Carys is home!!

[Siwsan]

She's also a bit frazzled. She's been through so much over the past 2 days, I'm surprised I even got this picture.

I put her in the playpen and put a blanket on it to help her calm down. The den is dark, anyway, so after a while I'll remove the blanket.

If I had just let her go she'd probably go hide, but I'd rather be able to keep an eye on her for a while.

She can see and smell the boys so that should comfort her. Well, if I can keep Gryff from dragging the blanket off of the playpen and the other two from jumping on it. They said to try and keep her from any 'strenuous activity for 7 to 10 days. Yea. Wish me luck.

[IrishAfricanAmerican]

1. 👍🏼👍🏼

[claudette]

2. Great

Good for you to take such good care

[Walleye]

3. Sweet!!!

[Siwsan]

4. Right now she's determined to claw her way out of the playpen

I want to be able to keep an eye on her stitches. Hopefully she will calm down. If not I might just move it up to the guest room and close the door. That way it will be very quiet and she might take a nap

[Walleye]

14. Probably means she's recovering pretty quickly

[wnylib]

22. If she feels the need to hide, is there a box

in the playpen?

Maybe some Felliway spray or similar product would help calm her down. For a cat that has had trust issues, the surgery might have been a little traumatic. But, she'll calm down. Some hand fed treats might help her feel secure and loved.

[tanyev]

5. Aw, that face says "The horror...the horror!" Poor thing.

Glad she's home, safe and sound.

[Siwsan]

7. I don't think my plan to keep her in the playpen for today is going to happen

But I'm going to give it until, at least, later this afternoon. Because she is still what I'd consider to be 'semi feral' being confined must be scary. I do think when I let her out, she will probably just hide until it's time for dinner.

I just know that she doesn't understand that I'm doing what's best for her and it's breaking my heart to hear her sad meows.

However the vet tech was really surprised when I told her how old Carys was when I finally managed to bring her inside so I must be doing SOMETHING right. instinct wise.

[MyMission]

6. I remember shredding newspaper

To use in the litterbox, after surgery, several times. The vets cautioned me about exposing the incision to gravel or clumping litter.

Given her hiding tendency you're wise to keep her in a playpen and separate room.

Hope she heals fast.

[Siwsan]

11. Shredded newspaper is a GREAT idea.

She's still not a happy kitty so I'm not sure how long I'll be able to keep her in the playpen. I'll just keep checking on her. There's a nice, soft bed for her to nap on.

And given her pre surgery behavior, she will eventually come out of hiding and take a nap on the couch with Arthur. One of the things she's learned is it's nice to have company. Especially Arthur company.

When I do let her out, I'll just have to keep an eye on the boys to make sure they don't instigate shenanigans. Fortunately, I don't have to be anywhere, all weekend.

[shenmue]

8. Squee levels off charts

[Rebl2]

9. We had a

kitten spayed a week or two before Christmas many years ago. About a week after her spay, I came into the living room to find her up in the middle of the artificial Christmas tree. I knew she was feeling better, not that she ever seemed to feel bad.

[Siwsan]

20. I had Gryff and Madoc neutered on the same day

That worked out great. Of course, that surgery isn't quite as 'invasive' as spaying. I think Sophie and Boudicca were spayed on separate dates. It's hard to remember. But I've never had any problems.

When my niece had Freya spayed, that little girl went straight back into zoom mode.

[2naSalit]

10. Sweetie!

Glad that part is over! Congrats, you made it too!

She might not stay in the pen. Maybe let her and the boys "check in" for a little while, she might settle down and rest and so will they about her. Some might want to join her in the pen to comfort her. If it's not too much for her, might be good to keep everybody feeling sure about everybody else's well being. They have grown into a family group and Carys is still getting acquainted. This will bond them since they have all been to the vet's. I wonder if the boys told her that this would happen-?

I have a good feeling about her recovery and it being brief. I think if there's a huddle to be had, let it happen. Just keep playing to a minimum for a couple days, they should be able to figure it out.

