[The Divine Miss M]

I suspect that in the next couple of hours withdrawl symptoms will begin. Miss M is scheduled for her spay Wednesday morning at 7:30am per the vet's instructions she just received her last meal. Anyone ever try to tell an addict they absolutely must wait 48hrs for their next fix?

 

[doodlebug]

What??? that's crazy...they're making her go 30+ hours without eating? Are you sure you understood the instructions correctly? Usually it's only 8-10 hours. Please call the vet and confirm...

 

[yingying]

Yeah that doesn't sound right... My vet only ask me to stop feeding my cats 10 hour before the procedure. And no drinking either. 48 hours is definitely way too long.

 

[Syrena]

Yeah, that seems too long! My vet asked me to not give Ginfis food 12 hours before the surgery.

 

[Dominoes]

That seems exaggerated indeed. My boy kitten went to be neutered this morning (will pick him up in an hour) and he only had to be 12 hours without eating.

 

[princessbear]

Different vets have different schools of thought, but I've never heard of 30+ hour fasting before anesthesia. One of my vets said no food or water after 8 pm, my current vet says no food after midnight but water can be given up until procedure - but NEVER have I heard of more than 12 hours or so. I would call and check with the vet.

I feel your pain as to the fasting though - Mimi is NOT a food addict, but she knows her regular feeding times and it is UGLY when the food isn't there for her and I can't explain why I'm doing this awful thing to her.

 

[The Divine Miss M]

The vet was very clear. He said no food the day before. I clarified no meals starting Tuesday night. He said no, feed her before bed on Monday and then do not feed again until you pick her up on Thursday.

 

[Dominoes]

The vet was very clear. He said no food the day before. I clarified no meals starting Tuesday night. He said no, feed her before bed on Monday and then do not feed again until you pick her up on Thursday.

She's staying overnight at the vet? I mean, maybe it's because it's a spaying versus a neutering and its a more complex operation? Just wondering because that sounds very odd, I'd say.

I took Voldie to get neutered today at 8am, didn't feed him since last night as per the vet's instructions, got him at 4pm and everything seems to be just fine.

 

[doodlebug]

So she's not getting food for well over 50 hours, probably closer to 60? I do not understand that at all...I'd be questioning the reasons for this to the max.

I can say that you will need to bring her back up on food very slowly...expect her to vomit up the first "meal".

 

[doodlebug]

She's staying overnight at the vet? I mean, maybe it's because it's a spaying versus a neutering and its a more complex operation? Just wondering because that sounds very odd, I'd say.

I took Voldie to get neutered today at 8am, didn't feed him since last night as per the vet's instructions, got him at 4pm and everything seems to be just fine.

Yes, they often keep the females overnight...spaying in much more invasive than neutering.

 

[The Divine Miss M]

It seems extreme to me too, but I don't want to blow him off and have there be complications. This vet's policies are all a little weird. She's staying overnight, but possibly not the night of surgery. She goes in tomorrow and should be spayed tomorrow, but it could be as late as Thursday morning. Regardless she'll be home Thursday evening. It's all a little weird, but I trust him the most to be able to deal with my little one's attitude.

 

[my5kitties]

I would not feel comfortable having my cat go without food for that long. You should ask him why she needs to go without food for so long. I'm interested in hearing what he has to say.

 

[MowMow]

If I had to starve my guys for 24 hours I'd be afraid to fall asleep. I'd wake up with an ear or something missing......

 

[Vivid Dawn]

On catinfo.org, there's an article written by a vet about how many/often meals should be given to a cat.

"Do not attempt to withhold food for long periods of time (greater than 24 hours). Allowing a cat to go without food - especially an overweight cat - for a long period of time (greater than 48 hours) can be quite dangerous and may result in hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease). Hepatic lipidosis can also develop when a cat consumes 50% or less of his daily caloric requirements over a period of many days. The definition of "many" varies from cat-to-cat."

Hopefully your kitty doesn't develop this complication outside of any the spaying surgery might cause! I would also think that a 'starving' cat wouldn't be able to metabolize and process out anesthesia as well, and recover slower too.
Oh well, I guess if your vet does this enough, he knows what works or doesn't...

 

[3furbabies]

I would cancel the appointment and go with a new vet asap... this vet seems to not know what he/she is doing... I would be uncomfortable with the vet going through the procedure... hopefully they even know how to do a spay.... That is 3 whole days without food... as the above poster mentioned, this is very dangerous. Both my cats were spayed 2 weeks ago and they could eat up to 8 pm the night before the sugery. Good luck.

 

[The Divine Miss M]

I trust him. I have six different vets. I'm THAT pet parent. I have a wide array because I am a firm believer in using the best in any given circumstance. Vets aren't all knowing so being MY vet doesn't give you a free pass. Out of the six, he's my second choice for this particular surgery on this particular cat. My first choice would have been a health certificate nightmare and given her age I'm not willing to chance anymore delays.

 

[doodlebug]

I'm sure it will be fine. While hepatic lipidosis is possible, the hugely vast majority of cats will not go into liver failure due not eating for a couple days. However, to me, it's extremely cruel and completely unnecessary to fast her this long before and after a simple spay. I'd love to know what his reasons are for this....

I also don't get the part about going in on Wed, but maybe not doing the surgery until Thursday...but then sending her home Thurs night. So she spends all day in a cage in a scary environment, without any food or water for no reason. I don't know what kind of attitude issues this cat has that is making you accept this process...but I can't see this situation as being positive for a cat with an attitude.

 

[The Divine Miss M]

Dropped her off before work. As to the attitude, she's a very sweet cat, until she isn't. She didn't have the best start. I've worked with her extensively the four months I've had her, and she's much better, but she still has a lot of issues. He was the only vet with not only a great track record, but a really good outlook on kitties that have some issues and are still a work in progress. He has a lot of experience working with volatile cats and is confident that he and his staff can manage things without traumatizing her more than necessary.

 

[The Divine Miss M]

P.S. He says it's a safe guard because he's had issues with anesthesia and full stomachs. He's certain that it is being caused by fibbing owners that didn't follow the fast, but just to be absolutely sure he prolonged the fasting period for all his clients.

 

[Dave_ph]

That's a bizzare justification. People who follow his 'safe guard' could cause problems for their cats.

I've Googled up a 'correct' fast time before a spay but you'd be insane to bet your kitties health on a Google. I'd be changing vets after seeing his logic