My cat just had surgery. Is redness under her incision normal?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It looks good to me. The redness isn't terrible and doesn't worry me. The hanging saggy belly skin is normal for a cat and is more obvious after you shave the fur. If she is licking I'd use an E-collar. She is likely licking 10 times more than you are seeing. I wish Zoey a speedy recovery!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Redness can develop around an incision a few days after surgery and be normal as long as there isn’t pain or discharge. If you can post a picture we can get a better idea. I hope this helps!

Then incision is more red than I would expect it to at this time. It could be just because he has been too active, or it could be early signs of an infection. If it is more red tomorrow then it is probably an infection. I would confine him to a small bathroom where he can’t jump around and keep his mouth away from the incision. Either a onsie or the e-collar needs to be on at all times to protect him from opening the incision. I would encourage you to have a follow up appointment with your veterinarian tomorrow to examine the incision and see if he needs antibiotics. I don’t see any need for an emergency clinic appointment today. Best of luck and I hope he heals soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

All in all, I think that Tokyo's incision looks perfectly normal for being about 10 days post-op. I can see that she's likely been licking the center part a bit more than she should have been since the tissue is still slightly red. However, it's still healing nicely. Since this area is a bit red, I would try to put an e-collar (cone) or baby onesie on Tokyo for the next few days to prevent her from licking at it. The white areas that you're seeing look like normal fibrin-rich tissues, which are normal in the healing process and will fall off shortly. I hope that she continues to heal well!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There is some redness and bruising that is to be expected following a big surgery like that. I think this is likely fine. However, if this appears to get any worse, have her evaluated by her veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. She is also beautiful! Good luck and have a good night!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The purple areas look like bruising that likely occurred due to trauma/pinching of the area during surgery. Bruising can worsen during the first 2-3 days following a procedure, so this is not abnormal to see at this time for Molly. This bruising should start to improve after another 1-2 days. I definitely recommend keeping Molly's Elizabethan collar (E-collar) on AT ALL TIMES until her sutures are removed by your veterinarian to prevent her from licking at the area and causing trauma/increasing the risk of an incisional infection. If the bruising worsens after day 3-4 post-op, and/or you notice yellow/thick, foul-smelling discharge, and/or if any of the sutures seem to have fallen out, I recommend having Molly seen by your veterinarian right away. Otherwise, I recommend monitoring the area and keeping her E-collar on. Best of luck with Molly - and THANK YOU for spaying your pet!

Thank you for providing a picture of Zaharah's incision. It looks like it's healing well to me, it's not very red and some scabbing is normal. I hope she continues to recover well from her emergency surgery!