Why is my cat agitated, restless, and in pain after surgery?

Acepromazine and diazepam at appropriate doses should be appropriate for post operative sedation and relaxation. However, neither of these drugs provide any pain control. I would consider adding an opioid-buprenorphine is my preferred opioid in cats- but since it is not available you may want to consider hydromorphine or fentanyl (in hospital) or tramadol (at home). NSAIDs are also an option but these have no sedative effect.

I would first like to know where she is biting herself. Does it appear she is going after her spay incision? I would definitely try and get a look at her abdomen to make sure there is no evidence of infection or inflammation at the surgical site. If she is not biting at her incision but rather at her back and tail, this very well may be an indication of a flea infestation or other insect problem. The best way to combat this is with a flea preventative medication. Several different varieties are available for cats, depending on what formulation you think works best. Her level of distress is obviously pretty high, so I would definitely look to get things care for right away. Anti inflammatory medication and fluids might benefit Munchie, but this will require a visit to the vet to obtain the prescriptions. Hope this helps.

I am sorry we couldn't get to your question earlier. Hopefully Sitara is back to normal now. The symptoms you have described are consistent with opioid use (which is what Buprenorphine is). I would not be overly concerned. I am more concerned about her dental disease and the plan to treat that, since the pain medications and antibiotics won't fix that particular problem. She needs a full dental cleaning under anesthesia and may need her teeth extracted if stomatitis is a concern. https://www.petcoach.co/article/gingivitis-and-stomatitis-in-cats/

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Daisy! Is Daisy on pain medications. She sounds painful to me. I would call and ask for pain medications or for additional pain medications. She should be on an anti-inflammatory (rimadyl, previcox and deramax) at a minimum. They can add tramadol and/or gabapentin. If you are worried and are not happy with how she is acting then definitely take her somewhere to be evaluated. They can check her temperature, her gums and her pain level. I hope this helps and I wish Daisy the best!

Unfortunately, there are not any great medicines you can give for a hormonal imbalance as such. I would give her some time. I would also make sure she is eating and drinking normally. If not, she could be in pain or have an infection from her surgery. I would have your vet take a look at her to ensure she is okay. Otherwise, give her a few days and she should calm down. It can take a few weeks for them to get back to 100% normal especially since she was so far along in her pregnancy. I hope this helps!

Hi, the incision seems absolutely fine. However what you describe in terms of demeanour and behaviour is not expected after a few days. It could be that Kit cat has a temperature or that she is still in pain. I would recommend to have her checked over to exclude any potential post op concerns such as internal wound breakdown or an internal infection. If all is well, she could have some symptomatical treatment for pain and or/temperature.

I'm assuming that you may be concerned that the spay caused some hormonal change that is causing her to act like this. There have actually been various reports of behavior issues after surgical procedures and the potential causes are numerous. Bella could simply be painful, or anxious due to the trauma of the procedure. Alternatively, Bella could have had a pre-existing brain condition prior to the procedure that got worse with the anesthesia, or the anesthesia could have caused a momentary lack of oxygen to the brain that caused some damage. I would be most suspicious that this is a behavior issue rather than a more serious problem within the brain. For now, I recommend giving her a little time and see if her temperament improves. It's important to not treat her any differently, or try to handle her excessively. Treat her the same as you did before the procedure and handle her on her own terms. If the behavior persists after a month, then I recommend consulting your vet for further evaluation. At this time, it does not appear to be serious, so I would not be too concerned unless she seems to be getting worse or having other health issues. I hope that helps and all is well with Bella.