In this thread, I posted that I was having my cat spayed on Friday.
Well, I had it done and she came through with flying colors. When I got her home, she crawled under the bed and hasn’t come out since. She will let me pet her, but I can’t get her to eat or drink water.
Is this normal?
Cats tend to hide when they are in pain or not feeling well. So I would say perfectly normal. I would hold off on the worrying until Monday. And I am sure that experts will be along shortly. 
It would be if you tried to do it with me.
I would call her vet and get his/her opinion. Did the vet prescribe anything for pain? I would not wait until Monday to call and discuss this with her doctor. I would also pull her out from under the bed to check her incision and be sure it isn’t coming apart or looking infected.
I think you should notify your vet right away. It’s not a normal reaction.
It also can be very dangerous for a cat to not eat for a few days - she must have been on food restriction since the night before the surgery, so now it has been at least a couple of days since she has eaten. Besides the fact that cats tend to hide their suffering very, very well, so if she’s clearly suffering, you know she’s at the end of her rope. Please call your vet now. And let us know what happened.
Between the pain of surgery and recovering from the anesthetic, she’s pretty upset and confused. I’d leave her alone and let her recuperate… she’ll come out in a day or so.
I don’t know about ‘normal,’ but both my cats went into hiding for a while after they were neutered.
It is normal, however, I wouldn’t hold off worrying until Monday if she isn’t eating. Fatty liver disease can become an issue in as early as 48 hours without food. I would suggest sliding some of her favourite wet food under the bed and see if she eats it. And also some water. If she’s dehydrated at all it can add to the her lack of appetite.
To add - I also agree with everyone that said call your vet, especially if you don’t get her to eat on her own.
Looks like I freaked too soon. After a little more coaxing and reassuring, she finally came from under the bed. She wanted to go to the den, but we’re keeping her locked in the bedroom until she’s back to full strength, because we don’t want the other cats to fight with her.
She finally ate something and drank some water. We have an extra litter box in the bathroom and she knows it’s there.
I had to run some errands and when I got back she was sitting in my computer room and came to me immediately when I walked in the room. She’s purring happily again.
She’s now laying on her back, so now I can get a good look at her stitches. They shave a big chunk of fur of her stomach. The are looks good and there doesn’t seem to be any bleeding.
I’m off work Monday and Tuesday, so I can keep a close watch on her.
Thanks for the advice and concern!
It’s normal for them to be a bit nauseous after surgery, but that’s usually resolved itself by the next morning. Have you tried putting food under there for her? I don’t mean shoving something under the bed and then squatting there watching her like a hawk, that’ll just make her antsy and less likely to eat. Put a very small amount of something really nummy (canned food, a small chunk of tuna, a few shreds of boiled chicken, tiny chunk of cheese) in her bowl, slide food and water (just a tiny bit, so you can see whether she’s drinking and so she doesn’t overload and puke) under the bed, and leave her alone for an hour or so. Stay out of the bedroom altogether if possible.
If she’s eaten or drunk, offer a bit more and leave her alone. If she hasn’t, I’d pull her out and have a look at her. If her incision looks all right (no redness, heat, or swelling) and there’s no icky discharge (a small amount of clear or pinkish watery stuff is ok, talk to your vet if there’s a large amount, or if it’s colored or thick), try giving her water from a dropper or syringe and putting food in her mouth. If she still won’t eat or drink, take her temperature (neither of you are likely to care for that, and you can skip right to calling the vet if you want.) Normal temp for a cat is about 101, so if it’s below 100, or above 102.5-103, call the vet.
Slow freakin’ hamsters. Glad to know she’s doing well. I’d still go light on the food for a day or so, smaller meals more often, as their tummies can still get overloaded pretty easily for the first couple of days.
I’ve put just a little bit of food in her dish. She ate about 1/3. I’ll wait until she finishes the rest off before I add any. I will definitely make sure she has plenty of water.
Glad to hear she’s eating. The not eating can be very scary.
Oh good. My first impulse when I read this thread was to suggest putting a little bit of food and water within easy reach and leaving her alone for awhile and then checking to see if she ate, but for some reason I didn’t post it. I wouldn’t be surprised if her stomach was upset, considering what anaesthesia does to me. I’m glad she’s feeling better!