Spaying and the "cone of shame"

[Calicoqueen]

I dropped my 11 month old cat off at the vets this morning for a spay and microchip. I've been given the call to say she's woken up but not interested in food so they're letting her sleep for longer before I pick her up.
I've never dealt with a cat with a cone on - will she definitely need it? My last cat was male and wasn't too keen on grooming so left everything well alone.
This cat though is a complete obsessive over groomer like her human mother .
She's a very clumsy small cat and is so picky with food, dishes and litter trays (again - finicky like her mother ).
I have a feeling she's going to be miserable with the cone.
Any advise and stories would be appreciated. I'm very over protective over this cat it's ridiculous lol.

You could try a surgical bodysuit thing instead of a cone

@dementedpixie

You could try a surgical bodysuit thing instead of a cone

I've forked out a mighty £120 on this vet visit already and I think any more fees I'll have a heart attack .

We used a surgical body suit for our dog instead of a cone of shame to keep a wound isolated - he looked like Beyoncé in the Single Ladies video but it did the job.

@BaggingAria

We used a surgical body suit for our dog instead of a cone of shame to keep a wound isolated - he looked like Beyoncé in the Single Ladies video but it did the job.

That made me giggle. Maybe I can use one of my DDs old bodysuits somehow .

Mine both came home with cones and within the hour one of them had got it off somehow. Impossible to get it back on her without a fight so it stayed off. I just kept a close eye on her. She was fine.

@nordicnorth

Mine both came home with cones and within the hour one of them had got it off somehow. Impossible to get it back on her without a fight so it stayed off. I just kept a close eye on her. She was fine.

I have a feeling she will somehow get it off, too. Bad enough she somehow made her way out of the carrier this morning . Ill have to watch her like a hawk (though easier said than done with a 6, 4 and 2 year old ).

Mine got her cone off, and ended up over grooming her wound, leading to a longer healing process and a course of antibiotics! In the end, the vet sold me a cloth cone of shame, which was slightly more acceptable, and I tied a very firm knot in the string that kept it on.

I've had three female cats spayed, none of them came home with a cone and they were all fine. I was advised to keep an eye out for them over grooming the wound, but they weren't interested in it.

We never put cones on after spaying, and we're a specialist neuter clinic. It may though depend on how they do the stitching and how big and visible the stitches are.

Have you got a babygro that might fit? I had a cat who frequently had the cone of shame, he managed to eat with it.

My dog had a 'body stocking' that worked well. I've also seen inflatable collars used (bit like a swimming aid but around the neck) but they might not be a good combo with sharp feline claws. And equally unflattering for image-conscious kitties.

The vet should 'match up' a cone to suit your cat's size so she can still eat and drink.

Hope the op. goes well and she makes a quick recovery (with no stitch-fiddling). Best wishes. x

Try to keep the cone on if at all possible. Mine managed to remove the cone and rip out her sutures. You really don’t want that.

I cut up an old stocking to make a little body suit for my kitten. That worked well, but I still took it off after four days because she looked so sad in it. The wound was quite well healed by that time though.

My first cat wasn't given a cone - she spent the evening licking and worrying at the wound - by morning it was infected, so back to the vets for it to be drained etc. and then she was given a cone which she had to wear for six weeks!

I would go for the cone unless she will tolerate one of those 'cat-gro' suits.

Ours had a cone, we got a medical suit off Amazon (£10) but when climbing it slips off.

Cone came off, but somehow she managed to pull her stitches out that were internal. She’s got a cone again and three trips to the vets for antibiotics later.

Definitely need a cone, otherwise the cat will take their stitches out.

I have just emerged from 2 weeks of having both a dog and a cat in cones at the same time! Between the dog using her cone as a battering ram against my legs and the cat clunking off every metal bar of my bed whilst doing his 3am zoomies, sometimes in reverse because the cone confused him I am a nervous wreck!

It's awful when you first put the cone on as it throws the cat off balance and their disorientation is upsetting to watch. But cats are the masters of balancing and they adjust amazingly fast.

None of mine have ever had a cone.

I can't imagine that a 100% uneventful recovery rate is really that exceptional.