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The Stress of Being A Young, Anxious Pet Owner

Last week, my kitten Ash got neutered. I had been putting it off for months because I was so anxious that something would happen to him during the surgery. I was so worried, I took him to our actual vet for the surgery. I wanted to make sure I had as much assurance as possible that there wouldn’t be any complications. I took him for the pre-operation blood work and paid the extra money to go to the vet even though everyone told me to take him to a mobile clinic because it’s cheaper.

The morning of his surgery, I was a nervous wreck. I was so worried that something was going to go wrong. I made sure I gave him all kinds of kisses and pets before I took him. He cried the whole 10 minute ride to the vet. I gave him lots of pets while we waited for the vet to come get him.

I hated having him be away from me. It was just so weird with him not being home. At 11am, 3 hours after I dropped him off, the vet finally called. I was so stressed that something happened because of how soon they called me, but I was relieved when they told me that everything went perfectly and he was recovering post-surgery. They told me I could come pick him up at 2-2:30pm.

When I finally got to go pick him up, the vet brought him out and they told me he is the friendliest kitten with the best temperament (which I already knew, of course). After she was done telling me about how much she loves Ash, she went through the after-care. I of course was a nervous wreck. I had never done this before. My mom took care of our family cat Treasure when she got fixed because I was only in 5th grade. It is so weird having to be the adult now.

When we got home, I brought him into my office where he would be staying separated from our other two cats while he recovered. Despite him being separated from the other two so he doesn’t play and open his incision, I was still a nervous wreck. I spent a lot of time Googling how to care for your cat after it gets neutered and got lost in that and of course it just made me more anxious.

Ash really does have the best temperament and he has been such a happy kitty since he got home. He still loves to snuggle with us and he’s still a little purr machine. He’s great about taking his meds and he’s being a good sport about being confined to my office and having to wear the cone of shame.

It kills me having him separated so I’ve been spending a lot of time in my office with him. He spends a lot of time sleeping, but he also likes to hangout in my lap while I work. I’ll take off his cone while he’s in my lap because I can keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn’t lick his incisions.

I am so happy he seems to still be happy, but I cannot wait until I can let him out and be a free kitty again. I miss waking up to him sleeping in the bed with me. I miss coming home and immediately being greeted by him at the door. This is honestly the longest two weeks of my life, but it’s worth the wait to make sure that he heals perfectly.