Is my cat's lip licking and stumbling normal after spay surgery?

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!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lily. She may still be feeling the effects of the anesthesia from her surgery yesterday. I recommend keeping her quiet today and allowing her to rest. Monitor her so that you can ensure that she continues to eat and drink. If she is not acting normal by tomorrow, then I would contact her veterinarian. She may be painful. Do not give any over-the-counter pain medications though as these can be toxic to cats. I hope this information helps!

Occasionally they will act "off" for a day or 2 following anesthesia, and a lot of cats really hate wearing a cone. (though you should keep in on her!) The combination of everything you mention could lead to her being a bit cranky. And the walking backwards and falling over is probably from the cone. Take it off for a few minutes and watch her move around to ensure she walks normally without it. If she continues to be stumbling/clumsy/abnormal gait with the cone off, then take her to your vet for an exam. But If she is eating some (even if its less than normal), give her some space. Let her have her own isolated area... a small bathroom, laundry room, etc, with food, water, litter box, and some comfy beds and or boxes she might like. She should be acting more like herself over the next few days. If at any point she is becoming increasingly lethargic, she starts vomiting, she is completely anorexic (not eating anything at all for more than 24 hours), then take her to your vet right away. Thank you for asking PetCoach1

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!

That is definitively possible as they may take even 24-36 hours to come fully out from anesthetic (side effects), but it is as well possible that she is experiencing pain/discomfort. I would just monitor her at this stage for the next 12 hours and if signs persist have her checked at your local veterinarian as a physical examination would be essential to understand properly the underlying cause. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

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.

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!