If he is really that frightened of going to the vet, call Monday or Tuesday and ask your vet for a mild sedative (I call it "kitty Xanax"!) that many pet owners give to calm them down for car rides. You would give it to him about an hour before you leave.

When you pick him up he will probably still be under the effects of the sedative, so when you get him home he may not be totally coherent. Let him come out of that fog on his own terms, but keep him near you and pet him gently if he doesn't care where he is.

You are supposed to not let him jump on anything for about a week (yeah, right!) so give him as much treats, loves and cuddles on the floor as you can. But also give him his space. Don't force him to play with you if he just wants to be alone, he will come to you when he is ready.

You sound like a great cat mom, and just want the best for Dustin. He will be fine, this is a pretty simple procedure but I know how you feel: it is YOUR baby they are cutting on!

Best of luck, and call the vet ASAP so you can get something for his anxiety. Let us know how things go!

Can't add much to what michelle said but just want to say that if you can stay calm about the whole ordeal then Dustin will probably handle it like a trouper. Any anxiety you have about the trip will just transfer to him.....................

I always hate it too but it is the kindest cut of all.
I leave my cats in the carrier until they are coherent to avoid the danger of them getting outside by accident.
I can't add anything to what michelle said.

Thanks for the tips! I'll take the cat post and put it in the bathroom where I can shut the door so he can't get at it. I'll keep the deck door shut because he likes to grab onto the screen window ledge on his tippy toes (or is that tippy paws?) and see outside.

I plan to use the day to make my apartment more comfortable for both of us and I think I'll pick up a soft pet bed for him and sleep on the floor so he doesn't have to jump up on the bed if he wants to sleep with me. I might even tip the top mattress so its leaning against the wall so that if he does jump on the bed its on the box spring which is half the height (I planned on turning it soon, it will just sit in mid-turn for a bit). Fortunately he hasn't been actively jumping up on counters and tables and my computer desk. I've got very low window ledges for him to sit on so that will give him a place to look out and watch the squirrels and birds on the ground.

I'll also vacuum and make sure all traces of catnip are gone, but he never seemed too interested in that (tho there were a couple of times I thought he had gotten into some, he gets bursts of energy and runs around and jumps like he's running an obstacle course).

Thank you for the advice and support!

He might be wearing thin on the cap nip. cats that are exposed to catnip on and on can actually loose the highs from it.

Good on ya for neutering, it is the kindest cut. Get dead trees or bark for scratching posts, it will become irresistable. Sadly he may still spray even after the surgery but hay you did everything possible.

PS in gen pet stores are bad places to rescue a cat or dog from because they often get their animals from breeding mills and often feed kittens to snakes and stuff, by spending money there you may have supported more Dustins too.

But the good news is Dustin will live happily ever after!

When my cat came home from neutering, he just made a beeline for his food bowl, and pretty much acted as if nothing had happened. I think spaying is much more traumatic than neutering. I wouldn't worry so much, because as Annz said, your nerves will affect your cat more than anything else. Perhaps the tranquilizer for you, instead of the cat? (only kidding)

As an aside, I am really tired of reading Runsnwalken's posts. EVERY time he/she posts, it's to say something callous to the OP that is meant to inspire guilt and increase worry. EVERY TIME. Please cut that out.

If Dustin does try jumping on beds and furniture, make steps out of cushions or sturdy boxes, and show him how to use them. It helped with one of our cats, the other two were totally unaffected by the surgery and never skipped a beat and continued jumping. They were just fine. Animals are better than we are at judging what is okay to do physically when in pain, so let him dictate what he wants to do. AKchicago is right, neutering is not as invasive as spaying, so you may not even see a change!

Annz is totally right, the calmer you are, the better Dustin will feel. Animals can totally pick up on your moods and anxiety, so treat this as a normal occurrence, as much as you can!

Good luck tomorrow!

One more note..... :).........I think you're going to be shocked by the actions of your cat afterward. As akchicago mentioned, most cats (especially neutered toms) act as if nothing happened.

I used to foster kittens and cats and when they were spayed/neutered I never did anything special for them after the surgery. They may sleep a little more the first day home, but after that everything was back to normal.

Why do you guys think I'm so bad?, for telling someone it isn't a good idea to support petshop breeding mills, not saying Dustin came from one but still,advice is golden. Also by paying them money you are supporting another cat to end up as Dustin was, only this time its possibly not a nice woman who gets him out of there its a guy selling animals for bio research or snake food. Shelters on the other hand prevent people from buying pets for these evil reasons because they screen adopters- a pet shop, hay as long as they get their money.

Well I think in one of my other posts I mentioned that Dustin was a stray, 3-4 years old, and that he came from a shelter. The pet store helps the shelter by housing strays so that people will see them and hopefully take one home.

I tried not to be anxious or act out of the ordinary. The hardest part was ignoring him every time I went in the kitchen because I had to take his food dish away and he thought I was getting him food. I felt bad :(

Runsnwalken, I will respond to your question. You just really lack tact in your posts. You say things that aren't necessary and make posters feel bad. On a public forum such as this, you don't personally know any of the other posters, you should refrain from making possibly offensive remarks. These forums are a tool to educate, not preach.

No one asked for your opinion on pet mills on this thread, and you jumped on the OP for something that never happened. Sweetchastity was only asking about getting her cat neutered. Read the original post and stick to what is being asked. If you can't assist, just don't respond.

Back to the REAL topic, how is Dustin?