Upcoming hysterectomy: Coping with pets....

Ladies,

Just wondering if those of you who have pets have any suggestions on how to make caring for them easier during the initial recovery period and also ways to ensure they don't hurt you after surgery with their kneading paws and trampling - especially at night?

My elderly kitty is a lover, and always wants attention, at night she sleeps next to me and will howl if shut away from me and the dog is just as bad! I don't have anyone who can look after the cat (dog walks are covered though) and l'm worried how l'll cope. Strapping a pillow to my belly is the only idea l have so far, so any other suggestions will be most welcome.

Thanks everyone.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by BritLassie Ladies, Just wondering if those of you who have pets have any suggestions on how to make caring for them easier during the initial recovery period and also ways to ensure they don't hurt you after surgery with their kneading paws and trampling - especially at night? My elderly kitty is a lover, and always wants attention, at night she sleeps next to me and will howl if shut away from me and the dog is just as bad! I don't have anyone who can look after the cat (dog walks are covered though) and l'm worried how l'll cope. Strapping a pillow to my belly is the only idea l have so far, so any other suggestions will be most welcome. Thanks everyone.

Hi BL.

I have 3 cats and have a few ideas. First of all, the pillow is a must. I kept one on me at all times when in my recliner. Since it doesn't sound like you'll want to part with your kitty at bedtime (fortunately I'm able to do this), I would hug a pillow in front of you if you're a side sleeper or on top if you're a back sleeper. Also if you're a side sleeper you might want to think about a pillow to protect your flank area.

My biggest concern was the litter box. I got it raised up onto a large plastic storage bin. The bin is large enough that the cats have a landing pad area before entering or exiting the box. I also got several boxes of litter ahead of time and used an xacto knife to cut their tops off. They are sitting on top of a sturdy clothes hamper next to the litter box. I use a plastic container (or a mug would be fine) to scoop new litter into the box.

It's worked really well for us. 🙂

Good luck with your planning and surgery!

P.s. It's been shown that cat purrs have a frequency that increases healing rates of tissues! 🐾❤️🐾

I have an elderly 12# cat who enjoys sitting on my lap, and riding around on my shoulder, and two energetic German shepherds. The cat couldn't understand why I wouldn't pick her up, but she did seem to understand that the pillow meant "paws off," because she was content to just curl up beside me. My brother made sure the dogs had enough exercise, so they would be too tired to jump all over me. I was also able to fend them off with a tennis ball, and a stash of Milk Bones. Also remember that you'll be restricted from major housework, like picking up dog and cat hair, so just let it go for a few weeks - our dogs were shedding their winter coats during my recovery, and it was difficult to resist all that hair, but I just kept reminding myself that my recovery was more important than a hair-free house. And having them around certainly made my recovery go by faster. So give your buddies a big hug, and best wishes for a successful surgery and a smooth recovery!

I have two cats, the older of whom sleeps with (on) me at night. This actually turned out not to be a problem. I can't sleep on my back at all, so I slept on my side starting the first night after surgery. I had abdominal surgery, so I had a three-day hospital stay, during which my upstairs neighbour looked after the cats.

My first night home, my older cat waited until I was settled on my side, then climbed on and *sprawled* himself over me, covering as much of me as he could. I think he wanted to make sure I wasn't going anywhere! Ever again! I was comfortable, he was comfortable, everyone was happy.

I *did* have to have a talk with the guys about not kneading my belly. They were fine with that as long as they could cuddle up. I like to think the warmth and purring helped me heal. :-)

Do *not* pick up your cats if they weigh more than 10 lbs. I tried picking up my 13-lber when I got home from the hospital. My body screamed, "Put that down!"

I was able to reach the floor to take care of the food and water bowls and the litter box by stooping rather than bending. I used walls and furniture for support. Before surgery I dragged the 50-lb box of litter close enough to the box that I could just scoop fresh litter out of it.

We are training the cat now to not lay on my belly in bed. If my arm is laying down toward my hips, she won't cross the line. She tries to be sneaky and lay by me with her paws and head on my upper arm/shoulder - kind of cute She will be my protector while I recover.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by BritLassie Ladies, Just wondering if those of you who have pets have any suggestions on how to make caring for them easier during the initial recovery period and also ways to ensure they don't hurt you after surgery with their kneading paws and trampling - especially at night? My elderly kitty is a lover, and always wants attention, at night she sleeps next to me and will howl if shut away from me and the dog is just as bad! I don't have anyone who can look after the cat (dog walks are covered though) and l'm worried how l'll cope. Strapping a pillow to my belly is the only idea l have so far, so any other suggestions will be most welcome. Thanks everyone.

We have two small (ish) dogs that are our fur-babies. We have spoiled them rotten so I knew recovery with them would be challenging.
They sleep with us and our female snuggles into my abdomen every night. And she kicks. Hard.

I use a pillow against my tummy (i sleep on my side) and when it slips out of the way I found my instincts kick in and my arm protects me and blocks her. But after the first night she figured out there was something wrong so she's been good.
They also expect to be picked up and placed on the couch; at their convenience lol. We put a little bench against the couch so they could use that to get themselves up.
They do jump on me but they're only small so the highest they reach is my knee.

I recommend bagging daily kibble within easy reach as well as bagging the right amount of litter replacement if you won't be able to bend over to access the litter.

You may find that they will instinctively know that you're not well. Our male seems to know and he's very careful around me; all he does is sleep on my feet and give me careful kisses.

Good luck!!!