So it's the weekend and of course something happens when I can't contact my vet with questions so I thought, a lot of people here have had their cats spayed, I could use some advice...
Just got my 11 month old cat spayed last wed. Everything went well, she ate and drank and wanted to play (which I didn't encourage). Was aggressive for a day or so but that went away...
The incision site looks clean and she stopped chewing on the stitches after the first day (I wasn't given a cone right away which was too bad). She does lick it sporadically but not too much.
But nothing goes without a hitch. The incision site does look swollen. It's not red, it's pink (maybe moreso than rest of her belly) and no oozing from the incision. Sizewise the swelling spreads about half an inch around the incision and is oval shaped. A little bigger on one side. It's firm to the touch and it doesn't seem to be tender, as she let me check it.
I was wondering how much swelling was normal? I'm worried.
Thanks!
2007-08-18 18:49:03 · 9 answers · asked by mad_butler007 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
Well the incision itself is not swollen. It's the area right around it. Now it's mostly on the right side, still pink and not hotter than the rest of her body and it's weird because when I hold her up so she's sort of half-hanging in the air, it looks like a ball-type thing and if she's laying down, you can't even see the swelling. But I still can't call the vet till tomorrow and I really don't wanna call emergency services because it doesn't appear to be infected.
2007-08-19 05:16:10 · update #1
Ok now it looks worse. It's a little redder, not really hot and doesn't seem tender but I think there's a bit of a discharge, she cleans it often so it's hard to tell. I left the vet a message so they will call me tomorrow, hopefully, if not I will call again.
Do you think a call to an emergency vet is justified? :(
2007-08-19 13:27:00 · update #2
Watch for redness, heat and increased swelling..the swelling she has now is probably normal..keep her from licking it..that causes irritation and swelling..if any thing changes call your vet..he/she has an emergency #
2007-08-18 18:58:21 · answer #1 · answered by jst4pat 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Swollen Incision
2016-12-12 07:45:09 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Make sure you are using a special litter like Yesterdays News/shredded newspaper. Yesterdays News is cheap and available at petsmart/petco. The dust particles from regular litter (especially scented scoopable) are loaded with bacteria and often causes an infection 2-3 days after the spay.
The fact that your cat was spayed on Wed, and it is swelling on Sat tells me that your cat could be developing an infection. If it becomes even slightly infected, she will want to chew and lick and she WILL pull the stitches out. I speak from experience on this.
Your cats incision should be decreasing each day. If its bigger on Saturday than it was on Friday, there is probably a problem. Keep an eye on it and dont let her lick it. If for any reason the stitches start to unravel or you can see actual inside tissue, its an emergency.
My cat had a problem with her spay. Her incision became infected and the stitches started to unravel. i noticed one stitch loose and in the time it took me to call emergency places to see who was closest, the skin incision had opened almost fully and had I waited even another hour I'm sure the muscle layer holding her insides in would have failed as well. All because I didnt use special litter and a cone.
Hope this helps.
-cat lover
2007-08-18 21:01:02 · answer #3 · answered by cat tech 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Swelling is expected (and so is the cat's desire to play, even when you're told they shouldn't. LOL). I wouldn't worry too much about it since it isn't tender to the touch, and there's no bleeding from the incision site. You can always contact the vet on Monday, and ask for their opinion.
I'm currently fostering a kitten that got spayed last week, and she had no pinkness or swelling, BUT it seems that the older the cat is, the more swelling, because I had a adult foster cat, and her incision site was pretty swollen.
2007-08-18 19:01:42 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most likely this is a mild reaction to the stitches used to close the incision. Worst case scenario is the underlying incision has opened some and there is now a hernia. This happens but not very often. Best to return to the vet for a recheck exam and ensure everything is OK. Sometimes the vet will have you apply a hot/warm pack to the area twice daily if it is a stitch reaction to help the swelling decrease. Good Luck!
2016-03-17 02:13:10 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
This sounds like the bunching up that the skin does around incisions.
If it's oozing, inflamed dark red or REALLY puffed up with no distinct ridges and is hot to the touch then that's cause for the vet to do a check on it.
But if it's dry and sort of 'ridgy' then it's the stitches. This will go down and totally disappear after a few weeks.
2007-08-19 01:59:30 · answer #6 · answered by Elaine M 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The same thing happened with my cat...Apparently my kitty had excess fat on her belly where they were going to do the procedure and had to cut away some of the fat..
I know that I was very worried about it...but my vet told me that it was normal and as long as it didnt get red and wasnt solid...
Her swelling was about an inch width wise and about 3 inches length wise.
But I was still worried...the only thing I can suggest is to make sure she keeps eating and drinking and try to keep her less active any way possible untill you can contact your vet...if anything gets worse try to contact another vet and explain the situation..
Also if the area is very hot to the touch and not her normal body temperature...again try to contact the vet or another vet...
Good luck!
2007-08-18 18:59:49 · answer #7 · answered by Wakishea 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
most of the time, a vet will use a manmade suture material that he/she sews up the animal internally. these sutures will absorb, and that process can take a few weeks. your cat will be swollen from this as the sutures absorb. it is no cause for concern. the sutures you see are usually removed within 7 days of the spay. since your cat does not show any signs of infection(pus, drainage, pain, red) i would just sit back and relax.
(the name of the suture material usually used for internal stitching is called polysorb 2-0)
vet tech 5 years
2007-08-19 02:55:47 · answer #8 · answered by heather j 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
swelling is normal. pink is a good color. you have to think that they cut open your cat so there well be some swelling. from what you described it sounds like its healing well. as long as there is no oozing and its not red like its infected im sure she is fine. if she let you touch it and little to no tenderness was fine thats great!
2007-08-18 18:59:48 · answer #9 · answered by lady_arionna_99 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hmmm. my dog got spayed and she licked it a bit.. it turned pinkish.. a bit dark pink and she didnt yip or whimper when i touched it. now its all good and no scar whatsoever.
but if your cat persist to lick it, it could get infected. so put a cone on even if she doesnt like it at all.
:] hope i helped.
2007-08-18 19:02:53 · answer #10 · answered by xover_lookedx3 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