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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Quite Urgent - Can’t keep collar on newly spayed cat and can’t get her into a body suit

28 replies

Legwork · 10/07/2023 18:59

Im scared stiff - she got her collar off within 2 minutes of getting out of the carrier. It’s extra small and there isn’t room to get a little finger in but she can tip it off in a moment, over and over again. . Dashes to pets at home and bought one of the suit things and have spent half an hour with three of us trying to get her into that, which is not a good idea with stitches and she just wriggles out of it every time before we can do up the final popper. Dashed back to pets at home, bought normal cat collar and threaded that through the plastic one - did it up with I thought was bordering on cruelly tight but she’s got so much purchase on the plastic cone that she can drag even that over her head. I’m so scared all this exertion and then three of us trying to wrestle her into a suit while she has internal and external stitches could be disastrous. She was so exhausted in the end that she fell asleep the second we stopped trying either the cone or the suit and put her on her normal bed. She’s now sleeping peacefully so safe right now, but I’m at a loss on what to do now. In the multiple occasions we gave her a significant breather she showed zero interest in the wound - licked the cannula wound a couple of times before we could stop her, but ignored the stitches. What the hell do I do? 😞

OP posts:
BillyNoM8s · 10/07/2023 19:00

My cats weren't given cones for their spay/neuter and we had no problems.

ChatterMonkey · 10/07/2023 19:02

Leave her alone. If shes showing no interest in the stitches then theres no issue. Just keep an eye on her.

We never had a cone or anything for ours and she was totally fine.

LadyTemperance · 10/07/2023 19:02

Just leave it off, that seems the least worst solution. She must be very stressed to be pulling it off so determinedly.

cinnamonfrenchtoast · 10/07/2023 19:06

I've never put a collar or suit on a spayed cat. They've all been absolutely fine.

It's really not necessary unless they constantly bother their stitches.

SunThroughTheCloudsAt6am · 10/07/2023 19:09

Just keep an eye on her. Mine hated the collar, but she wouldn't stop at the stitches so I cut the leg of a pair of DS's old joggers and slid it on - she hated that too, but was in pain (slept on my lap the first night) and so didn't put up much of a fight.

ZairWazAnOldLady · 10/07/2023 19:09

We had suits and then cones and I think they were unnecessary. If she goes for the stitches take her back to the vet and get them to do the suit but she’ll probably be fine.

Original poster
Legwork · 10/07/2023 19:11

thanks for all the quick responses. I’ve never had any kind of pet and the vet was so stern in saying she must keep the cone on for 14 days and I have been taking this as gospel but my goodness fighting a scared cat into things she hates feels really dangerous after an op. I’d not want to have a brawl hours after a hysterectomy. I feel like I’m going to end up harming her one way or the other, but right now my instinct is that what we just went through was far worse than the alternative

OP posts:
Florissante · 10/07/2023 20:56

I agree with everyone who said just leave her be unless she starts biting at the sutures.

JaukiVexnoydi · 10/07/2023 21:08

Our kittens were the same, both of them point blank refused to wear anything. The bodysuits are useless because they are a stretchy fabric.

We gave up because neither of them were interested in licking their stitches so it didn't matter. Treat your vet being stern at you with the same weight as when a Starbucks employee says "be careful, it's hot" - they are solely covering their arse because if a vet didn't give such a warning and a cat then got infected stitches the pet owner could try to make the vet take responsibility and therefore not charge for followup treatment. In the event that your cat does get a problem the vet will be able to say "well I warned you" but if you keep an eye on her and act quickly if she started tearing at the stitches then she'll be ok.

If I acquire an unspayed kitten again, what I will do differently will be:
(1) Get the kitten used to wearing something as early as possible, preferably months before the operation, so that it isn't something new and scary when she's feeling poorly.
(2) tailor make a suit from unstretchable cotton fabric instead of the useless tshirting material.

Original poster
Legwork · 10/07/2023 21:26

For what it’s worth, we seem to have got the cone back on properly for now. Its superglued to a normal adjustable cat collar. She’s miserable though. She’s stopped wildly tearing at it but she’s clearly still very keen to get rid. She’s 9 months - she’s a pricey pedigree that sort of fell in our lap - our kids fell in love with her as a kitten belonging to a friend and we took a long time to decide if we wanted to go down the breeding route. We decided not to and I think we left it far too late.

OP posts:
BillyNoM8s · 10/07/2023 21:40

Legwork · 10/07/2023 21:26

For what it’s worth, we seem to have got the cone back on properly for now. Its superglued to a normal adjustable cat collar. She’s miserable though. She’s stopped wildly tearing at it but she’s clearly still very keen to get rid. She’s 9 months - she’s a pricey pedigree that sort of fell in our lap - our kids fell in love with her as a kitten belonging to a friend and we took a long time to decide if we wanted to go down the breeding route. We decided not to and I think we left it far too late.

