How to Care for Kittens After Neutering

Neutering your new male kitten is one of the best things you can do for your pet. Neutered cats are less likely to spray to mark their territory or urinate outside of the box. Since neutered cats are less aggressive, they make for better behaved house pets and are more likely to get along with other cats. Most male kittens can be neutered when they are five to six months old, although your veterinarian may want to perform the surgery sooner or later than that. Neutering requires that your cat undergo anesthesia and get stitches, and your cat will require some special care after the surgery.

Things You'll Need

  • Cat-friendly room with cat bed, litter box and water bowl
  • All-meat baby food
  • Canned cat food
  • Water
  • Vitamin E oil
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Instructions

    • 1

      Prepare a special room for your cat to recover in. Your kitten will be groggy after the surgery and may have difficulty walking, and he should not be allowed full reign of the house until he has recovered. Choose a warm, quiet cat-friendly room with cat bed, litter box and water bowl. Your cat will probably want to sleep for several hours after returning home from surgery.

    • 2

      Wait to feed your cat until he is hungry. If he does not want to eat at his designated dinner time, don't force it. However, do not allow your cat to go for more than 24 hours without food. Offer him a small amount of all-meat baby food or canned cat food mixed with water. Do not use baby food with vegetables; onions, especially, can make a cat ill.

    • 3

      Avoid strenuous play for the first few days following surgery to avoid tearing out the stitches. Your kitten will probably want to play anyway, but try to prevent him from jumping or playing roughly.

    • 4

      Keep an eye on the incision to make sure it does not become infected. Talk to your veterinarian immediately if the incision becomes red or swollen, or if it is bleeding or oozing yellow liquid. If your cat is excessively licking or chewing at the incision site, he may need to wear a protective collar until the wound heals.

    • 5

      Spread vitamin E oil on the incision site if your cat will let you. This will help the wound heal faster.

    • 6

      Ask your veterinarian if you need to bring your cat back in to get the stitches taken out. Many vets use dissolvable stitches that do not require any future attention, or they may even use a special glue instead of stitches.

    • 7

      Feed your cat his regular diet the day after surgery. Once the wound is healed, play with your cat regularly to keep him active and healthy.