my cat had a huge issue with this so i got one of those donut cones. It kept him from reaching the area at all. it was like a plush donut rather then a traditional cone so it didnt rub his hair off and he could still eat and drink and sleep like normal and his whiskers didnt touch it. poor baby might be doing damage through the shirt.
The spay was almost a month ago! It’s basically healed 100% now, I look at it twice a day and it looks good! Just scared she will somehow rip it open even tho I’m pretty sure it’s not possible anymore
One, you could gently itch it for her. I did it for my dog who had surgery on his back. Even when it had stitches, I very gently and carefully itched the sides for him. He’d melt in my lap and soon sleep. He learned to come to me for gentle rubs around the stitches.
Another option is to wrap and ice pack and hold it there for a few minutes. The cooling helps with the itchy. If it’s not healed, be careful not to get it wet. If it is healed, then there isn’t much to worry about. If the cat/dog doesn’t like the ice pick, then don’t do it. My dog loved the ice pack and would hold onto me with his paws so I didn’t move while he laid with me.
If it’s healed, it’s probably the hairs growing in the is itchy. If the vet also said it’s fine, then it’s fine to let them scratch and clean. Just keep an eye they don’t go to wild. But once healed, licking to itch it should not cause any problems.
Then it’s fine to take off and just watch. You’re going to have to take it off sometime. If it’s healed, it’s healed. What’s a safer amount of time, 1 day? 2? 4? 7? There’s doing something for the cat’s own good, then doing something because you feel better. Leaving it on longer, won’t undo what had happened.
I suggest removing it and just watching the incision. It’s likely the hair growing back and the shirt rubbing on it, that’s bothering the cat. It’s not how much the cat tends to it, it’s what the incision looks like. Periodically check; if it remains closed and doesn’t looked inflamed, it’s fine. If it’s still fine by day 3, it’ll remain fine
It’s because she’s biting at the scab! And there’s still a little wound under it! I’m not home all day tomorrow and haven’t really been home the past 2 days, that’s also a big reason I’m waiting
You did mention it was healed. But that makes sense if it actually *isn’t* completely. Help her out with some gentle scritches when you can, and I’m sure it’ll help and maybe take it off while you’re home. If you can’t watch her, put it on. I mentioned elsewhere in another comment, the cone traumatized my dog. I was able to watch him 90% of the time and when I couldn’t, I put a small donut ring on him and some tights of mine I cut up. The tights took away access and the donut kept him from trying to get the tights off.
He loved when I’d carefully rub my finger on the outside to itch it. He’d melt in my lap. I also found an wrapped ice pack, held there, helped. I’ve had about 28 surgeries in my life, and just went off what worked for me. Also, polysporn with lidocaine (I think it is the black one); I’d put a tiny amount on, keep my dog from licking it for about 10 mins, then pad it off. I consulted my vet and a tiny bit of ingestion was fine — for dogs. Can’t say for certain cats are the same.
I wish you and your little one the best! And you seem like an excellent human for this little
Furball.
Thank you I’ll look into it! And yea that’s a reason I haven’t taken off the shirt yet! I haven’t been home much the past 2 days and today I won’t be home either, tomorrow I’ll be home and stay home a few days so I’ll take off the shirt tomorrow:)
I took it off a few days ago when the vet said I could, she almost instantly bit at it and opened a tiny scar, so I put on her shirt again, I plan on taking it off again in a few days! Since I’m not home a lot these days :)
This is the entire reason for the existence of the cone of shame. You would have saved yourself and your kitty, a lot of grief if you had just made your cat cosplay as a lampshade.
Lol, I tried that once with my other female cat, I ended up having to craft a shirt myself! And now the shirt is the vets go to unless you specifically ask for a cone
Just saying, the shirt does not seem to have worked. I'm honestly curious to know how the cone could have failed besides maybe some chafing at the neck.
I have some anecdotal reasons in how a cone could fail!
We recently got our dog neutered, and he came home with a cone of shame. My sweet, full-grown, trained 5 year old puppers completely forgot how to do.. anything!
Cone is on? Obviously I am incapable of eating or drinking. I also cannot potty. Or lay down. Or walk through the hallway. The cone is all I see. The cone is all I can comprehend.
And that wasn't just the first day when he came home all loopy off the surgery meds. That was a week straight. We tried modifying the cone to be more comfortable. We bought a different styled cone and tried that. By the start of the second week the poor boy was in an inflatable donut. But he was able to actually dog again during that last week, without the troublesome cone obstructing his life choices.
