Sutures bleeding even after a week

I have a kitten about 9 months old who stays indoors and whom I was able to take outside till about 2-3 months back. It just wound up at my door step when it was about 2 months old and I have been taking care of it ever since. It wouldn't let me near for the first week to ten days but then warmed up to human contact.  Like I said I shifted home about 3 months back and since then the kitten had to stay indoors due to the location of my present home. I was in no hurry to fix the kitten since it was indoors and I was more concerned about getting it settled in. But then, a few local cats started paying nightly visits to my home and would keep sitting on window sills and doorsteps and I could hear a lot of meaowing and growling in the night. I used to wake up and shoo away the other cats but they kept returning. I suspected that my kitten was in heat and took him/ her to the vet. The "vet", the only one available where I live (for pretty much miles from here), examined the kitten and pronounced that it was in heat and he would spay it after it gets out of heat. The outdoor cat incidents kept occurring and the vet kept delaying the surgery and since I din't have an option I kept pestering him and he finally agreed to fix it last Sunday. The vet sedated the kitten and cut open its tummy but then he said that he couldn't find the uterus and that its a male!!! (Its true, the kitten is a male and he IS a vet but then I live in a country where I have no recourse) He then sutured up the stomach cut and neutered the kitten instead. The kitten removed 2 out of the 4 sutures within 2 days of the surgery and the other 2 are still intact. It did bleed a little for 3 days and then the bleeding stopped and I just couldn't bring myself to take the kitten to the vet. The kitten does lick her sutures and cone of shame and anti lick spray haven't worked. The situation improved and the bleeding stopped. Now, yesterday I noticed slight redness at the gash and today I could notice a few drops of blood where he sleeps. The kitten is lively, has a healthy appetite and doesn't appear to be in pain. I have no option but the one "vet" and I really don't know what to do. The kitten is extremely lively and probably that is the reason the healing is taking time. Also I guess the blood stains only form when he is sleeping as at other times he licks the blood away. Any advice would help, I even have pictures of the wound if somebody needs a look at it. Please reply early as I don't want to cause him any more harm. Already ashamed of myself for the situation I have put him in.

I forgot to add that he was prescribed an antibiotic by the vet (amoxycillin) which I feed him thrice a day with a syringe.

Yes, please post pictures if you can. Please don't blame yourself. You did everything you could by bringing this kitty into your home and neutering him. I can't believe this "vet" said he was in heat and had to open him up to discover that he is male. I am sorry that you don't have other vet options. Depending on the state of the sutures, he may need more stitches/sutures to complete the healing. The antibiotics will prevent an infection, but if the incision is not held together, it can't heal. You may also need to limit his activity by placing him in a large crate or small room with no jumpable areas.

It's likely the kitty is overgrooming in the area of the sutures.  He might need a cone to keep him from licking. Talk to your vet as soon as you can.

@stephanietx  Thanks for your reply. I try to stop him from licking at the sutures but then I have already taken a few days off work but can't do anymore. With regards to the cone, I did get one and put it on for him when he was just waking up. But I just couldn't bear the sight of him. He was wriggling all over the place and bumping into things. He got stuck in a small area between some furniture and his tummy was about to come in contact against a protruding armrest where his sutures are. I could not take it and put him out of the misery. As regards the"vet" , he is not of much use. I found out about the cone form the internet and got one online. The vet is not much help and I want to avoid taking his advice and would go to him only if the kitten needs sutures.

@vball91  Thanks for your reply. The kitten is an eternal busybody and hates being confined. I tried to give him a time out once in the spare washroom but he tried to open the door by putting his paw under the door and ended up hurting himself. He absolutely needs the run of the house and just can't be confined. It was a huge effort taking him to the vet. Even the day he came back from the surgery, the moment he came to his senses he wanted to play even though he was all groggy and was loosing his footing. I do limit his activity as far as possible by taking him in my lap (when he permits) and giving him his favourite rubs. The photos: The one on the left is three days after surgery and the one on the right is of a week after surgery. 


I did have a look when is sitting, stretching etc but the incision doesn't open up where the sutures are removed. 

