Neuter tattoo

[Norachan]

I've got a lot of tattoos so from a human point of view I can tell you they feel like a bad scrape for the first couple of days, then start to scab over and itch.

I was told by my tattoo artist that the best way to help them heal was to keep them kind of moist so as they don't dry out and lose the scabs too quickly. Losing a scab will potentially cause a bit of bleeding, which will lead to more scabbing and itchiness.

Vaseline helped, but I think your cat will just lick that off again. Maybe just try a warm, damp cloth on the tattoo to see if softening the scab gives him any relief?

The reason people don't want their tattoos to lose their scabs and bleed is because a fresh tattoo will lose some of the ink that way, resulting in a faded spot in the design. That's not really of any concern in a cat's case. However, I have heard of people having an allergic reaction to tattoo ink so I guess it's possible with cats too.

 

[fionasmom]

The dog I referred to who was handed back to me bleeding did exactly that. Her tattoo was never really readable once it healed.

 

[Mv00]

I haven't seen a tattoo on a boy cat. Boy cats - it's fairly blatant if something is missing. If he is feral they might snip his ear to see at a distance that he's fixed, but I doubt that in this situation. It almost looks like they did a female incision/tattoo on accident???

They definitely cut his scrotum and I'm not sure why they put the tat up so high. Every cat I've had, I don't recall their ear getting snipped or them getting a tattoo, so this is new to me. I think by now the tat is healed fully since I don't see any scabbing or anything and his fur is growing back.

 

[Mv00]

Pain meds are absolutely necessary for after any surgery. Being a kitten has nothing to do with it.

I agree. I guess the shelter is trying to cut corners or something. When I had adopted both kittens, the getting spayed and neutered was included. I haven't had a pet fixed for close to a decade and I vaguely recall my oldest cat (9.5 years old) having meds for the first couple days.

 

[Mv00]

I've got a lot of tattoos so from a human point of view I can tell you they feel like a bad scrape for the first couple of days, then start to scab over and itch.

I was told by my tattoo artist that the best way to help them heal was to keep them kind of moist so as they don't dry out and lose the scabs too quickly. Losing a scab will potentially cause a bit of bleeding, which will lead to more scabbing and itchiness.

Vaseline helped, but I think your cat will just lick that off again. Maybe just try a warm, damp cloth on the tattoo to see if softening the scab gives him any relief?

The reason people don't want their tattoos to lose their scabs and bleed is because a fresh tattoo will lose some of the ink that way, resulting in a faded spot in the design. That's not really of any concern in a cat's case. However, I have heard of people having an allergic reaction to tattoo ink so I guess it's possible with cats too.

True. They didn't want it wet or anything which I think is dumb. When I had my tattoo, it didn't even hurt, just itched to no end and I used calming cream which helped a lot as did tapping/patting it.

 

[Mv00]

The dog I referred to who was handed back to me bleeding did exactly that. Her tattoo was never really readable once it healed.

Poor baby. I hope they did something to help the bleeding. I think the chip my kittens got is that Home one, which I believe only stores owner information and basic pet info. I believe there's an additional monthly fee for medical info, but it was something outrageous so I didn't bother.

 

[clickcats]

True. They didn't want it wet or anything which I think is dumb. When I had my tattoo, it didn't even hurt, just itched to no end and I used calming cream which helped a lot as did tapping/patting it.

Spay/neuter tattoos for cats are given by making a small cut in the skin (not deep enough to draw blood), placing the ink in the incision, and then putting surgical dissolving glue over it. They are very different than human tattoos, at least in rescue clinics that can't just go buy a tattoo gun and compatible ink. The reason they don't want it getting wet is so that the glue doesn't dissolve and hinder the healing of the incision. Think of it like a paper cut almost, it's thin enough that it heals easily but having it irritated can potentially cause an infection. I've personally only seen one cat have any issue with his neuter tattoo, getting slightly irritated with some puss that went away after using some Nixall on it for a few days.