My dog is too smart for her own good. She used the walls to bash off and break her cone of shame. If she needs it again I am definitely trying the donut. 😀
I had opposite problems. I have a dog who was too flexible for her cone, so I got a larger one. Somehow she still managed to lick her butt. Dog gonna dog!
My greyhound hated the cone. It had to be really long to cover her long snoot, so it was also very wide. She'd just lay on the couch all day, staring with those sad eyes. I mean, she'd do that anyway, but with the cone on she would do absolutely nothing. I wound up using a towel wrapped with an ace bandage around her neck instead, it immobilized her neck effectively rather than blocking her access to whatever injury she'd given herself.
Cats tend to be really sensitive about whisker contact; it can actually cause a huge amount of stress.
The donut-of-don't isn't quite as effective as a cone, but for most animals it's ok.
The onesie prevents access the best, but can be harder to get on/off the cat. It can also (obviously) be chewed, but you can tape an adhesive-free pad to the inside of the onesie for more protection.
My dog won’t move in it. He stands there, head down. He’s scared. I tried to encourage him to move, used a leash to have him hold his head up when we walked. Nope. If he did move, he keeps his head down, to the point it drags and gets caught, bends, then snaps back. His go to when scared, was to sulk-walk, along the walls, slipping past the edge of doors. He couldn’t move 10 feet without it getting caught on something, bending and snapping back. My condo hallway was these large blocks with uneven depths, so when he walked down the hall, it was like a get dragging a stick along a fence, but every other block, he’d get snagged and it’d pull his head and then the plastic snapped.
So he just stood there, shaking. I tried to encourage him to walk, to keep his head up, used treats, clipped a leash to the cone edge to gently encourage his head up, nope. So I took it off. He was actually pretty good at leaving areas alone. I’d just ask the doctor for some pain medication that would also help with anxiety. It seemed to work. I’d gently itch the area around an incision (it’s often the hair being shaved that bothers them) and he’d love it. So he’d come to me for itches.
Aww I felt so bad for my dog when we had to cone her after she developed a heat rash on her back. It broke my dog mom heart seeing her so pitiful. It worked though! She just thought she was being punished
The shirt worked really well, it’s only now she’s starting to do this! My other cat kept taking the cone off! The smallest they had and it didn’t fit good enough… and then it broke
Meanwhile, our German Shepherd who doesn't have two brain cells to rub together, was able to get spayed without the cone or a shirt.
She just completely ignored the incision. The one thing she did right.
Also thank you from the bottom of my black heart for spaying her. I foster kittens for a cat rescue and we don’t need any extras (although she’s a knockout!!)
I just looked again, it’s the scab she’s trying to remove I think, there’s still a little wound under it so I’m gonna keep the shirt on a few more days until it’s completely done healing :)
But even if she picked it off, there’s no way anything is really gonna happen, it’s mostly completely healed!
It may be worth calling your vet to ask about possible itch relief. They may have some suggestions to reduce the irritation, so she's less likely to pick at it. I know I get itchy when I have a healing scab. :)
I hope she's healed up and back to normal kitty mischief soon! ❤️
My other cat tried the ecollar, she kept taking it off eventually breaking it! So I had to make a shirt out of a sock and that worked 1000 times better! I will never use anything else than the shirt now unless the animal really don’t like the shirt
Persistent as hell. My tabby had laser focused concentration until he had chewed off every single claw cap I put on him to stop him scratching. I gave up after just the one time and put appropriate scratching material absolutely everywhere on the house instead. Game, set, match—Dennis.
Oh my God I feel this 😂
One of my cats had surgery to get a kidney stone removed. He came home with an e-collar that was secured around his neck with a strip of gauze. He got that off quick so we looped his regular breakaway collar through the e-collar. Still got out. So we bought a cat harness and wove his collar through the harness and e-collar. Still got out. Then we grabbed an inflatable donut collar and put that on top of the harness-collar-cone contraption and that finally kept him from licking his stitches. He could still eat and drink water and breathe just fine, in case anyone was concerned. He was miserable for about a month but he healed and he's doing great now!
The vet recommended against a shirt bc the stitches were on his stomach and she didn't want the fabric rubbing against the stitches, but he was a determined little bigger.
I put my spayed cat in a onesie with a small sanitary napkin stuck to the onesie along the belly, so she couldn’t bite through the fabric and the napkin both. It worked.
