Why Is My Cat Depressed After Spay?

It is pretty wrong to assume that the cat has any understanding of its physical changes and is depressed because of them. Most of the time, it should only be considered a part of the recovery process. The anxiety-causing, frightening experience the cat has to go through during the surgery is what will ultimately give it depression and not the idea of becoming sterile.

This is why, before having your cat go through this procedure, you should first understand the psychological impact it has on the pet. It will first feel overwhelmed and very scared.

You will usually get a great idea of what your cat is going through and whether or not it is depressed based on the physical signs at hand.

You should look for signs like:

• Refusing to Move
• Constant Whining
• Hiding in a Different Room

Most of the time, after any pain has passed, a cat that looks depressed after spay will usually just be anxious for a while.

You might also like my articles on whether cats can sense bad energy, why would a cat have a weak meow, and why would a cat refuse to pee for two days.

Your cat will have issues trusting not only you but also its surrounding environment, which up to that point might have given it a feeling of safety. This is why your cat might seem to slouch all of the time and might even seem aloof.

The next part of this article will give you a few tips on how to deal with a cat that is depressed after spay.

Tips On Helping A Cat Depressed After Spay

1. Buy Entertaining Cat Toys

Cats are very usually very playful and will like to have fun during the day.

You will still want the cat to have something to do to keep its mind away from the bad experience, although during recovery it will be resting more and running less than usual. A few new cat toys might be all the cat needs to destress a little.

You can count on cat toys to help both physically, enabling faster recovery, and psychologically.

Having some fun coupled with some stretching of the limbs will mean a double win for your pet.

2. Set Up a Quiet Place to Rest

The recovery period will mean extensive rest throughout the day.

This surgery will consume a lot of the cat’s resources so it will look to restore it by resting. This means that along with proper rest, the cat will also have to receive proper premium cat food and any needed medication prescribed by the vet.

Be prepared for this before the cat goes through this surgery so that it can receive the best care after it. When looking to recover, cats will look for a place that they consider safe, but also a place that is quiet enough.

If you can’t provide these basic necessities, the cat will suffer psychologically and will become visibly anxious.

Your cat should also be able to rest without having to worry about any other issues like loud sounds, other pets, or unknown humans.

3. Create a Proper Routine

It is very important for things to get back to normal, especially for a cat that seems depressed after spay.

This means that its owner will have to get things back to the cat’s old routine and fast. If you fail to give your cat the comfort of the daily activities it was used to before the surgery, it will be harder to connect with the pet and will cause it to turn away from you.

Even though it might be hard for you, depending on your daily tasks, you will have to try your hardest to follow the cat’s old schedule and not change a lot of things in its life.

Although it might seem better for the cat to have a different schedule during its recovery period, it might do more harm than good in the end.

The only changes that are a must are to give your cat its needed rest time and the required medication.

4. Use Catnip

As a cat owner, you have to be aware of the effects of catnip on a cat’s body, especially during periods that are harder than usual.

If your cat develops symptoms similar to being depressed right after spay, then you surely want to make its life easier. This is the perfect time to offer it only the best food, the funniest cat toys, and the tastiest treats.

Although all of these will be of great help, you can’t deny the positive effect that catnip will have on your pet.

This is something that will just make sense, considering the many benefits that catnip will provide.

Your cat will be able to relax almost completely, almost to the point of forgetting the bad experience if you give it just a little amount of catnip.

A cat that won’t have the opportunity to relax will be a cat that will have a hard time going through its recovery phase. Don’t be afraid to offer them some catnip to help make things better.

Final Words

The reason why cats might seem depressed after spaying will usually have to do with the horror of the surgery and less with their new physical appearance. Your cat will get out of the surgery feeling very vulnerable and will have a really hard time trusting anyone, especially you, who took it to the vet.

It’s not that hard for all of the cats, as some of them might move on pretty quickly and simply forget what happened. But for the rest of them, you will have to provide the perfect environment for them to go easier through this period.