Pet Sterilization
The past few days have been all about preparing for Ginger’s sterilization surgery and caring for her afterward. I was so nervous before the operation — it honestly felt like I was the one going in for surgery 🤦
The procedure was scheduled for the morning of Thursday, 26th March, but my anxiety started the day before. I knew it would be a battle to keep Ginger indoors overnight, and she wasn’t allowed to eat after 10 p.m. I fed her well during the day and played with her to tire her out, but once the sun went down she became a little rocket. I left a small window gap open for fresh air, and she managed to break it open. Judging from the CCTV, she escaped around 5 a.m. I don’t know if she found food or hunted bugs while she was out, but she definitely wasn’t supposed to eat anything 10 hours before surgery.
Ginger is a clever cat, but I wasn’t sure if she understood when I explained what was going to happen. She’s still young, yet she has a round belly. When I showed her photo to Dr. Umika, she suspected Ginger might be pregnant. Early-stage spaying is still possible, so we proceeded. Even on the surgery day, when Dr. Umika examined her, she said Ginger felt pregnant. But it turned out to be just water. Ginger wasn’t pregnant after all — and now she won’t have kittens of her own.
She woke up around 2 p.m., still heavily drowsy. She tried to stand and head for the door, wobbling like a drunk man — funny and heartbreaking at the same time. Keeping her confined was difficult. I didn’t want to hurt her, and I didn’t want her to hurt herself. I watched every movement. She vomited a couple of times, which is normal, but the night was far harder than I expected. By 7 p.m., she was fully awake. Her appetite was weak, but she ate a little. She walked normally, even jumped. She remembered that a slightly open window meant freedom, so she tested almost every window in the house. That terrified me — one wrong jump could break her stitches and cause infection. Thankfully, she grew tired again after eating, but I barely slept.
On Friday morning, I braced myself for chaos in the bathroom where I kept her. To my relief, there was only one poop and one pee in the shower unit. I had bought her a very expensive litter box, but she refuses to learn how to use it. I tried scratching the litter with her paws and placing her bum down to show her, but Ginger has her own opinions. Maybe she was punishing me for locking her in. Dr. Umika said she should still be drowsy the next day and that I should keep her indoors for at least three nights. But Ginger was determined to go outside. Except for the wound, she looked completely like herself — lively, bouncy, unstoppable. I had to let her out. 🤞 I hope she recovers quickly. And I’m relieved I no longer need to put Betadine on her wound; I know it stings her every time.
When Odile took us to Dr. Umika, we shared a bit about our lives here. She runs an Airbnb and cares for around 20 dogs 😲 She has four of her own, and she feeds another sixteen stray dogs on the beach — all sterilized. She even travels to different parts of the island to catch strays and bring them to Dr. Umika for sterilization, paying for all the surgeries herself. She doesn’t just help me; she helps so many animals on this island. Some people abandon their dogs when they grow old or when business is bad, like during COVID. Not all owners sterilize their pets. The dogs here are called “Maurichien.” Honestly, I think the irresponsible owners deserve that name more than the dogs.