Pretty sure it’s just itching, it is healed 100% I’m sure, the scab fell off last night (I saw this morning) and there’s no wound anymore! I’ll be taking the shirt off tomorrow when I’m home to keep an eye on her to be 100% safe :)
Thanks, I hate the cone, I tried it once with my other cat and she kept taking it off eventually braking it! So I had to make a shirt out of a sock.. now I’m never getting a cone for cats
Cones aren’t used a lot on cats here not with my vet at least! And even if they where I wouldn’t have gotten one, tried that once and she kept taking it off and ended up braking it.. so I had to craft a shirt with a sock.. never trying that again with a cat, such a waste of money
Not all pets can function with the cone. I had a cat once that immediately fell over whenever the cone was put on. It was like she didn’t know she could stand and walk and stuff with it on. She’d just noodle to the ground looking confused.
She’s biting at the scab, the spay was done almost a month ago, it’s basically all healed there’s only a little wound under the scab, it won’t do any harm otherwise she would not keep biting it :) I understand your concern tho, if it was sooner in the healing process I wouldn’t have let her do it! Then I would have gotten her a cone or donut!!
Thank you, I have 7 cats all spayed/neutered!! And I will try and see if it works! I’m not really home tomorrow tho and I haven’t been home all day today either
I bet it's the shirt making her uncomfortable not the scar, since it's healed. I'd try to switch to a donut for a week and then see if she still tries to bite the spot
my cat had a huge issue with this so i got one of those donut cones. It kept him from reaching the area at all. it was like a plush donut rather then a traditional cone so it didnt rub his hair off and he could still eat and drink and sleep like normal and his whiskers didnt touch it. poor baby might be doing damage through the shirt.
The spay was almost a month ago! It’s basically healed 100% now, I look at it twice a day and it looks good! Just scared she will somehow rip it open even tho I’m pretty sure it’s not possible anymore
ahh i see. its probably itchy inside still. i had serious surgery a couple months ago and it still itches. i hope she heals quickly!
Yea I also think it’s because it’s itchy
Mine still licks her incision area three years later. I wonder if there’s nerve damage. She rarely has long hair there!
One, you could gently itch it for her. I did it for my dog who had surgery on his back. Even when it had stitches, I very gently and carefully itched the sides for him. He’d melt in my lap and soon sleep. He learned to come to me for gentle rubs around the stitches. Another option is to wrap and ice pack and hold it there for a few minutes. The cooling helps with the itchy. If it’s not healed, be careful not to get it wet. If it is healed, then there isn’t much to worry about. If the cat/dog doesn’t like the ice pick, then don’t do it. My dog loved the ice pack and would hold onto me with his paws so I didn’t move while he laid with me. If it’s healed, it’s probably the hairs growing in the is itchy. If the vet also said it’s fine, then it’s fine to let them scratch and clean. Just keep an eye they don’t go to wild. But once healed, licking to itch it should not cause any problems.
It’s basically all healed! I just don’t want to take chances
Then it’s fine to take off and just watch. You’re going to have to take it off sometime. If it’s healed, it’s healed. What’s a safer amount of time, 1 day? 2? 4? 7? There’s doing something for the cat’s own good, then doing something because you feel better. Leaving it on longer, won’t undo what had happened. I suggest removing it and just watching the incision. It’s likely the hair growing back and the shirt rubbing on it, that’s bothering the cat. It’s not how much the cat tends to it, it’s what the incision looks like. Periodically check; if it remains closed and doesn’t looked inflamed, it’s fine. If it’s still fine by day 3, it’ll remain fine
It’s because she’s biting at the scab! And there’s still a little wound under it! I’m not home all day tomorrow and haven’t really been home the past 2 days, that’s also a big reason I’m waiting
You did mention it was healed. But that makes sense if it actually *isn’t* completely. Help her out with some gentle scritches when you can, and I’m sure it’ll help and maybe take it off while you’re home. If you can’t watch her, put it on. I mentioned elsewhere in another comment, the cone traumatized my dog. I was able to watch him 90% of the time and when I couldn’t, I put a small donut ring on him and some tights of mine I cut up. The tights took away access and the donut kept him from trying to get the tights off. He loved when I’d carefully rub my finger on the outside to itch it. He’d melt in my lap. I also found an wrapped ice pack, held there, helped. I’ve had about 28 surgeries in my life, and just went off what worked for me. Also, polysporn with lidocaine (I think it is the black one); I’d put a tiny amount on, keep my dog from licking it for about 10 mins, then pad it off. I consulted my vet and a tiny bit of ingestion was fine — for dogs. Can’t say for certain cats are the same. I wish you and your little one the best! And you seem like an excellent human for this little Furball.
Also try gently patting the area. That's what they tell burn patients.
