cat recovering from dental surgery, concerned about his recovery/behavior.

Post Requirements: Located in the United States. Rascal, my cat, is male and neutered, he’s about 11-12 years old. I’m 23F. Vet was contacted and they are accessible during their office hours. I’m limited with his care because of financial issues, because of being a barely employed full-time college student.

TLDR; my cat had dental removal yesterday and i’m worried about his recovery, i did already contact his vet, simply here to maybe somehow ease my worry (i’m an anxious and paranoid hypochondriac) my questions are listed at the end of all the information.

i am basically worried about how he is acting and responding to his medication, and also need advice on how to keep him hydrated enough.

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please excuse the poor quality photos, i can not keep him still even if his life depended on it.

also important disclaimer: i am very much a hypochondriac and just want to ease some of my anxiety and stress, as well as make sure i’m doing everything right so i can better take care of him. please try not to scare me, i’m already paranoid. 😭

my cat rascal underwent dental surgery yesterday morning/afternoon where one of his right molars was removed as a complication from his kidney disease. i have never had a cat get surgery, so this is all very new to me.

he was under anesthesia yesterday for the surgery and was obviously drugged up. he was prescribed:

• Onsior (6mg) 1 tablet once a day with food for anti-inflammatory. • Gabapentin (100mg) 1 capsule for pain/anxiety, every 12 hours for 14 days. • Amlodipine (2.5mg), 1/4 of a tablet once a day for his blood pressure.

• and to wear a cone for 2 weeks after his surgery.

i was not able to give him any food last night, along with his two meds i was supposed to give. i was struggling this morning with him until i (with vet permission) gave him his appetite stimulant i have. rascal has never been much of an eater but because of his kidney issues it’s even less, and this causes him to drink a lot more, usually from a red solo cup in the sink and not his actual water bowl.

this morning he ate about half of a can of wet food and received all three of his meds. i haven’t been able to give him any water, he seems very disinterested with the cone on or off, in a cup or in a bowl. any advice on how to make sure he stays hydrated would be great. i have considered adding water to his wet food, either that or chicken brother or water based tuna juice.

his behavior has been sitting and staring at things while looking stoned, he wobbles around and sits, wobbles around and sits. he did pee this morning after going in it and circling around a few times, but he now will go in it to lay down or sit.

he has also tried to jump up onto things, no matter how barricaded i make them, he still tries. he never once before did any of this sober. i was hoping the meds would make him a bit more tired and chill than active and troublesome. i don’t want him to hurt himself when i can’t be watching him closely. some of this could be from the appetite stimulant, making him more active, but i never noticed this much of a change before. my room is the safest for his recovery and allows me to actually watch him, there isn’t really another option for him to stay, everything else seems too dangerous.

he hasn’t been vocal at all since coming home (of course now i say that he’s waiting at my door and made a sad meow to get out), not rubbing his face much—mostly seems like he is trying to rub or itch his ears occasionally which is normal for him since the appetite stimulant is given on his ears. he’s affectionate and falls over when i pet him, he accepts belly rubs gratefully as usual.

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so my questions are:

• ⁠Is this all normal and how long does it last?

• ⁠Should I be concerned?

• ⁠Any advice on how to maybe make him more comfortable or drink more water with the cone on?

• ⁠Does he even need the cone?

• ⁠Will he stop acting like a crazy dare devil at some point so I don’t have to watch him like a hawk?

• ⁠How long do I actually need to give him this Gabapentin?

any information or assistance would be helpful, i have called the vet and updated them today, they didn’t have much to say other than it all seems normal and recommended i add water to his food like i mentioned. ChatGPT also said this, but i always look to reddit for the truth and i am somehow still stressing.

thank you. 🙃