Animal Welfare Professionals

Hello everyone,

We are developing Standard Operating Procedures for a collaboration of various volunteers and groups to work together on a TNR program doing mass-trapping projects. One of our most argued over topics among the various participants is how long should we hold TNR cats for recovery after their surgeries.

My standard practice has been to return males and females who weren't pregnant or in heat on the day after their surgeries. I would hold females who were pregnant or in heat for about 48-72 hours after surgery depending on how stressed they seemed. 

Other group participants want to hold for less time, others want to hold for more time, and it's been a source of friction. So I'm looking for any general guidance from experts (especially medical experts) on this topic. 

Hello everyone,

We are developing Standard Operating Procedures for a collaboration of various volunteers and groups to work together on a TNR program doing mass-trapping projects. One of our most argued over topics among the various participants is how long should we hold TNR cats for recovery after their surgeries.

My standard practice has been to return males and females who weren't pregnant or in heat on the day after their surgeries. I would hold females who were pregnant or in heat for about 48-72 hours after surgery depending on how stressed they seemed. 

Other group participants want to hold for less time, others want to hold for more time, and it's been a source of friction. So I'm looking for any general guidance from experts (especially medical experts) on this topic. 

Hello everyone,

We are developing Standard Operating Procedures for a collaboration of various volunteers and groups to work together on a TNR program doing mass-trapping projects. One of our most argued over topics among the various participants is how long should we hold TNR cats for recovery after their surgeries.

My standard practice has been to return males and females who weren't pregnant or in heat on the day after their surgeries. I would hold females who were pregnant or in heat for about 48-72 hours after surgery depending on how stressed they seemed. 

Other group participants want to hold for less time, others want to hold for more time, and it's been a source of friction. So I'm looking for any general guidance from experts (especially medical experts) on this topic. 

We have been doing TNVR only for over 13 years.  We do approximately 200 cats per month with an all-volunteer team.

Our protocol is to return the morning after surgery unless there was an extenuating circumstance (which should be rare).  While they could be returned the same day in many cases, because of the concerns of roaming dogs and cars, we want the cats to be alert as possible.   We make sure that they have eaten and they look alert.    Keeping them an extra day may actually inhibit their ability to recover because of the stress of being in captivity. 

If there is reason to be concerned about a cat that had an unusually difficult surgery, then watch an additional day, but no longer if possible.  As long as the cat is eating and drinking, you are good to go.  However, there are also cats that are too stressed  to eat and those you have to go with your gut, with of course the input from the vet regarding anything difficult about the particular cat or surgery. 

I will add that we learned this the hard way.  We used to keep the cats a couple of days and so many of them broke with upper respiratory or just shut down.     It is important to remember just how resilient these community cats are.  So different, in fact, from our pampered kitties inside! :)  

Hello everyone,

We are developing Standard Operating Procedures for a collaboration of various volunteers and groups to work together on a TNR program doing mass-trapping projects. One of our most argued over topics among the various participants is how long should we hold TNR cats for recovery after their surgeries.

My standard practice has been to return males and females who weren't pregnant or in heat on the day after their surgeries. I would hold females who were pregnant or in heat for about 48-72 hours after surgery depending on how stressed they seemed. 

Other group participants want to hold for less time, others want to hold for more time, and it's been a source of friction. So I'm looking for any general guidance from experts (especially medical experts) on this topic. 

Our vets at the very start were pretty new  to TNR so of the first few, we had 2 or 3 on longer holds as they thought best - then I  did see the shutdowns happen, especially post 4 days. If they are not eating and this appears to be because of distress, they go back out and are monitored in the colony.  

I'm trialling a 3 day hold after difficult spays right now; the first couple were good so we feel confident to continue trying the shorter period.

On heat - they aren't held longer. I didn't answer that above. I simply don't have space, and we've never seen any need or had any problems post return on them. 

We have been doing TNVR only for over 13 years.  We do approximately 200 cats per month with an all-volunteer team.

Our protocol is to return the morning after surgery unless there was an extenuating circumstance (which should be rare).  While they could be returned the same day in many cases, because of the concerns of roaming dogs and cars, we want the cats to be alert as possible.   We make sure that they have eaten and they look alert.    Keeping them an extra day may actually inhibit their ability to recover because of the stress of being in captivity. 

If there is reason to be concerned about a cat that had an unusually difficult surgery, then watch an additional day, but no longer if possible.  As long as the cat is eating and drinking, you are good to go.  However, there are also cats that are too stressed  to eat and those you have to go with your gut, with of course the input from the vet regarding anything difficult about the particular cat or surgery. 

I will add that we learned this the hard way.  We used to keep the cats a couple of days and so many of them broke with upper respiratory or just shut down.     It is important to remember just how resilient these community cats are.  So different, in fact, from our pampered kitties inside! :)  

Hello everyone,

We are developing Standard Operating Procedures for a collaboration of various volunteers and groups to work together on a TNR program doing mass-trapping projects. One of our most argued over topics among the various participants is how long should we hold TNR cats for recovery after their surgeries.

My standard practice has been to return males and females who weren't pregnant or in heat on the day after their surgeries. I would hold females who were pregnant or in heat for about 48-72 hours after surgery depending on how stressed they seemed. 

