Neutered 6 month old male

Mv00

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Oct 5, 2023
Messages
47
Purraise
29
Hi! I just had my 6 month old male neutered two days ago and he's bouncing back to his normal self very quickly. He looks like he's healing well with no drainage or yuckiness, going potty like normal, normal appetite and water intake, and luckily he didn't get sick, just tired from the meds which are pretty much worn off. The doctor said he needs the E-collar for 7-10 days as well as keep them separated for the same amount of time, but I disagree. I do have a female kitten who's 5 months and is getting fixed in the next few weeks and a spayed senior female who basically keeps away from the babies, but is curious about the boy in recovery. What's the earliest I can have him be back with the others and when can I take the collar off? He's taken it off 3 times already in not even a 48 hour span and he's very itchy where the gauze is. I can tell he's extremely frustrated with the collar and trying to break it🤦‍♀️. I feel awful separating him from the others and I'm trying to keep him happy, but I can still tell he's sad, frustrated, lonely and mad. He is a tad wobbly still with walking, but I imagine it's gonna be uncomfy walking for a bit until he's fully healed and the goods have shrunken and I'm sure the collar is throwing his perception off big time. With each day, the swelling is decreasing and his normal coloring in the region is coming back slowly. Any feedback is much appreciated. Thanks in advance 😊
 

HeyKat

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Feb 20, 2022
Messages
187
Purraise
311
The shelter I volunteer at puts the cats in the cattery as soon as the anaesthetic has worn off. No collars or cones. Never had an issue.
 

Norachan

Moderator
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
May 27, 2013
Messages
32,871
Purraise
33,122
Location
Mount Fuji, Japan
None of the cats I had spayed or neutered ever wore a cone or e-collar. They were back with their siblings the day after surgery. As long as he's recovering from surgery and seems fine I think you can remove the collar.
 

Binxie

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Aug 6, 2022
Messages
147
Purraise
329
Location
Chicagoland area
I have had many cats throughout the decades and none of them have ever had a cone on after spay or neuter, it seems to be a trend now to do so with some, but unless the cat is picking at the surgical site and causing problems I don't think they are necessary and certainly causes a lot of annoyance and additional stress to the cat.
 

di and bob

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
16,732
Purraise
23,240
Location
Nebraska, USA
My vet has never used them either. Maybe one would be needed while they are still groggy and don't really know what they are doing, but that should quickly pass. i have spayed and neutered MANY cats and never had a cone on any of them. All have been fine. There is a certain amount of licking at first, then they slack off. Feral cats are released the next day to avoid stress. Remember your other cats may hiss and swat at him at first, so monitor them for a couple of days, he smells different and they won't like it. It may take a few days to get back to normal. But it will!
 

HeyKat

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Feb 20, 2022
Messages
187
Purraise
311
Remember your other cats may hiss and swat at him at first, so monitor them for a couple of days, he smells different and they won't like it. It may take a few days to get back to normal. But it will!
Rubbing him down with a blanket they all sleep on can help with this. It'll get the home scent back on him after a vet trip.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

Mv00

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Oct 5, 2023
Messages
47
Purraise
29
The shelter I volunteer at puts the cats in the cattery as soon as the anaesthetic has worn off. No collars or cones. Never had an issue.
Okay, thanks.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #8

Mv00

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Oct 5, 2023
Messages
47
Purraise
29
None of the cats I had spayed or neutered ever wore a cone or e-collar. They were back with their siblings the day after surgery. As long as he's recovering from surgery and seems fine I think you can remove the collar.
Okay, thanks.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #9

Mv00

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Oct 5, 2023
Messages
47
Purraise
29
I have had many cats throughout the decades and none of them have ever had a cone on after spay or neuter, it seems to be a trend now to do so with some, but unless the cat is picking at the surgical site and causing problems I don't think they are necessary and certainly causes a lot of annoyance and additional stress to the cat.
Very true. I had a cone for my oldest, but it was only for a day and she was fine. Online gives mixed things of course. The vet insists keeping it on for a week so no infection happens if they lick it, but I never had an issue of any infection with any kitten ever even when they didn't have a cone.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #10

Mv00

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Oct 5, 2023
Messages
47
Purraise
29
My vet has never used them either. Maybe one would be needed while they are still groggy and don't really know what they are doing, but that should quickly pass. i have spayed and neutered MANY cats and never had a cone on any of them. All have been fine. There is a certain amount of licking at first, then they slack off. Feral cats are released the next day to avoid stress. Remember your other cats may hiss and swat at him at first, so monitor them for a couple of days, he smells different and they won't like it. It may take a few days to get back to normal. But it will!
Very true. Thank you 😊. I've been keeping him separate so there aren't any issues of fighting, growling, etc and am slowly letting him be near them as a precaution. The other two have been pretty good for the most part about the hissing. My 5 month old who is very bonded to him seems to be a little hissy, but she bolts if he tries to go near (like within a few feet close). I imagine it's the cone that she's afraid of the most and she hasn't tried to get close enough to smell him. My oldest is acting very motherly to him and I think she feels bad for him. Usually she's growly with him, but not so much now. She actually follows me when I spend time with him in his room so he can recover and relax.
 

Norachan

Moderator
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
May 27, 2013
Messages
32,871
Purraise
33,122
Location
Mount Fuji, Japan
The vet insists keeping it on for a week so no infection happens if they lick it
They're very unlikely to get an infection from their own saliva. All animals lick there wounds as a way of cleaning and promoting healing blood flow to that area. If there own saliva led to infections they'd get sick every time they licked any little scrape.

:)
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #12

Mv00

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Oct 5, 2023
Messages
47
Purraise
29
They're very unlikely to get an infection from their own saliva. All animals lick there wounds as a way of cleaning and promoting healing blood flow to that area. If there own saliva led to infections they'd get sick every time they licked any little scrape.

:)
That's very true. The post op with his neuter is sooooo different from what I've experienced my whole life and that's why I'm like wtf?!
 
Top