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Why is my spayed kitten biting and acting wild after surgery?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 8 months and 15 days old | 5 lbs

My kitten Bella who is now 7 months old was spayed in November has become a wild child,she bites & is breaking my skin and refuses to let me catch her

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on November 28th, 2017

I'm assuming that you may be concerned that the spay caused some hormonal change that is causing her to act like this. There have actually been various reports of behavior issues after surgical procedures and the potential causes are numerous. Bella could simply be painful, or anxious due to the trauma of the procedure. Alternatively, Bella could have had a pre-existing brain condition prior to the procedure that got worse with the anesthesia, or the anesthesia could have caused a momentary lack of oxygen to the brain that caused some damage. I would be most suspicious that this is a behavior issue rather than a more serious problem within the brain. For now, I recommend giving her a little time and see if her temperament improves. It's important to not treat her any differently, or try to handle her excessively. Treat her the same as you did before the procedure and handle her on her own terms. If the behavior persists after a month, then I recommend consulting your vet for further evaluation. At this time, it does not appear to be serious, so I would not be too concerned unless she seems to be getting worse or having other health issues. I hope that helps and all is well with Bella.

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