Other group participants want to hold for less time, others want to hold for more time, and it's been a source of friction. So I'm looking for any general guidance from experts (especially medical experts) on this topic. 

My concern with them being in heat when they're spayed is that males will still sense their pheromones and harass them after their surgery, since the pheromones take several days to disapate. I hate to release a female after a spay for her to have to fight off males while recovering. I've had a hard time finding information on how long it takes after surgery for the pheromones to disapate so I generally go with holding her 48 hours 

Our vets at the very start were pretty new  to TNR so of the first few, we had 2 or 3 on longer holds as they thought best - then I  did see the shutdowns happen, especially post 4 days. If they are not eating and this appears to be because of distress, they go back out and are monitored in the colony.  

I'm trialling a 3 day hold after difficult spays right now; the first couple were good so we feel confident to continue trying the shorter period.

On heat - they aren't held longer. I didn't answer that above. I simply don't have space, and we've never seen any need or had any problems post return on them. 

We have been doing TNVR only for over 13 years.  We do approximately 200 cats per month with an all-volunteer team.

Our protocol is to return the morning after surgery unless there was an extenuating circumstance (which should be rare).  While they could be returned the same day in many cases, because of the concerns of roaming dogs and cars, we want the cats to be alert as possible.   We make sure that they have eaten and they look alert.    Keeping them an extra day may actually inhibit their ability to recover because of the stress of being in captivity. 

If there is reason to be concerned about a cat that had an unusually difficult surgery, then watch an additional day, but no longer if possible.  As long as the cat is eating and drinking, you are good to go.  However, there are also cats that are too stressed  to eat and those you have to go with your gut, with of course the input from the vet regarding anything difficult about the particular cat or surgery. 

I will add that we learned this the hard way.  We used to keep the cats a couple of days and so many of them broke with upper respiratory or just shut down.     It is important to remember just how resilient these community cats are.  So different, in fact, from our pampered kitties inside! :)  

Hello everyone,

We are developing Standard Operating Procedures for a collaboration of various volunteers and groups to work together on a TNR program doing mass-trapping projects. One of our most argued over topics among the various participants is how long should we hold TNR cats for recovery after their surgeries.

My standard practice has been to return males and females who weren't pregnant or in heat on the day after their surgeries. I would hold females who were pregnant or in heat for about 48-72 hours after surgery depending on how stressed they seemed. 

Other group participants want to hold for less time, others want to hold for more time, and it's been a source of friction. So I'm looking for any general guidance from experts (especially medical experts) on this topic. 

We have been doing TNVR only for over 13 years.  We do approximately 200 cats per month with an all-volunteer team.

Our protocol is to return the morning after surgery unless there was an extenuating circumstance (which should be rare).  While they could be returned the same day in many cases, because of the concerns of roaming dogs and cars, we want the cats to be alert as possible.   We make sure that they have eaten and they look alert.    Keeping them an extra day may actually inhibit their ability to recover because of the stress of being in captivity. 

If there is reason to be concerned about a cat that had an unusually difficult surgery, then watch an additional day, but no longer if possible.  As long as the cat is eating and drinking, you are good to go.  However, there are also cats that are too stressed  to eat and those you have to go with your gut, with of course the input from the vet regarding anything difficult about the particular cat or surgery. 

I will add that we learned this the hard way.  We used to keep the cats a couple of days and so many of them broke with upper respiratory or just shut down.     It is important to remember just how resilient these community cats are.  So different, in fact, from our pampered kitties inside! :)  

Hello everyone,

We are developing Standard Operating Procedures for a collaboration of various volunteers and groups to work together on a TNR program doing mass-trapping projects. One of our most argued over topics among the various participants is how long should we hold TNR cats for recovery after their surgeries.

My standard practice has been to return males and females who weren't pregnant or in heat on the day after their surgeries. I would hold females who were pregnant or in heat for about 48-72 hours after surgery depending on how stressed they seemed. 

Other group participants want to hold for less time, others want to hold for more time, and it's been a source of friction. So I'm looking for any general guidance from experts (especially medical experts) on this topic. 

Thank you so much for the reply. Does a mid-late term spay/abort qualify as extenuating circumstances for a longer hold in your policy? If so, do you hold those for 48 hours? 

We have been doing TNVR only for over 13 years.  We do approximately 200 cats per month with an all-volunteer team.

Our protocol is to return the morning after surgery unless there was an extenuating circumstance (which should be rare).  While they could be returned the same day in many cases, because of the concerns of roaming dogs and cars, we want the cats to be alert as possible.   We make sure that they have eaten and they look alert.    Keeping them an extra day may actually inhibit their ability to recover because of the stress of being in captivity. 

If there is reason to be concerned about a cat that had an unusually difficult surgery, then watch an additional day, but no longer if possible.  As long as the cat is eating and drinking, you are good to go.  However, there are also cats that are too stressed  to eat and those you have to go with your gut, with of course the input from the vet regarding anything difficult about the particular cat or surgery. 

