First time cat owner needs help, please!

Hello. I adopted an 11 month old kitten from the Humane Society today. She was spay on 2/10, only two days ago, and obviously still has the sutures. I have noticed that each time she has gone to "clean herself" she has bitten HARD at the sutures, trying to pull them out! And to make matters worse, in my concern i freak completely out and scare her, I'm sure. Is this normal?? Is there anything I can do to keep her from doing this to herself? I'm not going to be around 24/7 for the next ten days when they can be taken out. Also, she LOVES hiding under the bed and would stay there forever if I'd let her, never coming out for ANYTHING. I blocked off the bed with pillows, and now she is hiding in a corner under a chair which is fine with me, because at least I can moniter her there. She drank some water this evening, and ate one cat treat, but as of yet has been uniterested in the litterbox or the catfood. Tell me how I'm doing guys, and what I should do about the sutures. Thanks!

If she has sutures and is licking at them you should get her an e-collar.. one of those sattellite dishes that goes around her neck. If she continues bothering them they could come out/get infected. Which could be a trip back to the vet to go back under to resuture her.

You can pick up an e-collar at a vet or a store like pet smart. Please get her one as soon as possible!

Congratulations on your new addition!
Cats are animals that don't like change in general. Your kitty has been through a lot the past few days. Hiding under the bed is completely normal. I understand that it's hard to make sure she's ok when she's under the bed though. What you can do is make a little, dark, comfy nest that she can climb into to relax and recuperate.
Play some soothing music like classical, especially while you are gone. When you are in the room, talk or sing to her, to get her used to your voice. Try to let her come to you, instead of fetching her out of her nest. Let her sniff your hand and press her face against it before you try to pet her, especially if she's shy.
By all means get her an e-collar so she doesn't mess with the sutures. Some cats won't leave them alone, others don't notice them.
It can take a few days before a female cat even feels like being up and walking around after being spayed. Just give her a little time and keep fresh food and water and clean litter where she can easily reach it.
You do want to make sure she eats, drinks and eliminates properly. Spaying is major surgery (the same as a hysterectomy in humans) and complications can happen, so keep an eye on her and start to bond. Since she's feeling particularly vulnerable, your nursing can be a great key to bonding with her too.
Have fun and enjoy the experience.

Dev

Originally Posted by SSmith0385

Hello. I adopted an 11 month old kitten from the Humane Society today. She was spay on 2/10, only two days ago, and obviously still has the sutures. I have noticed that each time she has gone to "clean herself" she has bitten HARD at the sutures, trying to pull them out! And to make matters worse, in my concern i freak completely out and scare her, I'm sure. Is this normal?? Is there anything I can do to keep her from doing this to herself? I'm not going to be around 24/7 for the next ten days when they can be taken out. Also, she LOVES hiding under the bed and would stay there forever if I'd let her, never coming out for ANYTHING. I blocked off the bed with pillows, and now she is hiding in a corner under a chair which is fine with me, because at least I can moniter her there. She drank some water this evening, and ate one cat treat, but as of yet has been uniterested in the litterbox or the catfood. Tell me how I'm doing guys, and what I should do about the sutures. Thanks!

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Thanks for all of your help. I woke up this morning to find Bella had bitten every single suture out and her incision was open. I freaked out and less than twenty four hours after getting her, we made our first trip to the Animal ER. He checked her out and stapled her back up with surgical staples. Most importantly they gave her a clear ecollar to keep her from getting at them again. Now she's hiding out under the bed, which is cool, she deserves all the alone time she wants . Thanks again, for replying I feel a little less stressed out about watching her every second, now!

Nothing like being thrown into the deep end right at the beginning, is there! Well, you sound like you are doing fine:-). Bella will require time to make the adjustments and letting her set the pace - as much as you can - is the best approach. You might need to slide a bowl with food in it under the bed towards her for the first day or two so if she is nervous about coming out to eat, she can eat and feel safe. Probably a canned food is best right now - it has moisture in it so will help provide her with liquids, has a stronger and meatier smell than dry food, and is easier to eat so more likely to encourage her to eat. She will settle down and become curious about her new surroundings soon - probably at night while you are sleeping - and as she heals, she will be more likely to want to explore and interact. If she is still under the bed after two days try dangling a cord or a belt of something where she can see it and see if you can get her playing.

Good luck

Kathryn

My dog did the same thing. I'd try to keep an eye on her while she's healing, you don't want her to pull them out, of course. I'd talkt othe vet of advice, and see what they have, if anything to stopit. You could always get an elizabethan collar from the vet, they cost about $ bucks or so, at my vet anyway. but that's a last resort.

Wow Stacy. How frightening!! I'm sure little Bella is going to hate her ecollar but its for her own good. How long do the staples stay in?

The vet tech said the staples should stay for about seven days, but that since I was planning on taking her for her first "real" exam on this coming saturday, they could probably come out then. And that means the e collar stays until then, too, unfortunately. She is still a huge sweetheart though. Even the people working on her at the ER complimented her temperment, saying she didn't hiss or try to claw while they were working on her. Thanks for all of the advice and encouragment!

Aw! Bella is gorgeous!
Give her lots of hugs and headbumps from me and the crew.
Dev & Crew