Why does dropping your cat off for surgery cause so much anxiety?
Pet owners experience intense fear and physical shaking when dropping off a cat for surgery or dealing with anesthesia side effects like vomiting. This overwhelming stress can make people seriously consider canceling vital medical procedures out of love and worry.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Reminding oneself that the procedure is necessary for the animal's long-term health
- 2Using soft cones or surgery suits to prevent licking during recovery
- 3Conducting pre-op blood work for peace of mind
- 4Keeping the pet confined to minimize activity post-surgery
- 5Trusting the veterinarian's reassurance and monitoring
- 6Asking the vet what warning signs to watch for later at home
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I’m just a worry wart but I love her so much and I feel so bad when I take her to the vet”source ↗
“I’m in the vet rn and my cat’s getting neutered but he vomitted right after anaesthesia even after not eating for 12 hours the vet said it’ll be fine but I’m still scared ….is it serious ?”source ↗
“I really freaked out to a point that I didn’t wanna go through with it.”source ↗
“I would be shaking too.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 4What should I expect when getting my first pet cat?
- 6Did I traumatize my pet after an accident?
- 10Why can't I stop worrying about my pet dying?
- 15Feeling guilty about getting a new pet too soon
- 2Can an adopted puppy suddenly turn aggressive even with proper training?
- 2Why do I feel so guilty taking my pet to the vet?