Help!!! How can I help her?

Question

My 1 year old cat was just Spayed today. How can I make her comfy and keep her from pulling at her stitches?
FYI - I had an appointment to spay her in April but when my Landlord came to fix a water leak in my apartment, the idiot forgot to shut the door all the way and she got (Was just starting her first heat cycle) Well she came home 3 weeks later but was pregnant. Very suprised but happy to have 4 crazy and adorable kittens. Well they are now weaned and I was able to get her spayed today (I cried leaving her there since it took me over 8 months to get her to trust me (she was a older feral kitten)) She is now constatly grooming her whole body and tugging at her stiches now (not to hard) The poor little girl hurts too but the vet said she does not need pain meds at home. When she walks (I tried to keep her separated but she cried for her babies (such a good Mommy)) she is hunched over. Any Advice...

We just tried the collar and she freaked out so much. She was thrashing and I had to take it off because she was twisting her torso. Can't give a cat aspirin or tylenol (that is only for dogs) I fed her and she ate all of it so I am thinking that my paying extra attention made her feel less stressed so she could rest. She is now starting to come to her chair (she claimed it as her own when she was littler) I ran the kittens around with a kitty laser toy so they are out like a light (cute little devils)
Yes I am keeping them. No one in my area wants kittens and the shelter advised they would take them but it would a death sentence she said since they are putting down kittens as young as 12 weeks. (and it is supposedly a no kill) I have advertised on craig's list, petfinder, and the local papers but no calls. I will NOT give them to just anyonem I have to make sure that they 1. take more than one, has an income to properly take care of them from food to well kitty visits to the vet.

Answer 1

this is normal for her to want to lick the stitches, she will be ok just keep an eye on them to make sure she does not break them, cats heal up in this procedure quickly, let her be with her kittens, this will take her mind off of the surgery, they will not hurt her, she just needs to lay around with them, just make sure no real hard rough housing and she will be fine. dont stress her out by keeping her away from her babies, she will heal up fine and in a few days she will be back to normal...she is just sore for a few days.....and then it will be gone,,take care of your babies and good luck God Bless ps please do not put an e colllar on her unless it is an absolute must, dogs do well with them but cats do not, .....

Answer 2

I think your vet is very unfeeling not to give her pain medication. Some idiot male vet I would suspect.

It must be very late where you are, it is just seven here in CA. Tomorrow get a bottle of Rescue Remedy from a health foods store. People use it and you should be able to find it. It will help with her pain, anxiety, fear etc. Very simple to use - shake the bottle well and put three to four drops on the fur between her ears. Do it frequently, as many times a day as you can. It will really help her and is absolutely benign in that it cannot harm her in any way.

Answer 3

If there is only a little inflamation and the sutures are intact, but your cat keeps bothering them, apply a thin coat of Vicks Vapor Rub on each side of the incicion with a cotton swab. For most pets, one whiff of the strong smelling stuff will make them leave the incision alone. It tastes nasty too, so one lick would deter them from another one.
Take good care of those kitties.

Answer 4

A lot of folks experience the same problems. Consider using an Elizabethan collar (aka E-Collar) or an Elizabethan collar-type devise to prevent your kitty from reaching the stitches. These collars are those cone shaped things that you often see dogs wearing. They make small ones for cats.

Answer 5

If she won't leave her stitches alone, try to get one of those cones for around her head. Being a former feral cat though, she may freak out. Ask your vet if there's anything you could swab on the incision that would deter her from licking/pulling at it. Good luck to you & her!

Answer 6

There is a spray for use after operations that you can buy from the vet or your local pet store. Cat's hate the taste of it when they lick it. Spray it around the stitches (it won't burn or hurt the cat), and this should keep her from tugging at the stitches.

Answer 7

GET THE CLEAR CONE! That is very important they only cost a couple of bucks at the pet store and can be cut to size, which is usually needed even if you buy the small size.

The clear one allows them to see and yeah they freak out a bit and look really sad, but that is just your opportunity to baby them. But please dont put a colored or white on on your cat she will really spazz out cause she wont be able to see.

Take it off her and rub her neck but dont let her get out of your sight without it, she will bang around in it, but she cant hurt herself.

Make her a special bed with towels/blankets where she can be with the babies and just rub her and talk to her. She will be up and around in no time.

Answer 8

I think you should jst sit on the floor, with the kittens by you, and a blanket spread across your legs, with your cat on your lap. She might be relaxed a little more with her kittens by her side, and being in her owners lap. She may fall asleep and forget aobut the pain for a while. Get a book or something too, or watch television if she falls asleep too, you may want something to do while she is snoozing happily away.

animaljamgirl

Answer 9

Agree with other answerer - try to get a collar. It will be the easiest on you & her because she will not be able to get at the stitches & you won't have to worry about her so much. I put vicks on my dogs stitches to keep him from bothering with them ( he had a cut on his leg) - he ended up licking right thru all that icky stuff & pulled out every stitch! I was given the vicks idea by people who work with animals.

Answer 10

There are safe pain meds for cats now---get some for her from your vet. If she is "hunched over" something might be wrong. It wouldn't hurt to take her in to be looked at, and get some pain meds. Follow your instincts! Sounds like you are a caring owner.