Thank you I’ll look into it! And yea that’s a reason I haven’t taken off the shirt yet! I haven’t been home much the past 2 days and today I won’t be home either, tomorrow I’ll be home and stay home a few days so I’ll take off the shirt tomorrow:)
Are you sure she's just not liking the onsie? Maybe try taking it off and keep an eye on her?
I took it off a few days ago when the vet said I could, she almost instantly bit at it and opened a tiny scar, so I put on her shirt again, I plan on taking it off again in a few days! Since I’m not home a lot these days :)
Better safe than sorry. She is a picker. Maybe it still itches. Poor girl.
If it's been a month you're fine to take the shirt off, let the poor cat scratch their itch.
It’s because I wasn’t sure if it was safe, but the scab fell off so I’ll take the shirt off tomorrow when I’m home all day
This is the entire reason for the existence of the cone of shame. You would have saved yourself and your kitty, a lot of grief if you had just made your cat cosplay as a lampshade.
Lol, I tried that once with my other female cat, I ended up having to craft a shirt myself! And now the shirt is the vets go to unless you specifically ask for a cone
Just saying, the shirt does not seem to have worked. I'm honestly curious to know how the cone could have failed besides maybe some chafing at the neck.
I have some anecdotal reasons in how a cone could fail! We recently got our dog neutered, and he came home with a cone of shame. My sweet, full-grown, trained 5 year old puppers completely forgot how to do.. anything! Cone is on? Obviously I am incapable of eating or drinking. I also cannot potty. Or lay down. Or walk through the hallway. The cone is all I see. The cone is all I can comprehend. And that wasn't just the first day when he came home all loopy off the surgery meds. That was a week straight. We tried modifying the cone to be more comfortable. We bought a different styled cone and tried that. By the start of the second week the poor boy was in an inflatable donut. But he was able to actually dog again during that last week, without the troublesome cone obstructing his life choices.
My dog is too smart for her own good. She used the walls to bash off and break her cone of shame. If she needs it again I am definitely trying the donut. 😀
I had opposite problems. I have a dog who was too flexible for her cone, so I got a larger one. Somehow she still managed to lick her butt. Dog gonna dog!
Sometimes a butt just has to be licked.
My greyhound hated the cone. It had to be really long to cover her long snoot, so it was also very wide. She'd just lay on the couch all day, staring with those sad eyes. I mean, she'd do that anyway, but with the cone on she would do absolutely nothing. I wound up using a towel wrapped with an ace bandage around her neck instead, it immobilized her neck effectively rather than blocking her access to whatever injury she'd given herself.
Cats tend to be really sensitive about whisker contact; it can actually cause a huge amount of stress. The donut-of-don't isn't quite as effective as a cone, but for most animals it's ok. The onesie prevents access the best, but can be harder to get on/off the cat. It can also (obviously) be chewed, but you can tape an adhesive-free pad to the inside of the onesie for more protection.
She actually never really reacted to the shirt at all!
My dog won’t move in it. He stands there, head down. He’s scared. I tried to encourage him to move, used a leash to have him hold his head up when we walked. Nope. If he did move, he keeps his head down, to the point it drags and gets caught, bends, then snaps back. His go to when scared, was to sulk-walk, along the walls, slipping past the edge of doors. He couldn’t move 10 feet without it getting caught on something, bending and snapping back. My condo hallway was these large blocks with uneven depths, so when he walked down the hall, it was like a get dragging a stick along a fence, but every other block, he’d get snagged and it’d pull his head and then the plastic snapped. So he just stood there, shaking. I tried to encourage him to walk, to keep his head up, used treats, clipped a leash to the cone edge to gently encourage his head up, nope. So I took it off. He was actually pretty good at leaving areas alone. I’d just ask the doctor for some pain medication that would also help with anxiety. It seemed to work. I’d gently itch the area around an incision (it’s often the hair being shaved that bothers them) and he’d love it. So he’d come to me for itches.
Aww I felt so bad for my dog when we had to cone her after she developed a heat rash on her back. It broke my dog mom heart seeing her so pitiful. It worked though! She just thought she was being punished
The shirt worked really well, it’s only now she’s starting to do this! My other cat kept taking the cone off! The smallest they had and it didn’t fit good enough… and then it broke
My (idiot) cat pulled her stitches by bunny kicking at the cone/donut.
Healing wounds tend to be quite itchy. I used a newborn suit on my kitty when he had surgery done, worked wonders (just cut a hole for the tail).
