Newly Spayed Cat/Light gums, Normal or Abnormal?

[TeenagerMom]

My 6 yr old female cat got spayed today at a low cost clinic.  They said she did wonderful for the surgery.  Picked her up and hour and a 1/2 ago and she's at home resting now.  The aftercare sheet they gave me said to keep an eye on her gums.....they are pretty pale looking....

 

Is this normal for immediate post-op? When should I worry?

 

Thanks!!!

[Pawz4me]

How is she acting?  Has she had anything to eat or drink since the surgery?

 

Are her gums kind of dry and sticky (which is a sign of dehydration) or are they just pale?

 

If she's otherwise acting okay and is drinking some water or eating some wet food then I wouldn't worry.

[Tanaqui]

Pale can be a sign of dehydration or of anemia. If she lost a lot of blood, that could explain why they want you to keep an eye on them, I suppose. I mostly think of anemia as affecting cats with bad flea infections myself, as that's where I've seen it most often.

 

If she's acting fairly normal, and eating and drinking, and not panting* or otherwise exhibiting distress, I wouldn't worry overly much.

 

* A small number of cats normally pant. If yours is one of those, disregard this.

[StephanieZ]

pale gums can make the vet worry about bleeding.

 

I'd call the vet just to touch base.

[TeenagerMom]

Thanks everyone!  Spoke to a friend who has had multiple females spayed and she assured me that it can take 24 hours for them to get regulated with their body temp & circulation post-op.  She is quite grouchy at me right now (her normal disposition :laugh: ) and is drinking water, so I think she just probably hadn't been out of surgery long when I picked her up. Her gums look like they have a little more color to them than earlier.  If she's still pale looking tomorrow, I am going to take her to the emergency clinic to be safe!