Kitten constantly licking post op shirt (post spaying)

[TommoLB]

So I had my 6 month old Kitten spayed on Monday and she came home sporting a lovely shirt/jump suit. However, she spends hours a day licking the front of the jump suit to the extent it becomes soaking wet. She also wants to constantly be sat on my lap where she proceeds to lick for about 15-30 minutes, then settle down and fall asleep. She always was a kitten prone to washing herself (and me), but this is a whole new level.

She's on Metacam for pain relief and during her post op check yesterday the vet was pleased with the look of the wound and the feel of her insides. When I mentioned the licking, the vet suggested I might wish to take the shirt off occasionally, implying to me he thought she was finding the shirt irritating and hence the reason for the licking. I haven't done this as I am 99% sure I'll never get the thing back on and that she will start licking her wound (my male cat got an infection post castration 2 years ago from licking his wounds, want to avoid a repeat of that with her).

Has anyone here experienced similar behavior when their cat wore a post-op shirt?

(I will add that my kitten is eating, peeing and pooing fine and although much quieter and subdued than normal, is slowly becoming more active)

 

[lutece]

If she is constantly licking the shirt, it might be irritated under there. Is it possible to peek under the shirt every once in a while to check on the incision?

The one time I used a recovery shirt on a cat after a spay, my cat also licked at the shirt a lot, and when I was not watching her one day, she chewed through the shirt and pulled some stitches out... she had to have a stitch repaired, and then she spent the rest of her recovery wearing a big plastic cone. So after that experience, I would suggest that you keep an eye on the shirt to make sure it remains intact