I will add that we learned this the hard way.  We used to keep the cats a couple of days and so many of them broke with upper respiratory or just shut down.     It is important to remember just how resilient these community cats are.  So different, in fact, from our pampered kitties inside! :)  

Hello everyone,

We are developing Standard Operating Procedures for a collaboration of various volunteers and groups to work together on a TNR program doing mass-trapping projects. One of our most argued over topics among the various participants is how long should we hold TNR cats for recovery after their surgeries.

My standard practice has been to return males and females who weren't pregnant or in heat on the day after their surgeries. I would hold females who were pregnant or in heat for about 48-72 hours after surgery depending on how stressed they seemed. 

Other group participants want to hold for less time, others want to hold for more time, and it's been a source of friction. So I'm looking for any general guidance from experts (especially medical experts) on this topic. 

We have been doing TNVR only for over 13 years.  We do approximately 200 cats per month with an all-volunteer team.

Our protocol is to return the morning after surgery unless there was an extenuating circumstance (which should be rare).  While they could be returned the same day in many cases, because of the concerns of roaming dogs and cars, we want the cats to be alert as possible.   We make sure that they have eaten and they look alert.    Keeping them an extra day may actually inhibit their ability to recover because of the stress of being in captivity. 

If there is reason to be concerned about a cat that had an unusually difficult surgery, then watch an additional day, but no longer if possible.  As long as the cat is eating and drinking, you are good to go.  However, there are also cats that are too stressed  to eat and those you have to go with your gut, with of course the input from the vet regarding anything difficult about the particular cat or surgery. 

I will add that we learned this the hard way.  We used to keep the cats a couple of days and so many of them broke with upper respiratory or just shut down.     It is important to remember just how resilient these community cats are.  So different, in fact, from our pampered kitties inside! :)  

Hello everyone,

We are developing Standard Operating Procedures for a collaboration of various volunteers and groups to work together on a TNR program doing mass-trapping projects. One of our most argued over topics among the various participants is how long should we hold TNR cats for recovery after their surgeries.

My standard practice has been to return males and females who weren't pregnant or in heat on the day after their surgeries. I would hold females who were pregnant or in heat for about 48-72 hours after surgery depending on how stressed they seemed. 

Other group participants want to hold for less time, others want to hold for more time, and it's been a source of friction. So I'm looking for any general guidance from experts (especially medical experts) on this topic. 

Thank you for the reply Samantha. Are mid-late term spay/aborts considered extenuating circumstances in your policy? If so, how long do you typically hold them for recovery?  

We have been doing TNVR only for over 13 years.  We do approximately 200 cats per month with an all-volunteer team.

Our protocol is to return the morning after surgery unless there was an extenuating circumstance (which should be rare).  While they could be returned the same day in many cases, because of the concerns of roaming dogs and cars, we want the cats to be alert as possible.   We make sure that they have eaten and they look alert.    Keeping them an extra day may actually inhibit their ability to recover because of the stress of being in captivity. 

If there is reason to be concerned about a cat that had an unusually difficult surgery, then watch an additional day, but no longer if possible.  As long as the cat is eating and drinking, you are good to go.  However, there are also cats that are too stressed  to eat and those you have to go with your gut, with of course the input from the vet regarding anything difficult about the particular cat or surgery. 

I will add that we learned this the hard way.  We used to keep the cats a couple of days and so many of them broke with upper respiratory or just shut down.     It is important to remember just how resilient these community cats are.  So different, in fact, from our pampered kitties inside! :)  

Hello everyone,

We are developing Standard Operating Procedures for a collaboration of various volunteers and groups to work together on a TNR program doing mass-trapping projects. One of our most argued over topics among the various participants is how long should we hold TNR cats for recovery after their surgeries.

My standard practice has been to return males and females who weren't pregnant or in heat on the day after their surgeries. I would hold females who were pregnant or in heat for about 48-72 hours after surgery depending on how stressed they seemed. 

Other group participants want to hold for less time, others want to hold for more time, and it's been a source of friction. So I'm looking for any general guidance from experts (especially medical experts) on this topic. 

Hello everyone,

We are developing Standard Operating Procedures for a collaboration of various volunteers and groups to work together on a TNR program doing mass-trapping projects. One of our most argued over topics among the various participants is how long should we hold TNR cats for recovery after their surgeries.

My standard practice has been to return males and females who weren't pregnant or in heat on the day after their surgeries. I would hold females who were pregnant or in heat for about 48-72 hours after surgery depending on how stressed they seemed. 

Other group participants want to hold for less time, others want to hold for more time, and it's been a source of friction. So I'm looking for any general guidance from experts (especially medical experts) on this topic. 

Hello everyone,

We are developing Standard Operating Procedures for a collaboration of various volunteers and groups to work together on a TNR program doing mass-trapping projects. One of our most argued over topics among the various participants is how long should we hold TNR cats for recovery after their surgeries.

My standard practice has been to return males and females who weren't pregnant or in heat on the day after their surgeries. I would hold females who were pregnant or in heat for about 48-72 hours after surgery depending on how stressed they seemed. 

Other group participants want to hold for less time, others want to hold for more time, and it's been a source of friction. So I'm looking for any general guidance from experts (especially medical experts) on this topic.