My kitten has a tummy bulge. Should I delay neutering or fix it now?

Milo’s a cutie! That does look like a hernia, which is a rift in the abdominal muscle wall where intestines protrude through. Some hernia’s are reducible meaning you can push the bowels back into the abdomen. Some are not, and you are correct, there is always a change that they can get bigger and more dangerous because if they are big enough for a loop of bowel to pass through and twist on itself/strangulate….that can be life threatening. It is best to have the hernia repaired (they’re not removed…rather they bowel is pushed back through and the opening in the abdominal wall is sutured closed) at the time at of the neuter to minimize the number of anesthetic events Milo undergoes. This can be done earlier than 6 months….e.g. at 5 months. You can discuss early neutering and hernia repair this with your vet or wait 2 months and have both done when he is 6 months. Good luck!

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

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If the swelling is at the belly button, is soft and non-painful it is likely an umbilical hernia. The herniation is usually fat through the body wall. Sometimes they can be pushed in (but come back out) or are permanently out. We usually fix them easily when they are spayed. Your Vet can examine it soon when you bring her in for her first exam and vaccines. Have a great day! Also feel free to post a picture.

Hello. This incision looks normal for a week after surgery. Some swelling like you are seeing is normal especially if they are active and playing. It is normally just some inflammation of the muscle wall and subcutaneous tissue. It can take a few weeks for this to resolve and flatten out, but it will.

Oh dear! I hate to disagree with your vet, but there's no evidence whatsoever that breeding is good for a cat's health. In fact, it opens them up to a much higher risk of disease and injury - so I would recommend having him neutered now, rather than waiting. If your current vet doesn't want to do the procedure, I would suggest checking with another vet in your area to see if you can find someone who will go ahead and neuter him. At 5 months old, he's plenty old enough to go ahead and have the surgery.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! From your picture it appears as though Kilo has an umbilical hernia. They are non painful and do not have to be fixed. They usually do not cause a problem. They are genetic and it is not recommended to breed dogs that have them. Some dogs that have umbilical hernias are also cryptorchid (undescended testicle(s)). I can tell you that most of my clients fix the hernia when they spay or neuter the puppy. If you are not going to breed Kilo then it is recommend to neuter him but this is your personal choice. I would wait until he is a year old then decide. Neutering doesn't protect against prostate cancer but it does prevent all the other prostate diseases. If he marks in your house or becomes aggressive I recommend neutering. I hope this helps!

The area that you have circled in the photo is an area that we can feel mammary tissue (which males also have), fat or even lymph nodes. The most common thing we feel is fat which accumulates in the pouches on either side (which is likely what you are feeling in your female). Neutering or spaying a cat can decrease their metabolism and lead to weight gain, so it is common to find that they have more fat in that region after they are neutered or spayed. However, fat is normally quite soft and should not feel really firm, so I would recommend having your vet evaluate the area and make sure that it is normal. And presuming that it is, you can put Prince on a diet now, so he doesn't continue gaining weight! (Sorry Prince!) I hope that was helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.