Postoperative Care

For Your Cat

Overview

Below you’ll find all of the information you need to prepare for postoperative care for your cat. We’ve also included frequently asked questions and related blog posts.

In general, Pets In Stitches will recheck your cat at no charge for complications resulting directly from surgery. There could be a charge for medications or an Elizabethan collar, if needed. Please be aware that some complications must be referred elsewhere. When in doubt, just give us a call text or send us a note and we will point you in the right direction.

Use these quick links to navigate to specific sections.

Spay or Neuter Care

Dr. Rastetter shares what all to expect in videos for males, females and free-roaming cats. In addition, please read the following:

Please keep females that were in heat away from non-neutered males for two (2) weeks. While they are unable to become pregnant, they will still attract males. If a male attempts to breed the female, it can cause life-threatening damage to the female.
Male cats can still impregnate a female cat for up to two months after surgery.
Your cat will receive pain medication at the time of surgery and some to be administered at home in food.

General Care

It is very important to limit your cat’s activity for the next seven (7) days. Keep your cat quiet in a cage or a small room like a bathroom. No running, jumping, or playing. If your cat is active, complications can occur such as failure of the internal sutures with life-threatening herniation or painful swelling at the surgical site. Isolate your cat from children and other pets.
Your cat may or may not want to eat right away but should be eating by the morning after surgery.
Your cat must be kept indoors to stay clean, dry and warm. Do not bathe your cat during the recovery period.
Side effects of anesthesia include sleepiness, mild disorientation, and extreme response to normal stimuli. You cat may be a little agitated or aggressive due to the effects of anesthesia.

Incision Care

Check the incision site daily for the next seven (7) days. Redness and swelling should be minimal but can occur for a few days after surgery. For females, apply ice to surgical sight for 10-15 minutes (as pet will allow) to help reduce pain and swelling.
No suture removal is necessary since incisions are held together with dissolvable sutures or glue.
There should be no drainage. Expect slight bleeding from the scrotum of a neutered male for the first 24 hours.
Normal grooming will occur but do not allow your cat to lick excessively or chew at the incision. If this occurs, an Elizabethan collar must be used to prevent licking. This is considered self-trauma and Pets In Stitches will not cover your costs to treat complications such as surgical site destruction, infection, or swelling which can require emergency care.
Male cats – Male cats do not have any sutures. If using clay litter, ask our staff about our Yesterday’s News litter alternative!
Do not clean or apply topical ointment to the incision site.

Healing Process

The following photos are visual examples of what you should encounter after surgery and days after having your cat spayed or neutered. If you see anything that looks unusual or you are concerned about, please don’t hesitate to give us a call.

Female flank spayed cat due to the fact that she was nursing kittens

White, female spayed cat on her first day of recovery

Brown, female spayed cat on her first day of recovery

Brown, female spayed cat on her second day of recovery

White, female spayed cat on her second day of recovery

The following photos are visual examples of improperly healing surgical sites after having your pet spayed or neutered. If your pet surgery was performed at Pets In Stitches, please contact us if your pet’s incision looks like any of these pictures.

Female spayed cat with swelling after excess activity

Female spayed cat with one end of the incision opened

Male neutered cat has bruising after surgery

Frequently Asked Questions

You may purchase a post-surgery collar or body suit from us.

Yes. Please bring them in so we can check their incision. We are available for rechecks Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday with an appointment or follow the emergency contact instructions on your Postoperative Care Instruction sheet.

A small tattoo is the best way to identify your pet has been spayed or neutered. It is standard procedure for sterilization surgeries.

The recovery period is seven to ten days. You need to restrict their activity and keep them indoors. You also want to watch their incision closely. We will give you Postoperative Care Instructions when you pick up your pet.

We recommend five months of age for cats and and rabbits. The decision for dogs, especially large and giant breed dogs, can be a little more complicated. Please read our blog for more information. Please call us to discuss your individual situation and we will help guide you.

Female cats can breed three times a year and have an average of four kittens per litter. Dogs can breed twice a year and have an average of six to ten puppies per litter. Female cats can breed as early as four months of age and dogs as early as six months of age. To avoid those accidental litters, Pets In Stitches endorses spay and neuter starting at five months of age for cats and rabbits and six months of age for most dogs.

There is no medical evidence to justify the advantage of allowing an animal to have a litter before spaying. Spaying eliminates the possibility of developing cancers and infections associated with the reproductive organs.

For dogs, the mother must stop lactating before we can do the spaying surgery. This is typically four weeks after the puppies stop nursing completely.

For mother cats, we can do the surgery when the kittens are at least four weeks old. Lactating cats may undergo a flank spay where the reproductive organs are removed though an incision on the side of the abdomen rather than the underside.

Male cats should use Yesterday’s News, which Pets In Stitches does have available for purchase, instead of litter for two days after neuter surgery. This helps prevent irritation to the surgical incisions from litter dust particles.

Related Blogs

A Smart Approach to a Big Problem: The Advantages of Flank Spays in Cats

May 29, 2018

Low Stress Handling for High Success Rates

September 27, 2021

Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate and Return: The Essence of Cat Colony Care

May 22, 2019

Cat Mating Season

March 24, 2021