[Siwsan]

12. That's where I'm headed.

I think if she's not napping when I check on her, again, I'll try to give her some cuddles and then see how she does.

She has resorbable stitches and I do have to keep an eye on the incision. Not easy to do when she's in that playpen. And I've noticed that these boys are very tuned in to 'vibes', both human and feline. They might just all curl up with her and give her some warm comfort.

I'll give it an hour.

[2naSalit]

15. I don't recall...

Having more than two cats at once and so I am not real sure about the group thing but I suspect they will just do what they do when you aren't feeling well... they all curl up around you as if to heal you with their personal energy. I think the boys will be really protective of their new little sister at this point. They'll have the same knowledge about this and will act accordingly.

I think it will help Carys feel more at ease about everybody by the time she's all healed up.

An hour is probably good let her get her bearings about her surroundings but I bet she wants to commune with her brothers for comfort and reassurance.

[niyad]

13. YES!!!! Beautiful little girl can relax now, and so can her brothers.

Is Mom ready for a drink and a nap?

Now I can go about my day. Had been waiting for your news!

[Siwsan]

16. I'm cooking up some chicken thighs for the kitcats

I'll give them a good shred. Carys LOVES chicken so she will get a healthy treat, later today.

Then I'm going to juice a bag of lemons. I love having juice on hand for cooking, tea, or making my own lemon soda. Well, and Tom Collins cocktails. Those, too.

[niyad]

17. Excellent! And thanks for the reminder about the lemons. I just bought a bag.

Avgolomeno!

[keopeli]

18. What a relief! She'll settle in quickly. Great New Year's gift!

[Siwsan]

19. Exactly

I'll see out 2022 in a feline cuddle puddle, hoping that none of the neighbors set off fireworks.

[3catwoman3]

21. At the pediatric office, I used to tell parents that if they couldn't...

...keep their young kids down/quiet when they didn't feel well, they probably didn't need to. I suspect the same may hold true for young animals.

We were never successful at keeping any of our kitties quiet after surgery.

Do you have any of the Feliway pheromone diffusers? My vets' office has one in each exam room.

I'm so glad to know she is home.

[Peregrine Took]

23. If I get re-incarnated as a cat - I hope it will be your cat! n/t

[Siwsan]

24. I do tend to spoil them

But then they give me so much more back, in return.

[secondwind]

25. I could be totally wrong, am a long-time cat person, etc... but 7-10 days seems like a lot..to me.

They usually bounce back after 2-3 days, and am thinking it's because there are other felines around, and you should be more careful.

Good luck!

Am so very happy to see Carys in her home.

[Siwsan]

26. They probably suggest that long, just as a precaution.

She's pretty much acting like her old self, except she seems a little more 'at home' and relaxed. As long as I curtail any wrestling matches, she will be just fine.

She looked terrified when I took her out of the carrier. And she was pretty frantic when I first put her in the playpen. That 2 hours in the darkened playpen was a good decompression time for her. I easily picked her up and she didn't struggle to get away like she did when I first took her out of the carrier.

Carys was a 3 month old, very shy feral kitten when I brought her in, 2 months ago. Sometimes I'm surprised she's adapted this well. The vet told me it's a gamble, after 4 weeks old, to be able to FULLY socialize a feral. I'd say she's at about 50% socialized which is 50% more than she was when I brought her inside. If this is as good as it gets, I'm fine with that. She's a total snuggle bug at bed time. The vet tech told me her grandmother had a cat that acted the same way.

[republianmushroom]

27. good

[Dale in Laurel MD]

28. She looks beautiful.

I have a kennel cage, about 2.5 feet each way, that I've tried to use to keep cats isolated after surgery, but it usually lasts only a day or so before they figure out how to open the door from inside. The record was a female who must have inherited my wife's chops as a civil engineer -- post-spaying she was able to open the door in less than half an hour.

I dread what it'll be like once they evolve opposable thumbs....

[llashram]

29. fur buddies-children

are damn necessary in this current world. At least for me, that is...glad she made it GO FPOR IT FIGHTER CAT!!!