My spayed kitten is licking her incision. Is she safe alone in her utility room?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, she can absolutely use her litter box. It is ok for her to be in the bathroom. However, it is important to consider using an e-collar if she is going to be left unattended to try to prevent her from licking at the incision and causing an infection or opening her incision. You can buy an e-collar from your veterinarian or at your local pet store. Good luck and have a great day!

If this is how her incision looked when you took her back in for the recheck, then your vet probably thinks that it will heal on its own - we call this second intention healing. This is a reasonable way to heal a wound that only affects the skin. If the vet thought that the wound extended deeper than just the skin, then Bonnie would need to have the sutures replaced. The down side of healing by second intention is that it takes much longer for the wound to heal - it could be several weeks of having her wear the e-collar. Because of this, often my clients will prefer that we go ahead and sedate and clean up the wound to place new sutures. Healing would then be expected in around 10 days.

I would recommend taking the e-collar off and keep her in a closed room with you. most cats won't open the spay wound and in her case i think the cage and the collar are causing her too much stress. if you see that she is licking the area obsessively- put the collar back on.

As long as the incision isn't actively bleeding and isn't infected (red, swollen, warm to the touch, pus), then Bella should be ok. Keep an Ecollar on her at all times to keep her from licking her incision. Best of luck.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There could be an infection developing or even inflammation that will make healing more difficult. I recommend having them evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment which will likely include the use of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications. Good luck and have a good day!

Hi, no she shouldn't be licking the wound nor the powder. The wound's healing can be delayed if she is licking it and it could get infected as well. The powder contains Zinc that can be toxic if ingested repeatedly. Are you able to put a buster collar or elizabethan collar on her at all ?

Hello. It does look like the incision is opening a bit, but just the skin. The underlying muscle looks intact. You may have to put an E-collar ( cone of shame ) on her to prevent her from licking the incision open more. Most of the big pet retailers have them & one of the soft ones made for kitties should not be too stressful for her. I would also pick up some betadine at any pharmacy & gently clean the skin twice daily. No need to scrub. It is not necessary, but it would not hurt to put a dab on Neosporin on the incision, but only if she is wearing the collar. You do not want her to try cleaning the incision with her rough tongue. If the incision reddens much more, or begins to discharge at all, you will need to have her seen over the weekend. She will not fall apart on you, but keep a good eye on things & if it really worries you, have her seen quickly. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.