Just leave it off her Confused

FannyFifer · 10/07/2023 21:47

We didn't do anything like that when our cat was spayed nor did the vet tell us to. We just kept an eye & distracted if she licked too much.
It healed very quickly.
Don't be stressing or stress your cat.

Aquamarine1029 · 10/07/2023 21:52

I’ve never had any kind of pet and the vet was so stern in saying she must keep the cone on for 14 days

I have had multiple cats at the same time my entire life, I have three now, and I have never been told use a cone or any other apparatus after getting them spayed. Not once, and all of my cats have been spayed. They heal very quickly and they aren't daft, they know to lie low and take it easy for a day or so. Just leave her alone and she'll be fine.

Lilacpanther · 10/07/2023 21:58

I had the same problem when my kitten was spayed so I brought a soft doughnut collar. It looked comfortable and she tolerated it much better. She'd fall asleep comfortably using it like one of those flight pillows whereas she was utterly freaked and miserable with the rigid cone. I brought mine from Amazon. Hope this helps!

CurlewKate · 10/07/2023 22:19

I'm adding to the they don't need anything team. And even if they did, 14 days is ridiculous-they are completely recovered and the stitches dissolvedlong before that. The struggling is far more likely to cause damage.

QuestionableMouse · 10/07/2023 22:23

Just leave it off her. A stressed and unhappy cat isn't going to recover well.

ANiceBigCupOfTea · 10/07/2023 22:28

There will be a size difference here, but when my husky was spayed she was the same. Got her a big donut shaped collar and it was off in 2 seconds.
I took an old t shirt, cut two holes for her legs and got it over her head and it worked wonders. Once she knew she couldn't get it off she stopped trying to get at the stitches.

BarbaraofSeville · 10/07/2023 22:28

I have about 30 years experience as a cat slave and have fostered for the last 10, so I've taken dozens of cats for neutering.

The vets always go on about cones and t shirts and keeping them indoors and not letting them jump around and I just nod and smile and inwardly vow to do my best but just let the cat do what it wants because it helps neither of us for me to stop them going outside or jumping on the furniture when they're determined to. It's nearly always been no problem at all.

The worst has been a slight swelling of the spay wound, which was declared to be of no concern by the vet (no temperature or other problem).

They seem to be remarkably active and happy, considering they've just had a hysterectomy, as you say. I think the only time I felt I had to intervene was the time one of my foster mamas was trying to carry her 10 week old kitten upstairs and there was growling due to the extersion and the kitten was perfectly capable of running upstairs itself anyway.

Hoppinggreen · 10/07/2023 22:29

I have owned cats for around 30 years, always females and always spayed.
Never used a cone or similar and never had an issue

BarbaraofSeville · 10/07/2023 22:30

Lilacpanther · 10/07/2023 21:58

I had the same problem when my kitten was spayed so I brought a soft doughnut collar. It looked comfortable and she tolerated it much better. She'd fall asleep comfortably using it like one of those flight pillows whereas she was utterly freaked and miserable with the rigid cone. I brought mine from Amazon. Hope this helps!

Yes, we had a doughnut collar for another reason and that's the only time I've ever had a cat keep one on.

They all hate the plastic 'cone of shame' type and can't eat and drink with them on either.

Florissante · 10/07/2023 22:36

QuestionableMouse · 10/07/2023 22:23

Just leave it off her. A stressed and unhappy cat isn't going to recover well.

I agree.

Original poster
Legwork · 10/07/2023 22:47

I guess weirdly I’m doing a 180 - she’s in a cone she can’t get off now and she looks basically ok. It’s a normal cat collar we’ve superglued to the vets cone land it looks like she’s given up clawing at it. She chased a moth just now. I’m now lost on what’s the right thing to do!

OP posts:
Aquamarine1029 · 10/07/2023 23:04

Legwork · 10/07/2023 22:47

I guess weirdly I’m doing a 180 - she’s in a cone she can’t get off now and she looks basically ok. It’s a normal cat collar we’ve superglued to the vets cone land it looks like she’s given up clawing at it. She chased a moth just now. I’m now lost on what’s the right thing to do!

Take the damn thing off of her. She doesn't need it.

QuestionableMouse · 10/07/2023 23:40

Take it off!

tallulah07 · 11/07/2023 08:57

Please don't worry - I had two cats spayed recently and neither wore a collar or a vest - unless the cat is eg constantly licking the wound no harm should come to him/her x