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My cat just got spayed and isnt eating anymote
My cat was recently spayed. At first she ate normally, but a couple of days later she developed a 40-degree fever and some fluid collected around her incision. After we took her to the vet, she began eating again, but then her energy dropped. We suspected the fever had returned, so we brought her back to the vet. After that visit she stopped eating and would barely touch her treats.
A few days later, when her behavior didn’t improve, we took her to the vet again. We waited at first because we thought all the stress from frequent vet visits might have caused the changes. She ended up staying with the vet for three days, getting IV fluids and being fed there. They told us she was quite stubborn—she would eat only when she felt like it—but she eventually started eating wet food again.
When we brought her home, she ate a treat, which made us feel relieved. But later she vomited three times, and it was yellow. Now she only nibbles on a treat and doesn’t even finish it. This is really worrying because she used to eat a lot, even trying to steal food from our hands at lunch or dinner.
Could this just be stubbornness caused by all the environmental changes, or is there a medical issue behind her behavior?
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3 Replies
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I agree this is potentially concerning. Cats may not eat the night of their spay, or have some altered behavior, but it typically only lasts for about 24 hours at the most. I tell all my clients that if there are any concerns lasting past 24 hours post surgery, to let us know.
The incision may be a little inflamed in the first day or two. Fluid swelling around the incision can also sometimes occur in cats but is not common. It is something that can happen if they have access to their incision and can lick or chew it, or if they are doing too much running and jumping.
The swelling isn’t necessarily an infection, it can also be sterile (non-infected) swelling called a seroma, which can resolve with some warm compresses to the incision.
As for the eating, I would be concerned about the fever spike several days after surgery. Fevers that late after surgery and any that recur are uncommon. If your cat’s appetite issues are not related directly to a fever, it is possible that she has developed some degree of food aversion due to attempts to feed her while she wasn’t feeling well.
I would hope by this time your vet would have determined if there were any complications related to the surgery itself that were still contributing to concerns. So, anything like that aside, it could be food aversion due to not feeling well at the time of the fever or potentially underlying nausea. Feeding a different food flavor or brand may be helpful if you haven’t tried that, because she may associate her previous diet with the times she didn’t feel well.
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I’m sorry for your cat hope she gets better.
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This is very unlikely to be stubbornness the fever, vomiting, and refusal to eat point to an ongoing medical issue. She needs another vet visit urgently, as prolonged appetite loss after a spay isn’t normal.
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