Cat spay stitches not gone, stomach swollen. Is it an infection?

Mabel is such a cute kitty!! A small amount of bruising around the incision can be normal, but swelling can indicate a possible breakdown in the stitches holding the muscle together and should be checked out sooner rather than later, especially if Mabel seems painful. If the sutures Di breakdown it is possible for intestines to then become trapped beneath the skin and this can be very serious. I would recommend placing an ecollar on Mabel and confining her to a kennel or large box until you are able to have her seen. Excessive activity following surgery is not recommended and can exacerbate any complications that may develop. I hope Mabel feels better soon!

Some mild swelling is quite common but any pain, discomfort or discharge requires veterinary assessment. Monitor closely, it should reduce in size over 3-5days if fluid build up but may require surgical repair if not resolving

I think there's enough going on here that it would be worthwhile to take her for a recheck by your vet. It's not terrible looking, but there is some swelling along the incision margins and a small defect in the top of the incision. I would expect her incision to look better than this after a week. For now, I don't recommend you do any sort of treatment at home, because this may make things worse. As long as you get her to the vet in the next day or two, she should be fine to wait. I hope that helps and your kitty gets better soon.

Hello there! There are a couple of things that come to mind with a hardened area at the spay site. The first and most common issue I can think of may be inflammation from a localized suture reaction at the incision site. When Soy was spayed, the vet most likely used a layer of absorbable stitches in her abdominal muscles below the skin. These stitches are meant to absorb over time (anywhere from 90-220 days, depending on the type of suture) and don't usually cause any problem, but sometimes the body's immune system reacts against this foreign material and causes swelling. This is not usually a medical concern unless the swelling is hot, red, or appears to be bothering Soy. If you see any of these symptoms, you should bring her to the vet as this may indicate an infection. It may take many weeks to go away - if you are at all concerned about Soy's well-being, feel free to give the vet that spayed her a call. If Soy will let you, placing a warm compress against the area for 10 minutes a day can also help reduce the swelling. There is also the possibility that this lump is a cyst or tumor, but this is much less likely considering Soy's young age. Good luck, and I hope Soy's lump goes away soon!

This sounds like it is likely a seroma (a fluid pocket under the skin), or a tissue reaction to the suture material - both of these are quite common in cats after spay surgery, and should not cause any serious problems. Less commonly, the swelling could be caused by an infection or even a hernia. If Leia is acting normal (eating and drinking fine, playful, etc.), you can monitor the bump until it's time for her stitches to be removed. Applying a warm compress like a warm wet washcloth to the area 2-3 times a day can help the swelling to resolve faster, as well as restricting her activity as much as possible. If Leia is acting very lethargic or not eating, or if there is any bleeding or yellow-green discharge from the bump, these may be signs of infection - in that case, I would take her to the vet today for an exam and antibiotics or other medication if needed.

I would leave the remaining suture alone unless it seems to be bothering Kloe. Depending on what type of suture your veterinarian uses, it may disintegrate and come out on its own over the next few weeks, or it may be a type of non-absorbable suture that is designed to stay in place permanently. If the area around the suture looks red or irritated, or if it seems to be bothering her, I would suggest taking her back to your vet to have this checked - he/she can safely remove it if needed.

It is normal to see sutures on the outside of the skin, it's the skin suture layer. As for the pus, that can be a sign of infection so to be safe, I'd take Hazel into the vet in the morning to get it checked out. Best of luck.