His incision actually looks pretty good, but in the 2nd pic it looks more inflamed.  I'd put the cone back on him.  If it's too large, you can cut down part of the open end (not the end that goes around his neck)

Thanks again for the reply, but the cone simply doesn't seem to work for him. And I feel that I can't go to work leaving him with the cone on as he can get into any number of problems. Is there any other way out?

You can try a baby onesie or a tube sock, something to cover the incision so that he can't lick that area.

A cone really is the best thing to stop him licking. I know it seems cruel but cats do get used to it eventually. They need to bump around to start so they can work out their new dimensions. I have a kitten that has a bad eye infection and has been wearing a cone on and off for four months. She is completely used to it and can eat and drink fine as long as I give her small bowls that she can fit around. SHe even jumps up and down on and off things. I take it off under supervision for an hour or two each day so she can groom herself but not touch her eye. Sometimes you have to do things the cat may not like for their own good, like confining him to a bathroom for a few days.

But I do not understand your 'vet'. That sounds horrific. I do sympathise about the difficulties but if at all possible you need to find someone else. The antibiotic should help prevent infection but if it gets any more red or if it develops streaks then you must take him back. If you have a disinfectant that contains iodine (ask at a pharmacy) you can wipe it using cotton wool or gauze.

Am really grateful for all the replies, thanks a lot. 

@vball91   I tried to put on a diaper over the area but he bit and scratched himself out of it. It is really difficult to get him to wear anything or to examine him when he is up and about. The only time he lets me get near him for such things is when is he is just waking up.

@jennyranson  I will get the disinfectant and try to apply it when he is sleeping. Will give the cone a shot, my worry is that he will hurt himself trying to wriggle out of it or even worse, hurt himself at the incision when I am not around. I am going to move out of my present location (my job is such) in about 6 months so I really hope I get to a place where there is a decent vet. Confining him to a washroom ain't helping as he keeps making noises and tries to open the door with his paws and has even hurt himself once in the process.

I would really like to know if there is some way I can subdue him a little so that I can put on the cone, apply a disinfectant or examine the incision in general. Whenever I try any of these he growls, tries to bite, hisses and scampers away. He loves the antibiotic though

You can wrap him up in a towel like a burrito with the incision exposed.  I would think the antibiotic would take care of any infection at the incision site.  You can get a baby onesie (it's a one piece outfit for babies, usually with snaps that go between the legs for the baby) and place it on him unsnapped.  It should go down far enough to cover the incision. 

Another poster mentioned using a tube sock.  Cut off the foot portion of the sock and then thread his head and front paws through the elastic part of the tube sock.  Slide the sock over the incision site.

If you don't want to use the cone, you can use a paper plate.  Just cut slits in the plate like a big "X" and push the legs of the X down.  Place it over his head until the plate rests on his shoulder.

Hello all, the bleeding seems to have stopped but I see a lot more sutures at the incision site. I guess the grooming has resulted in the inner sutures getting out somehow. Kitten is fine as usual and prancing around, but wouldn't let me click a good photograph. The area is generally dry with slight redness only along the line where the skin was cut. The kitten seems to be licking all around the incision but not at the incision itself, strange, but good for me

Am continuing with the antibiotic and hoping that the incision heals completely without any complications. Thanks for all the replies, but will trouble you folks if there are any new signs

And finally his highness allows me to photograph his incision. Here goes

 

It does seem to be healing but the incision is more moist than what it was 3 days after the surgery. Is there any cause for concern or is this how healing happens? 

Hi,

To my eye the incision doesn't look great, not terrible but not great. It looks loose, like its separating a bit?  I definitely  think he needs confinement so he can't run around, and he needs some sort of protection for the sutures, and given that he has pulled out some of the sutures, I feel like he needs a vet visit again, despite that your vet messed up the initial operation.  I would argue that all follow up care should be free given what he did. The damage your kitten can do to the incision is greater than the damage a cone can do.  Have you tried a soft cone? See  http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...=pla&catargetid=530005150000090979&cadevice=c