# C-Section Advise - Cat seems in a lot of pain, is this usual?



## Kitten Fosterer (Sep 3, 2016)

Hi All,

Would it be possible for some advice on a kitten who has had a c-section three days ago? She is walking around, now not able to lye on her side, and intermittently crying (she never cries). UPDATE: She seems to be OK for a short while to feed the babies, but then will get all ill and slow blinking and has to leave the babies and sleep outside of the box awkwardly on her front. She is eating and drinking well though.

She has not been given pain killers because she has 4 babies to feed. Has anyone else experienced a c-section like this and do you think it is just because of the pain? She was also spayed at the same time.

She is on antibiotics as she has been over heating and the vets think that this is because of the stillborn in side her that they had to remove hence the c-section. They think it might have started to decompose and therefore has given her an infection. UPDATE: I called the vets and was able to speak with a Vet who was in on the surgery and she said that the stillborn was ok and that it has detached from the placenta which is why there was so much blood, but it did have feces inside her, but this will have been removed with the womb.

She also has lost functionality in her bowels and is leaving stools everywhere. The docs think it is a tear in her muscle and this will heal as she was straining so much to try and give birth to the stillborn. Problem as been that if she leaves a stool in the bed at night when I am sleeping and have not been able to remove it quick enough, the babies are standing on it and then transferring it to her wound on their paws while they suckle. I spoke to the vet and she gave me some antibacterial liquid to dilute to wash the wound, which I tried to before, and she didn't seem to like it...it might be stinging her?

So I imagine that if there is an infection in her wound too, which is causing her to cry and not lye down, then the antibiotics would be working on that and the infection she might have...

I am fostering her for our local cat welfare centre and had her here before she was pregnant, but we have ran into so many complications along the way, and now I am worried there is something else that is wrong with her.

The vets are closed and we currently have a bill that is over £1,000, therefore I am nervous to be taking her to the out of hours vet as it is £110 just for the consultation. Of course will if I need to, I just wanted to see if there was anyone to give me some advice? I can tend to be an over caring person who worries too much, and I am hoping that this is the case now. The Welfare Centre are paying for the treatments, but I just want to ensure I am not spending their money when I do not need to.

If you need to know anything else, please do ask!

Attached is a pic of her wound incase anyone needs to see it. I can take more pics if anyone wants them.


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## SpringDance (Mar 18, 2016)

I think you could chat to the vet over the phone. That shouldn't cost...


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## SpringDance (Mar 18, 2016)

And why are the local cat welfare not contributing to the cost?

ETA sorry I see you said they were in your first post (in addition to your reply). Adding the edit now for people who might read later.


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## Kitten Fosterer (Sep 3, 2016)

Hi SpringDance! 

I have called the vets and they have said to keep an eye on her and if she isn't tending to the babies, then to bring her in. They are lovely and very helpful, I just wanted to see if anyone else has experienced it. 

The Welfare Centre are paying for the whole vets bill.  I just don't want to make it any worse if I am just being an over protective parent  

Thank you for responding xx


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## SpringDance (Mar 18, 2016)

Ahh that makes sense, then - I was worried for you costwise. Other much more experienced people will be along soon, I'm sure. I would rather be over cautious than undercautious with things like this.


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## Kitten Fosterer (Sep 3, 2016)

Absolutely. I am scared to touch the internet though, so many things you can read!! But I think other peoples experiences are worth their weight in gold.


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## SpringDance (Mar 18, 2016)

@carly87 ? I know you are experienced? @Ceiling Kitty ?


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## QOTN (Jan 3, 2014)

I only had 2 caesareans in 20 years and my girls seemed to be fine, even though one of them had an infected wound. If your girl seems to be in pain, I would be worried because cats hide their pain until it is really bad.

Was she spayed at the same time? Obviously this is a bigger operation and I have heard of some girls who have been quite ill for the first few days.


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## Kitten Fosterer (Sep 3, 2016)

QOTN said:


> I only had 2 caesareans in 20 years and my girls seemed to be fine, even though one of them had an infected wound. If your girl seems to be in pain, I would be worried because cats hide their pain until it is really bad.
> 
> Was she spayed at the same time? Obviously this is a bigger operation and I have heard of some girls who have been quite ill for the first few days.


Yes, she was spayed at the same time! I should write that in the post!!


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## spotty cats (Jul 24, 2012)

No c-sections here, but I'd be worried about the crying and pain she seems to be in.

Hope she'll be ok


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## carly87 (Feb 11, 2011)

Back to the vets you go. There definitely shouldn't be crying with pain. My girls have certainly been tender, but they've been happy to lie with their babies and feed, and have certainly never cried.


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## Catharinem (Dec 17, 2014)

Is she short of milk?

