Okay, I’ve never actually been in for surgery, and if I were going to, you can be pretty certain the surgery wouldn’t be castration. But the point is, if I were to be scheduled for an elective surgery, I would be instructed to fast from at least midnight the night before. AIUI, the reason has something to do with them not wanting to deal with me choking on my own vomit in the event that I had that reaction to anaesthesia. sissies.
Well, Brock is going in for neutering tomorrow morning. The clinic performing the surgery is having me bring him in at about 8:00 a.m. Unfortunately, they neglected to mention, and I neglected to ask, whether I should restrict his access to food prior to bringing him in. It’s a little late for me to call them now, so I turn to my fellow Dopers.
My mom is an nurse anesthetist. Her worst cases are car wrecks after a dinner. The patient’s stomach is full and they puke during surgery. That can block the airway and be very dangerous. It’s also disgusting for the surgical team.
Kitty has the same issues. Don’t feed her for at least 12 hours.
<Veterinarian hat>
Yes, it is standard practice to fast cats starting from midnight the night before. Water is ok, but no food after midnight.
</vet hat>
If it is any comfort to you, a cat neuter is about the simplest, fastest animal surgery we do. 99% of animals are back to their normal selves the next day, an even smaller percentage have any kind of complication.
Er… so what you’re saying is that anything up to 99% of animals have any kind of complication.
Yes, I know what you meant; two thoughts mashing together in your brain leading to a contradictory result. I often say things like “crish” when I mean “crush” and “squish”. Causes much amusement.
Eh… Nope… The barbs in cat’s penises are controlled by testosterone. If there is no testosterone (castrated) or at least, not enough produced, the penis is smooth and has no barbs.
If the cat already has spines in his penis, they will slough off after the castration.
That is some absolutely new information to me. Not sure if it will change my life in any way.
I originally read the thread as wondering if the fact that the owner was going in for surgery meant the cat needed to fast, too. That seemed a little intense.
I’ve had a few male cats, and we always get them neutered ASAP. As soon as the boys recover from the anesthetic, they go on about their business, doing catly things, and don’t seem to notice that Something’s Missing Now.
I’m not a vet, or vet tech, or anything, just someone who keeps cats. I just thought I’d give you an owner’s perspective.
