Why are my cat's eyes open and not blinking after spay surgery?

Hello! Sometimes after anesthesia pets will take a little time to return to normal, and that can include being a little droopy or sedate for about 24 hours. However, if the eyelid is still droopy in 48 hours, you should have your cat examined for other problems, such as a nerve that isn't working or an irritation on the eye. Hope this helps!

That could be a side effect of the anesthetics, Ketamine which is widely used for cat spays can cause this symptom, it usually resolve within 24-48 hours. If you think she is still showing signs of partial blindness by tomorrow, call your vet.

Some cats can experience mild lingering effects from anesthesia up to 24 hours after the procedure. Try to let Coix sleep today and keep him confined to a large crate or very small room to prevent him from running, jumping and playing, as this could delay healing of his surgical site. It is also not uncommon for animals to skip a meal or two after anesthesia, so do not be alarmed if he does not eat today. If his third eye lid is still raised by tomorrow morning and he has not generally returned to normal, give your vet a call to determine if he needs to be examined. I hope that he recovers well!

It can be normal. Elsa is likely pretty sore from the surgery as her body heals, so it is normal for her to be a little less active and to want to sleep more (this will also help keep her stitches in place). As long as she is otherwise eating, drinking, and passing urine/stool, I would continue to just monitor. If she stops wanting to eat, drink, go potty, or seems to be worsening instead of improving, then going back to the vet is best. Her eyes may still look goopy as many vets use a special lubricant on the eyes when pets are under anesthesia to keep them from drying out. You can safely use a wet washcloth to remove any remaining goop.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Sparky. Horner's syndrome is not a common side effect from anesthesia and it does not frequently happen in young animals. She would need to see her veterinarian to know for sure though. She could have an eye infection or even an ulcer (scratch across the surface of the eye). Anesthesia does dry out the eyes making them more prone to ulcers. It would be a good idea for her to see her veterinarian again if possible as she may need medication. I hope this information helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Cherry! The surgery was DONE at 8pm or you picked her up at 8pm? The length of time it takes an animal to come around after anesthesia varies, on average they are ready to go home 4 hours after surgery. Some animals can take longer. I wonder if her body temperature is cold and that is why she is twitching. If she is still the same when your Vet opens at 8am, which would be 12 hours from surgery i would take her to be rechecked. This is longer than normal. I hope this helps and I wish Cherry a speedy recovery!

Great to hear you are choosing to spay and neuter your kitties! Some cats definitely do recover more quickly than others. This could depend on the choice of anesthetic, recovery time, other health issues, and nutrition. 15 hours is definitely a pretty long time and I would have expected a almost full recovery from any anesthetic at that point. Extremely lethargy and unsteadiness could be an indication of a post-op complication, infection, or something different entirely. If Tortilla appears to be stable to you, this isn't necessarily an emergency. However, if you think she is deteriorating, you may want to go ahead and get the emergency hospital on alert to tell them you might be coming in at some point. I would go ahead and check her gums for good color (pinkish and moist) and try to obtain a rectal temperature (over 102.5-103.0 would be considered a fever). If any of these are troubling to you, get her checked out some time soon. Also, I would flip her over and take a good look at her incision to see if it looks inflammed, red, or painful. Hope this helps!