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Why Has My Cat’s Spay Incision Opened?

When the vet performs any surgical procedure on a cat, there is a risk associated with the procedure, no matter how minor the surgery is. No matter how skilled the vet is, complications can arise from any surgical procedure and is as follows. Most vets prefer not to spay cats in heat due to possible added complications. Be advised that these complications are rare but can happen. Everything should turn out well if you take good care of your cat after this surgical procedure. And, never allow your cat outside for at least two weeks.

  • Anesthetic complications
  • Internal bleeding
  • Infection at the surgical site
  • The popping of the stitches
  • Bladder infections
  • Urinary incontinence is rare
  • Weight gain (can adjust diet)

If surgical complications occur after the procedure, it is vital to see the vet immediately to prevent the situation from worsening. However, complications after this procedure are rare and not likely to occur. Complications are less likely to occur in young and healthy cats. However, it is challenging to keep the younger cat quiet preceding surgery, increasing the risk of complications. Complications increase as the animal ages, is in heat, or has underlying health issues. Your vet takes all of these factors into consideration before spaying.

Pain is also a factor as much in cats as in humans. The vet will give your cat the appropriate pain medication to make her as comfortable as possible.

Why Has My Cat’s Spay Incision Opened?

It is surprising how many pet owners are not familiar with the terms of spaying and neutering. A vet spays a female cat or dog and neuters a male cat or dog. This surgical process prevents further kittens and puppies from being born homeless and free to run the streets. This information is about spaying a female cat.

There are always many advertisements on the television about how important it is to have your dogs and cats spayed and neutered. This procedure prevents your female cat from becoming pregnant. It is sad to see so many kittens running free in the wild. Kittens who are born in the wild,

  • Have a shorter life span
  • Is always trying to find sufficient food
  • Coming in contact with diseases
  • Frequently, there is an untimely death of an animal by another animal or person.

No matter how minor or common a surgical procedure is, I have raised various questions about the risks of spaying our first rescue cat, Beebe. I was unsure what the spaying procedure meant when I adopted her from my neighbor’s garden in 1992. What I really knew was minimal.

My first cat rescue was an adorable and loveable white kitty about a year old. Before I got my thinking together on how to care for this cutie named Baby, and later Mama Beebe, she had two litters of kittens, four kittens total.

I could not bring myself to adopt these babies to other homes because no one could take such good care of them as I could, and besides, I did not want to break up a family. Yet, I felt it was insane having one cat, let alone six.

Mama Beebe loved her babies so very much, and I would not take them from her. Later on, I realized that this was the best decision I had ever made. After Mama had her second litter, I had to wait a period as the vet would not spay her directly after having her babies. When the time came, I was nervous and did not want anything to happen to Beebe because I was taking her to the vet for major surgery, so I had many questions such as,

  • What is the spaying procedure exactly?
  • What are the pros and cons of spaying?
  • When is the best time to have Beebe spayed?
  • What do I have to do for Beebe after surgery?
  • What do I have to do to prepare her for surgery?

I had people saying things to me, such as, “Come on, you are talking about a cat, not a human? I didn’t care because I had discovered that Mama had feelings, emotions, and fears. No, cats are not humans; however, cats do run a close parallel to humans. I was Beebe’s protector and advocate, and the decisions I made for her needed to be correct.

I discovered that it is crucial to have your cat spayed or neutered for its own health and wellbeing. Vets recommend spaying a cat at six to seven months, and my Beebe was just over one year old. It was time, and besides, I believed that it was insane to have six cats, yet I would not give any of Beebe’s kits up. I needed to pull up my bootstraps and get Beebe spayed.

When a cat is spayed, the vet removes the cat’s ovaries and uterus. Even though this is significant surgery, it is quite safe and a standard surgical procedure, requiring an incision across the cat’s abdomen and sutures to close the incision. Even though it is a rare occurrence, this incision can reopen due to the sutures coming apart.

Thankfully, Mama Beebe came through her surgery well with no post-op complications. She lived a healthy life until 19 years of age.

What To Do If My Cat’s Spay Incision Has Opened?

Every surgical procedure has risk factors, no matter how minor the procedure. Expect seven to ten days for the healing of this incision site. At this time, the vet removes the sutures, a painless procedure. Your kitty must not go outside until she is well healed and the sutures removed.

Cats are meticulous at keeping themselves clean. When a cat has any kind of wound, they naturally lick the area to help it heal. However, the constant licking of a wound can loosen the stitches. This frequent licking can also introduce bacteria into the incision site, causing an infection. When an infection starts to brew under the incision site, drainage builds up, and stitches can pop out. When stitches pop out, the incision reopens, which is not good.

You must cover the open incision with sterile dressings. Wrap a clean towel around the cat’s abdomen and get your cat to the vet immediately for treatment. The vet will want to know when the stitches come apart. The vet will want to know if there is any drainage, how much drainage, the color of the drainage, and if there is an odor to the drainage. Depending on the damage to the incision site, your kitty may have to have surgery again to reclose the area.

The vet may order an antibiotic and an Elizabethan collar for the kitty to wear so she cannot lick the wound, giving it time to heal.

The Benefits of Spaying 

Be a responsible pet owner and get your pet spayed or neutered as soon as possible. The exception to this is registered animal breeders. The benefits of spaying or neutering far outweigh the risks.

All cats and dogs need to be spayed or neutered as soon as possible to avoid the overpopulation of free-running and homeless animals. There are many benefits of spaying or neutering your cat. These benefits are as follows.

  • Cat population control
  • Reduces the risk of cancer
  • Eliminates heat cycles
  • May improve behaviors
  • Reduces the risk of reproductive diseases