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Can spay scar tissue cause my pet pain many years after surgery?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Female | spayed | 11 years and 8 months old | 11.5 lbs

Hi trixie had an intestinal biopsy today due to lack of appetite, possible IBD issues and some pain during jumping from counters. my vet found scar tissue near her ovaries that disconnected and began to bleed. She was spayed 11 years ago, could scar tissue from that spay have been causing pain or discomfort today, all these years later? thx

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Linda G,  MS, DVM

Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on April 4th, 2019

Hello. This is a difficult question since it can be hard to quantitate pain in animals, especially cats. We do know that scar tissue can cause some discomfort in us, but IBD can definitely cause pain in cats. If, for the most part, Trixie has been doing very well for the past 11 years, then I doubt a little scar tissue on the ovaries was at issue. I am concerned that your vet found the tearing & bleeding during the exploratory, that generally signals an acute traumatic event. Time will now tell if she is indeed more comfortable. I hope she is. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.
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