Please Help Me

I had a thread before about my kitties mating, and I took them to be fixed today. They've been home for over 2 hrs now and I'm in tears. The vet put the helmet collars on them, and they are just beyond miserable. I took them off for a bit but they were licking their wounds, so I put them back on. But they are so sad and struggling to take them off.... can I just keep them off? What will happen if they lick themselves? What are my options? I didn't think it would be this bad, it's worse. Please help me.

The kittens will want to lick the area. It hurts and they also want to clean themselves of the antiseptic in the area.

The risk lies in the possibility that they could pull their stitches out. You could take the helmets off, but keep a very close eye on them. If you notice anything other than licking like a nibbling action on the area, intervene, check on the stitches and consider placing the helmet back on.

I forgot to add.

I haven't seen a cat or kitten that hasn't tried to take those helmets off.

If you're online now, my MSN is [email protected] if you want to talk.

I have had the same problem with dogs and the e-collars. I didn't find a good solution for them. But, my cat Mozart recently had paw surgery. When I removed the bandage he started licking the site and he wouldn't stop. I tried distracting him with movement and cat toys and that didn't work. What finally did the trick was offering him some Pounce cat treats. I had to give him about 5 or 6, but he stopped licking to eat them and afterwards he didn't go back to licking his paw.

If you have treats or a can of wet food or tuna, maybe that will distract for the time being.

The worse that could happen from licking: If there are disolvable stitches they could disolve to quickly. There is also a risk of infection to the site. If you choose to leave the helmet off, watch for changes to the site, such as redness, pussing, or fever that could indicate an infection. (and if these signs are there, take them back to the vet)

If you have to leave the helmet on, they'll live. Just make every effort to distract them from the discomfort. (Better temporary discomfort, than an infection that requires antiboitics and lengthens their recovery time.)

Let me know if the treats work.

And maybe somebody else has a useful suggestion.

I just read the first thread you started SuzieK. I saw that a_loveless_gem said she never had helmets on her altered cats. That reminded me that when I had Mozart neutered, the vet told me he wouldn't need an e-collar because he wouldn't have any stitches.

Anyone about to neuter their cat... maybe you can find a vet that preforms whatever type of procedure my cat had done. (probably not an option for the girls) Recovery was quick and I was greatful not to deal with a collar. (I don't know if my vet even offers those helmets.)

And I'm curious, I can guess, but does anyone know exactly what type of neuter procedure is preformed on a male cat that won't involve stitches?

I know that on my cat's neuter the incision was so small that they didn't use stitches. I believe they used an adhesive to close the incision initially and let it heal on its own. He also did not have an e-collar. For females, the incision is much larger so stitches are required.

I'm not sure of the procedure that the vet uses so that no stitches are required.

I know that with my cat Russell, he required stitches. They were the kind that dissolved so I had to monitor his licking habits very closely to make sure they didn't start to dissolve too soon.

For my female cat, the incision area was small and it was done through the side. It was different from what I had expected. I was told it was a relatively new way of spaying and that it was less discomfort in recovery. There were stitches in the skin and the area of incision.

After she had take the stitches out and causing quite a panic, I rushed her to the vet's surgery. I was then told that it would be okay and was explained that there was further stitching and stapling under the skin holding things together.

I have never had a vet tht used colars or helmets, and never had a cat have problems. That is not to say that you should go against the advice of your vet, but that has been my experience.

Em wasn't given the coller when he came back from getting the big snip! He really didn't lick the stitches much either. I caught him once and stopped him. It healed really fast and he is doing great.

Good luck! Did the vet give you pain killers for them?

All my girls never had collars or helmets put on them after the spaying operation. The healing was quick, and I only had to give them antibiotics to prevent infection.
I did have a scare with Skinny, who tore open the stitches. I had to bring her back for restitiching but still no collar/helmet.
Did your vet tell you how long they should wear the helmets? Maybe things will be better after 24 hours.
Good luck!

Thank you all sooo very much for your responses. It was a tough night, I only managed to check responses once, and not many of you had written yet, I'm so happy to see what everyone has to say. I've been up since 4am (it's 11:30am), taking naps here and there. I fed them, they could hardly eat with those collars, so I cut them down so they could at least eat, it was still a mess cause the food kept getting onto the collars, poor things. And they kept slamming into walls and whatever. I managed to keep them on until about 10am and couldn't take it any more, I've taken them out now. They are absolutely ecstatic. Hardly even licking themselves, just playing and playing and having a blast. They are so cute and happy. BTW he had just the skin glue on him, no stitches. She has the dissolvable stitches. I'll just watch them closely for the next 2 days. It's so weird that my vet insisted on them having the collars and most of you never did. He wanted me to keep them on for 5 days!
So anyway, we're all feeling much better and I'll let y'all know how it's going in the next week or so.
A_loveless_gem, thanks for your e-mail address, I'll be using it soon!
THANK YOU ALL!!

I just had Dori spayed last Friday. The vet used all dissolvable stitches, and she did not get one of those collars either. She was really good and did not bother the area at all. I stayed home with her all weekend, but was terrified that I would come home from work on Monday to find her with her stitches ripped out, but she did not touch them. She just began to lick the area over the last day or so, but I assume it is probably a little itchy since it has really begun to heal now.

That's fantastic to hear that they're doing well and that their spirits have improved.

Each vet has their own preferences as to what they want for their patients. It's better for a vet to be extra cautious rather than not enough. That's just my opinion because at least that way, you know for certain they care about your pet.