Post Spayed Surgery Concern

[yaxar08]

I just got two of my 6-month-old kittens spayed the past Wednesday. They have been doing fine besides not being comfortable with the E. collar since they have never worn a collar before. However, I found on one of my cats that her surgical site grew a bit looks like a lump or bump as shown in the pictures. She doesn't seem to have anything different other than being quieter than usual and sleeping more. The other cat doesn't have that obvious bump. When I gently touched that bump, the top center is like hard white crusting, the side is soft. I know they are not able to leak themselves, so I wonder if it is a good thing. I checked on the vet web and said it could be due to too much exercise, and this cat is definitely jumpy. The first day I brought her back, she just kept moving around as if she did not just have surgery. She finally got used to wearing E collar and calmed down now, but then I saw this lumpish thing. What should I do? On the website, it says it usually goes away in a couple of days as it grows larger first and then smaller until it disappears. Should I wait for 2-3 days to see if it gets smaller or should I go to an emergency vet directly? I am not too worried as she is doing fine but just got a little bit concerned about the change.

 

[British Girls]

The same thing happened to my cat. I just put a warm compress on it and gently applied light pressure now and then, and it went away. But to be honest, the best thing would be to take her to the vet for a checkup in case it is anything serious such as a seroma that needs draining, a hernia, etc. Good luck!

 

[sivyaleah]

It's called a seroma. A collection of fluid under the surgical site. Usually harmless and will go down over the next few weeks.
I don't know why vets don't mention this is a possibility. Until I had this happen with my kitten, I'd never heard of it before.
I was told to do warm compresses a few times a day. I did bring her in to be seen just in case it was maybe an allergic reaction to sutures or a hernia developed. Most likely, this is what your girl has too but call the vet anyway to have it on her records and get advice directly if needed.

 

[yaxar08]

It's called a seroma. A collection of fluid under the surgical site. Usually harmless and will go down over the next few weeks.
I don't know why vets don't mention this is a possibility. Until I had this happen with my kitten, I'd never heard of it before.
I was told to do warm compresses a few times a day. I did bring her in to be seen just in case it was maybe an allergic reaction to sutures or a hernia developed. Most likely, this is what your girl has too but call the vet anyway to have it on her records and get advice directly if needed.

Thank you. The vet didn't pick up so I left a voice message about her condition. I want to ask that my vet said they were not supposed to touch water to their surgical sites, so is it okay to use a warm compress generally?

 

[sivyaleah]

Thank you. The vet didn't pick up so I left a voice message about her condition. I want to ask that my vet said they were not supposed to touch water to their surgical sites, so is it okay to use a warm compress generally?

Yes that's fine especially since the spay was days ago.
If it feels hot to you, it will to her so make sure its just on the warm side. Damp, not wet. Just leave it on about 5 minutes, a few times a day as long as she will tolerate that. My girl was extremely "needy" and a bit clingy after her spay (totally unlike her normal personality) so it was pretty easy for me to do this while she napped nearby.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. If the lump is hard it is not a seroma. A Seroma would feel fluid filled like a soft water balloon. If it is hard it could be a suture reaction Or failure of internal sutures (doubtful). I would get her looked at and in the mean time keep her quiet and confined. I am sure she will be fine, but it should be checked. Probably ok to wait till Monday, but keep her confined.

 

[yaxar08]

I have two 6-month-old female cats, and both of them got spayed last Wednesday. However, one of them got seroma due to too much activity after the surgery. I have been doing warm compresses, but I took her to the vet just in case today. The vet said it will heal but she has to be on strict cage rest for 7 days with no interaction with other pets, followed by 7 days of confined room rest with no other pets interactions. They even gave me a medium dog cage so she can stay in more comfort with a little bit more space. I put a small cardboard paper to act as a litter box. But the question is should I leave her with the cage in an open space or should I leave her in a room? Because I don't know if she feels upset while looking at the other cat is outside walking around, but I am also afraid if she feels lonely in a room plus she's already in a cage. I am doing some work in the living room right now, so I brought her cage out and put it next to me, but I don't know what I should do when I go to work during the day. Also, she is such an active cat, she already flipped the litter box, and the litter got into the food bowl, and she flipped the water bowl. She kept meawing to get out. So I changed the little box into a deeper plastic container, but she hasn't used it yet. I don't know what she will do when I leave the house. I don't want her to eat food and drink water that has litter first, and second, the vet said no interaction with other pets, but since she is already in the cage, does that still apply? They both are wearing the E collar right now, so it's hard to groom each other. Can anyone tell me what I should do? How strict can this strict cage rest be??

 

[fionasmom]

You probably need to follow your vet's instructions. If he said strict cage rest for a week, followed by room rest with no other pets it is probably because the seroma developed as it did. Having said that, I realize that this can be stressful for all of you. Call the vet if it becomes very difficult and ask if he feels that you can allow more freedom. We can't tell you not to follow your vet's instructions.