My cat was just spayed and is biting at her stitches, what should I do?!?

Question

I'm worried about her stitch breaking open and her intestines falling out. :(

Answer 1

It's normal for them to lick their wound. I've only had one pull the stiches out. I know some won't agree, but I left it alone and it healed fine (and no intestines fell out!).

You can get a elizabethian collar, but I think they are traumatic for the the cat, and they can injure their stitches worse fighting it.

Don't worry, the sutured area heals quickly. Your cat will be fine. Just keep her inside.

Answer 2

Ok by now you would have chosen to do something else but my cat was spayed on the 29 of april and we had the stitches out after 10 days, my cat was doing the same thing too from the day of the operation.
you can buy a head cone thingy to prevent the biting or if you can make one that isn't too tight on the neck then great but make sure it isn't tighter than the normal tightness of the collar.
in my case i had to buy one, now if your voice doesn't deter the cat from biting then use the cone on the head, your cat will have the shits with it but too bad!
try that for a few hours and then remove to see if the biting stops and to give a feed puss will be able to drink and eat with the cone on if the cone allows the nose stick out of the top of the cone about a centermeter or two.
you must put the cone on at night puss will fall asleep!
try taking the cone off in the morning but make sure you monitor the bahaviour. if puss bites again tell her off and if she still insists on biting then put the cone on again. and in my case puss realised by this time and stopped and also by then she should be used to the feeling of the stitches.
As well check the stitches and keep an eye on them if they start to weep and bleeding still happens see the vet.
my cat's was weeping clear fluid (that's ok in small ammounts) the next day i took her in and they said she had fluid in the stitch cavity, not good.
then the wound started to dry and the 10 days passed with no more biting.
we had stitches taken out and the wound slightly opened and weeping, the next day we took her to the vet (this is at no charge as it should come under post op care on the vet's behalf) and she had to have a antibiotic cause at this time the weeping had turned yellowy green, so we chose injection that lasts 2 days due to her turning into demon cat when we try to give her oral medication. the very naxt day the wound was dry and she was great. and she's all better.

all the best from me and my cat Big Mau.

Answer 3

Try getting her attention on something else -- a toy, a treat, a brushing or lovey.

Even if she does get a stitch or two out, her intestines won't fall out. There is another row of stitches underneath -- inside. Of course, it would be better if she didn't remove her own stitches as the outer sutures hold the skin together so that it will heal better.

I would not scold her or punish her in any way. If you can't divert her attention away from it, you may want to check with your vet. They may want to check to make sure the sutures are not too tight or that one isn't sticking her and causing discomfort.

Answer 4

Ew. Graphic. Go grab a fork.. Free dinner tonight!


If you call the vet they will give you a large collar that looks like a funnel for her to wear, she will hate it, but it will control the chewing on the stitches. I had a cat that removed the bottom two stitches, before I could get to the vet. I took a dish towel that was all cotton and very thin. I folded it and wrapped it around her belly and made it stay with safety pins. I had to put it back on about 100 times before i cot the collar.

Answer 5

Relax. Cats frequently remove their stitches. Just keep an eye on the incision to be sure it's healing ok.

As long as it's healing, you don't need to do anything. If it starts to look infected or opens up really big, call the vet and follow his/her instructions.

Purrs,
The Cat Lady

Answer 6

Use a spray bottle and fill it with water. Every time the cat bites at the stitches spray him. This also works for other things he shouldn't be doing.

Answer 7

I cut the toe off of an old athletic sock and slipped it over her body. She looked like sort of a punk cat, but for whatever reason, she stopped biting at the stitches.

Answer 8

you could make or get her an elizabethan collar,but if it as a few days ago she had her op then she will be fine,i have had cats that have removed their stiches,her intestines wont fall out but she could get an infection in the wound so keep an eye on it and dont worry

Answer 9

omg i went thru this so many times !!!
it's such a horrible phase!
put a hood thing on, I get one a little longer all the time. and help them in the litterbox and eating. they can't reach it then. If you know of a clinic open all night bring her there to get one immediatly! or a pet store.

i put a little bit of aloe vera on their stiches twice daily to make it get better faster. Stops the itch.

I feel for ya! One of my cats kept me awake all night one night because her hood thingy they put on her was a little too short! wow was that a pain in the butt night!! too long! then the next morning as soon as they opened at 8 am I got a longer one. no way she could reach it, i called my sister to watch her so i can get a nap ..slept 8 hours i was so tired! LOL

I never want to go thru that again so I get a fixed cat/kitten from the humane society .

When i read the question i started shaking out of worry because i'm 40 and went thru that at least 20 times! it's so awfull!!

don't listen to mama kat .. if she licks her wounds she'll get pulling and make them irritated and make them heal longer. I'm speaking out of experience . and the bit of the collar traumatizing her and she can't worsen it by fighting it . I work at a humane society and of all the countless cats we've fixed THAT NEVER HAPPENED!!

Answer 10

Dont go to the vet, CALL the vet and tell them what and do what they say is best.
Personally I would just tape some bandage over it, but Im a redneck...
One good thing though to ease your worry, its extrememly improbable that her guts will roll out. But if she scratches at it, it could get infected and not heal correctly...
Oh it will work out... cats seem to be lucky