Wound doesn't look bad ( but of course could be a stitch rubbing away inside), but the udder doesn't look full and kittens still suckling. Maybe her milk hasn't fully come in yet, and she is "being sucked dry"? That can be quite painful as they don't just suck and sleep but keep going back for more.


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## sharonbee (Aug 3, 2011)

I have had a girl who had complications following a caessarean, she seemed ok when she arrived home but the day after when the annaesthetic wore off she started having fits, very bad, one after the other, they were so severe, we got her to the vets and we had to say goodbye, we hand reared her one surviving baby, so if your girl is ill I would get her to the vets asap just to be on the safe side. I have also had one girl who temporarily lost control of both her bowel and bladder after giving birth, it lasted three weeks, we were constantly washing her bedding and washing her kittens, the thing with her she didn't strain, the kittens almost fell out, all six within just over one hour from start to finish, we had her spayed as we felt we were lucky the bowel and bladder incontinence was temporary, we thought if we put her to stud a second time and the same thing happened it could be permanent. All the best with your girl and let us know how she gets on x


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## Kotanushka (Oct 25, 2013)

We had cesarians with two of our girls. Why would not the vet give painkillers? Ours had painkillers and were able to feed the babies just fine and the wound would heal quickly. Second birth (and the following ones) were natural.


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## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

As a bit of an aside, the use of painkillers for a queen following a section came up recently for me. This year one of my girls needed a section; the first with my "new" (of three years) vet. 

He commented when I collected her that she had been given a very low dose of pain relief (he explained far less than the normal dose) and no antibiotics at all. His reasoning is that sectioned kittens can have a difficult enough start without being adversely affected during nursing by painkilling and antibiotic drugs. I was a little unhappy and concerned about this. 

It was a big litter, eight kittens, and the difference in the kittens (from previous sections with full dose painkiller/antibiotic) was startling in that they didn't behave for the first 24/48 hours as sectioned kittens often do; ie very sleepy, lethargic, slow to get going and all round a bit concerning. Mum, however, not so happy and clearly in more pain than she should have been. Two breeder/friends have commented to me that their own vets have used this protocol when previously they hadn't.


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## Kotanushka (Oct 25, 2013)

The vets surprise me sometimes. Surely the mum's welfare is most important? How is she supposed to nurse kittens who push and shove her freshly cut tummy getting her blood on their little claws when she is not even given sufficient painkillers and antibiotics? Is not it some kind of vivisection?

Recently I did have enough of vets telling me what to do against my common sense. I just say - this is my cat, my money and my choice. If they insist - I move to another vet. There are lots of them around depending on our custom after all...

Both times my girls had c-section they were given sufficient painkillers and the babies were fine.


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## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

Had the circumstances been different, I may well have requested he gave her the extra pain relief and antibiotics before I left. As it was, I'd been awake for 48 hours and everything just washed over me. Though her first litter, she settled instantly to nurse the kittens and was very attentive. This was despite prolonged - two days - heavy and almost constant panting which, after several phone conversations with my vet, he said was most likely due to pain which, he said, would 'settle soon'. 

He was clearly very, very reluctant to give her Metacam, quoting me all the dangers of newborns ingesting it via nursing and I found myself worrying and thus caved in on the issue. However, should there be a next time I'm quite sure I would insist on full pain relief from the off.


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## Kotanushka (Oct 25, 2013)

gskinner123 said:


> Had the circumstances been different, I may well have requested he gave her the extra pain relief and antibiotics before I left. As it was, I'd been awake for 48 hours and everything just washed over me. Though her first litter, she settled instantly to nurse the kittens and was very attentive. This was despite prolonged - two days - heavy and almost constant panting which, after several phone conversations with my vet, he said was most likely due to pain which, he said, would 'settle soon'.
> 
> He was clearly very, very reluctant to give her Metacam, quoting me all the dangers of newborns ingesting it via nursing and I found myself worrying and thus caved in on the issue. However, should there be a next time I'm quite sure I would insist on full pain relief from the off.


I do understand your situation so well. When I have not been sleeping because of my cat giving birth it does affect my ability to think. That's why I usually let my husband have enough sleep until the crucial moment of driving to the vet or making important decisions so he can think for the both of us.  Somehow I become quite demanding and sometimes just make a vet do what I think is necessary on top of what they offer. Talking to my friends-breeders and generally getting more experience I realize more and more that quite often experienced breeders know more than the vets which is why some vets do not seem to like breeders. Also quite often vets do not explain to us the reasons for certain things so we cannot prevent them from happening again and are bound to keep asking for vet's help. There is one really good vet that I know of who puts animal's welfare first, unfortunately we cannot visit her in every situation as it is over an hour travel (Osterley, West London - if any Londoners are interested).


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