Kelly Cat is spayed!

I don’t remember if I’ve written about this cat.

Kelly Cat (just named her this morning) is a cat who wanders around the guardhouse at my housing area. She’s fed by the guard and a gardener.

I’ve long wanted to get her spayed, but was delayed because she was nursing newborns from her second litter.

It is a rather sad story, though. I learnt from the guard that her first litter was swept away in the drain by heavy rains during the months of thunderstorms. Then she got pregnant again (most likely impregnated by the males from the Rumah Kucing that is just next to the guardhouse).

This time, after delivery, she took her two kittens to a VIP’s house, and apparently, the VIP did not like this. She was going to and from the guardhouse and the VIP’s house, most likely to nurse her kittens. We could not gain access to this VIP’s house.

I had discussed this with another neighbour. Apparently, Kelly Cat is friendly with him because she first appeared in his back lane, so he “knows” her.  So this neighbour agreed to get her spayed and I left it at that. I offered to share the cost with him too.

Unfortunately, Kelly Cat was still not spayed.

Yesterday, the gardener informed me that the two kittens had been taken away by people “from outside”. I hope this means someone had adopted them. And the gardener asked me to get Kelly Cat spayed. I asked the neighbour if he is still up to the task, but he says Kelly Cat had a recent scuffle with his dogs and she avoids him now.

I had already decided last night that I had better get it done before Kelly Cat gets pregnant again. I could barely sleep last night; I always worry if any animal under my care has to go under general anaesthesia. There’s always a risk. When you know the risks, you will worry. If you don’t know, ignorance is bliss.

So this morning, I took a carrier to the guardhouse and asked the guard to put Kelly into it. I had already found a vet in Subang Jaya who offers a very kind neutering package with vaccination for “strays”.  It was actually so easy for the guard to place her into the carrier. Of course I stayed away from her sight so that I will not spook her. Female cats are very perceptive and very, very smart, unlike male cats. The same can be said of humans too, eh?

On the way to the clinic.

Kelly is such a sweet, gentle and calm cat, unlike….Gerald. She didn’t make a single noise.

This is my first time at this vet and the senior vet attended to us. He was so very kind and helpful. I requested for a V-notch but he says he prefers the flat tip as he has seen a few dogs with a self-inflicted (or fight-inflicted V-notch). He explained that a V-notch can be caused by fights (as in Cow Mau’s case) but a flat tip is more deliberate and less likely to be inflicted during a fight. I said I would go by whatever he recommends. The vet estimates Kelly to be just one year old.

I also checked with the guard what time she had fed Kelly this morning. He said it was at 7am so I told the vet. But the vet said that he has an injection which can prevent vomiting and he administers this for stray neutering because when they are brought in, it’s hard to tell when they had last eaten. This is true.

By late afternoon, the clinic informed me that Kelly was ready to go home. Earlier on, I had asked and was told she was already spayed; they were waiting for her to wake up from the anaesthesia.

So, Kelly is home with us now. The incision is very small and the vet says she can actually be released back to the guardhouse already, but I would have to request the guard to send me a photo every 3 days for monitoring. I decided we will just let her stay in our house for a few days until she has recovered before sending her back to the guardhouse.

The vet also said there was no need for the e-collar because his incision is very small, which it is. And there is also no need for any oral antibiotics since everything is sterile all the way. Even if only a tiny bit of suture is used, the entire suture is discarded and not re-used. So, everything is sterile.

The vet also checked that Kelly had no fleas or mites. That’s quite amazing because she spends her time in the bushes at the guardhouse.

Tabs is visiting Kelly Cat.

I’m hoping Samantha and the Blondies will be kind to Kelly Cat. Colourism, right? She’s a calico.

This is the flat tip on the ear which is the vet’s recommended preference.

The vet says I can try to feed her tonight, at 8pm.

Kelly’s spaying and vaccination are sponsored entirely by Tabs and Juno!

But the vet did say that Kelly is malnourished, so he advised me to feed her canned food for the next few days. After that, to make it easier for the guard, I will probably purchase quality kibble for him to feed Kelly on the long term.