7 month old kitten poorly after spaying

[maxiewaxie]

My son’s 7 month old kitten was spayed nearly 4 weeks ago. For the first 4/5 days she was fine but from then her mobility is very poor, she can no longer jump into the bed, she has trouble getting in a pooing position and wants to lay down a lot. She was extremely lively before spaying. She eats, drinks well, she doesn’t have a temperature, she purrs a lot. She is on strong painkillers now but the improvement very slight. The vet wants to do extensive blood tests to test for a virus but it seems to me more likely muscular/skeletal but the vet said it has nothing to do with the spaying. Does anyone have any experience of this? Many thanks

[Kittenchops]

What a beautiful kitten.
I really hope she is well soon It's so upsetting and worrying when they aren't well.
Sorry no experience of her problem
All my cats have been fine within a few days of being spayed/ neutered..
Do you think a second opinion would be useful.It might put your mind at rest if a second vet agrees with the diagnosis ?

[FormerlyPathologicallyHappy]

I’d get a printout of her medical records and take her for a second opinion.

[maxiewaxie]

Thank you, that seems like a good plan. He hasn’t said what the virus is that would cause it but is insistent it is not muscular/skeletal. When she walks she has a curved spine and after a few steps she flops down. She’s still really keen to play but only with her front paws from laying down position. It really doesn’t sound like a virus to me. So hard to know what todo with the poor little thing, she remains in good spirits, she’s such a sweetie.

[Twokittycats]

Aww she’s beautiful 😻
Would it be possible to take her to a different vet to get a second opinion? Cats usually recover very quickly from being spayed, they should be checking her over very thoroughly.
Poor baby, I hope she feels better soon!

[maxiewaxie]

Thank you. She has now had a CT scan which didn’t show any abnormalities anywhere but said an MRI might be needed. She doesn’t seem to improve or get worse. She can walk with difficulty but mainly she wants to lay down. She’s still very playful but wants to play laying down, she hasn’t lost her appetite at all.
we really don’t know what to think. When another vet at the practice felt all down her spine at one point she yelped loudly. They still seem to want to do a £500 blood test for FIP but this really doesn’t seem like a virus to me.
It’s so frustrating not being able to help her. Thank you

[RolyPolyKitten]

We did have a female cat that was very ill after spaying. She was allergic to the stitches and had to have them removed and was then restitched with a different type of 'thread'.

It was quite obvious that the would site was swollen though, so probably not what your cat has.

[maxiewaxie]

Has anyone any experience of a cat having a herniated disc and was this discovered by an MRI scan? This little cat doesn’t seem to be getting better or indeed any worse but the vets seems no nearer finding the cause. One of the main problems is her inability to get in the correct position to poo so it gets stuck all over her along with the litter as she is virtually sitting down to poo. She can still only walk a few steps without sitting down and really likes to be laying down. Before this she was one of the most active cats I have known. We are not aware she had a fall but could have done in the night or sometime. The vet is talking about an expensive blood test for FIP but I really don’t think it’s a virus as there is 1 spot on her spine which is very tender to the touch.
Thank you

[fieldsofbutterflies]

If the vet is wanting to test for FIP I would be inclined to go ahead and test, to be honest. It's a bloody nasty virus and I'd want to know about it sooner rather than later.

[FormerlyPathologicallyHappy]

An MRI would show that up, if you can afford it go for it. I’d be desperately worried by now too.

[tortietimestwo]

I don't think I can give better advice than other posters have, but just wanted to send you love and best wishes for your poor kitty ❤️ 💐. It's such a worry when our little furry friends are unwell; this must be awful. I really hope they can figure it out and sort whatever it is, or that she somehow improves by herself in the near future. Let us know how she's doing once you have a second opinion or further tests.

[maxiewaxie]

Thank you. We are thinking now of just giving her anti inflammatories for a couple of weeks to see if there is any improvement at all as long as there is no deterioration during that time. The reason we don’t think it’s a virus is because there is one particular spot on her spine which is very sensitive to touch and she is not at all ill, she wants to eat, play etc. It’s hugely worrying and I suspect we will have to go for an MRI scan to get a diagnosis in a couple of weeks time.

[DyslexicPoster]

Friends cat had a stroke after being neutered. But it was apparent from the moment it came round.

[EatCrow]

❤️ Good luck OP.

[maxiewaxie]

Thank you. We’re sort of hoping it’s something like a slipped disc in humans and that time will heal but who knows. Thankyou for your replies and I will keep you posted