HISTORY
2 stray cats along streets picked up by a young couple who has
hamsters too.
Cat 1 - Black & White, Female, around 8 months, 2.6 kg. Vaccinated her
as a kitten and so she would be at the correct age.
Cat 2 - Grey striped, Female, around 9 months, 2.9 kg. Signs of one
birth based on changes in mammary gland area were seen.
"Both make a lot of noise (caterwaul) for 5 the past 5 days straight
before I bring them to you. Want to go out of the apartment!" the
young man said to me. "Neighbours do not complain as they have cats
too." Bought into surgery on Thursday Dec 2, 2010 at night.
Friday Dec 3, 2010
Spayed by me from around 10 am. Cat 1 done first followed by Cat 2.
ANAESTHESIA by injection
Both given xylazine 2% at 0.15 ml mixed with ketamine 100 at 0.6 ml
totalling 0.75 ml in one syringe IM. I noted that Cat 2 received
around 0.70 ml IM due to some movement as my assistant did not gripe
the scruff of the neck well. Cat 2 was more active.
SURGERY
5-10 minutes after anaesthetic injection.
Cat 1 - excellent surgical anaesthesia.
Cat 2 - was moving even at 10th minute. "She is heavier," my assistant
said. Isoflurane gas for one minute by mask at 5% was sufficient to
bring her down to surgical anaesthesia. I was able to spay.
UTERINE BODIES & FULL BLADDER
Cat 1 - peed before surgery onto surgical drape. Hooked out the left
ovary at 2nd trial.
Cat 2 - bladder full but could not be expressed manually. I did not
persist. Just hooked out the ovary. Took several trials as the bladder
was obstructing. Uterine body 5 x larger and wider than that of Cat 1.
Yellow corpus luteum seen prominently and larger. Why? Took pictures.
Both cats not let out of apartment and so would not be pregnant.
GOES HOME AND HOME NURSING
Owner wanted to take the cats home one hour after surgery. I advised
him to let the cat rest in the surgery as they may get choked and die
during transport on the way home.
Went home at 8 pm Friday Dec 3, 2010. Both cats at home
vomited when they tried to eat.
Cat 1 was more groggy. Both were not so active.
Saturday Dec 4, 2010. 11 am. Owner phoned me.
1. Cat 2 was back to normal, but Cat 1 was not so active. Running here
and there.
Cat 2 had licked off her plaster. I advised putting on another one or
wrap a bandage round her.
2. 2/0 absorbable suture will dissolve. No need to return for stitch
removal. Only one skin horizontal mattress suture. Cat 2 may lick it
off but owner says she does not bother with the stitch. She started to
eat at 11 a.m, but not Cat 1.
FOOD - Dry food from Royal Canin
Wet food from Whiskas
WATER - freely available.
3. Post op antibiotics. Baytril PO x 1 tablet each at 1/4 tab per day
for 4 days. I don't advise e-collars in cat spays. Plaster usually
sufficient. I use only one suture pack of 2/0 per cat. The muscle cut
was closed with just 2 interrupted sutures at 5 mm apart. The skin
incision was approx 1.2 cm from umbilical scar. The incision of skin
was around 1 cm. I asked the assistant to untie the front legs and
lift up front lower half of Cat 1 if I could not hook out the right
uterine horn after ligating left ovary. In Cat 2, there was no
problem.
DURATION OF SURGERY
I had my assistant record the start and end of surgery. For Cat 1, it
was 7 minutes. Smooth and easy. For Cat 2, it took much longer due to
full bladder, abdominal fat which I cut off a piece and extra large
uterine bodies.
MY ADVICE TO VETS
There is no need to insert another layer of subcutaneous stitching in
my over 20 years of spaying cats. However, some vets deem that
necessary as the university professors teach this method to close the
dead space and prevent haematoma. However, they also stitch the skin
incision.
Some cats and dogs do get irritated by this extra S/C layer of
stitching and lick the wound vigorously. You will see a red inflamed
area in some cases. Simple method is best. Less is best.
It saves time, money (some vets use 2 packets of sutures to spay a cat
or a small breed dog) and less painful irritation to the pet. Each vet
has his own style. It is hard to change mindsets esp. if University
lecturers teach S/C layer to close a spay wound or "concealed"
stitching.
As for injectable anaesthesia, xylazine 0.2 ml + ketamine 0.8
ml in one syringe IM is safe for cat spay at 3-5 kg bodyweight. At 2-3
kg, I use xylazine 0.15 ml + ketamine 0.6 ml as in the above two cats.
The duration of surgical anaesthesia is sufficient if you start
surgery 5-10 minutes after the IM injection and can complete your
surgery in 10 minutes as in Cat 1.
Topping up can be done using isoflurane gas at 5% by mask for
<60 seconds to effect or by injection of the combination. I don't use
the latter method although I have seen it done using small doses e.g.
0.1 ml of the combination. The above applies to Singapore cats. Each
country has its own cat sizes and climate and the dosage may vary.
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TOA
PAYOH VETS
