My cat's nipples are swollen and hard after spay. Is this normal?

It sounds as though Knox is exhibiting signs of a false pregnancy. Since she was spayed last month, it is not possible for her to actually become pregnant. Rarely, a portion of ovarian tissue (referred to as ovarian remnant syndrome) can remain after a spay, which then produces hormones and can cause signs of heat and possible pregnancy. I do recommend taking Knox to her vet for an exam and to consider blood hormone levels to determine if ovarian remnant syndrome is suspected. For further reading, take a look at this link: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=3507. I hope that all goes well!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is likely mammary gland hyperplasia which is benign growth of the breast tissue in cats. It can happen after the cat is spayed if they ovulated and were recently in heat before the surgery. It is secondary to hormonal influence. It should resolve on it's own. I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, swelling or enlargement of the mammary glands is commonly observed when they are in heat so this is likely normal in Sarabi. No need to be concerned. Good luck and have a good night!

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!

There are a couple of reasons that you might be seeing swelling with Lily's mammary glands. If she has had a first heat cycle (which can sometimes be a "silent" heat or difficult to see) that would be the most likely possbility. I would recommend that your vet examine her tomorrow to see what they think is going on. They will likely still be able to do her spay tomorrow. I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Her nipples look normal at least in this picture. I would not worry about it as long as they do not look abnormal or irritated which does not appear to be the case. Good luck and have a good day!

Hello. If you are sure that she is not pregnant, then this is just a hormonal response. The breast gland tissue may regress a bit, but as long as she remains unsprayed, she may develop a little more with each heat cycle. Spaying her now may help regress the tissues totally, but with each additional heat cycle, she may develop just a little bit more. So yes, this is a normal condition in an unsprayed female dog. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.