Is a swollen lump on my cat's belly normal after neuter surgery?

This looks swollen but it can be a normal reaction to the dissolvable sutures under the skin. If the hernia opened up the swelling would be able to be pushed into the abdomen. If the swelling is firm it’s most likely a suture reaction. Be patient. This should go down a little every day and it may take a week or two to get flat. If it’s not going down or you can push the swelling into the abdomen then please take her for a recheck. If she was too active the inside stitches may have broken and the inside incision opened up. Then it would need to be closed again. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Symphony.

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!

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.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is likely the normal fat pad on the belly of cats. It is just extra skin and fat. Almost every cat has this and it tends to occur after being spayed or neutered. I hope this helps!

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.

This is not normal, however it does not look infected either. Usually there would be the scrotal skin over this little lump of fat. Wash your hands well with soap, dry them, and then use thumb and first finger to grab the fur either side of it and gently pull it over the lump. If you can manage to do this, there is nothing else to do and it should heal. Only try this once. Jordan is probably licking, so it may be a good idea to get an e-collar for him. If this does not change by Tuesday or looks pussy or very red, then you should take Jordan to the shelter vet for a recheck.

Hello. This is not normal. Traditionally, the incisions over the acrotum are left open when a cat is neutered. Some of the scrotal tissue appears to be bulging out. This is not life threatening, but may delay healing time or possibly become infected. I would suggest that you have your cat rechecked by the veterinarian that performed the surgery. They may be able to manually reduce it or determine if it needs to be done under sedation. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach