in pain or discomfort afterwards, and that if we wanted pain relief we'd have to pay for it.