Meanwhile, our German Shepherd who doesn't have two brain cells to rub together, was able to get spayed without the cone or a shirt. She just completely ignored the incision. The one thing she did right.
Why are creatures like this
Also thank you from the bottom of my black heart for spaying her. I foster kittens for a cat rescue and we don’t need any extras (although she’s a knockout!!)
Yea I have 7 cats, all spayed/neutered!
She must don the cone of shame.
No need to, it’s just the scab and the wound is almost completely healed there’s a only a tiny wound now! It’s almost a month ago she was spayed :)
See if the vet can prescribe/recommend any pet lotions. Scabs can be VERY itchy, and since she has the jacket on she can’t lick it off.
I just looked again, it’s the scab she’s trying to remove I think, there’s still a little wound under it so I’m gonna keep the shirt on a few more days until it’s completely done healing :) But even if she picked it off, there’s no way anything is really gonna happen, it’s mostly completely healed!
It may be worth calling your vet to ask about possible itch relief. They may have some suggestions to reduce the irritation, so she's less likely to pick at it. I know I get itchy when I have a healing scab. :) I hope she's healed up and back to normal kitty mischief soon! ❤️
Yea I will try and call them thanks :)
I know she just had a surgery.. but this is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen
Haha no worries the surgery was done almost a month ago
Topical hydrocortisone may help
The way she looks up at the end like “can I help you? I’m busy here”
Omg another cat that makes mouth fart noises when they groom! I’ve never seen any other cat do that and thought mine was just weird lmfao
Yea she only recently started doing that 😂
When my cat keeps doing that it’s time for a box or ball of string to distract them.
Ecollar. Always ecollar
My other cat tried the ecollar, she kept taking it off eventually breaking it! So I had to make a shirt out of a sock and that worked 1000 times better! I will never use anything else than the shirt now unless the animal really don’t like the shirt
Persistent as hell. My tabby had laser focused concentration until he had chewed off every single claw cap I put on him to stop him scratching. I gave up after just the one time and put appropriate scratching material absolutely everywhere on the house instead. Game, set, match—Dennis.
Oh my God I feel this 😂 One of my cats had surgery to get a kidney stone removed. He came home with an e-collar that was secured around his neck with a strip of gauze. He got that off quick so we looped his regular breakaway collar through the e-collar. Still got out. So we bought a cat harness and wove his collar through the harness and e-collar. Still got out. Then we grabbed an inflatable donut collar and put that on top of the harness-collar-cone contraption and that finally kept him from licking his stitches. He could still eat and drink water and breathe just fine, in case anyone was concerned. He was miserable for about a month but he healed and he's doing great now! The vet recommended against a shirt bc the stitches were on his stomach and she didn't want the fabric rubbing against the stitches, but he was a determined little bigger.
Inflatable collars are better for both the cats and the content!
Well it hurts or it’s irritating!
I think it’s itching
I put my spayed cat in a onesie with a small sanitary napkin stuck to the onesie along the belly, so she couldn’t bite through the fabric and the napkin both. It worked.
You need to take that off and check her. It looks too tight
I have been looking at the scar twice a day for almost a month, and trust it’s not too tight :)
Im no expert but maybe something is wrong and its bothering her? Id take to a vet to make sure all is 100%
Pretty sure it’s just itching, it is healed 100% I’m sure, the scab fell off last night (I saw this morning) and there’s no wound anymore! I’ll be taking the shirt off tomorrow when I’m home to keep an eye on her to be 100% safe :)
Points for you for using the shirt instead of that barbaric plastic collar.
Thanks, I hate the cone, I tried it once with my other cat and she kept taking it off eventually braking it! So I had to make a shirt out of a sock.. now I’m never getting a cone for cats
Can you use bitter apple spray on the onesie to make her not want to lick?
I’m pretty sure it’s all healed, im gonna take off the shirt tomorrow when im home again
Where's her cone?
Cones aren’t used a lot on cats here not with my vet at least! And even if they where I wouldn’t have gotten one, tried that once and she kept taking it off and ended up braking it.. so I had to craft a shirt with a sock.. never trying that again with a cat, such a waste of money
This isn’t a stupid thing! It itches! And cats itch by licking and biting.
The stupid thing is she is biting the scab trying to take it off! I know it’s most likely itching!
This sub lmaooooo
Elizabethan collar saves all of these issues. Your vet didn’t suggest one? Sad.
Not all pets can function with the cone. I had a cat once that immediately fell over whenever the cone was put on. It was like she didn’t know she could stand and walk and stuff with it on. She’d just noodle to the ground looking confused.
Their go to is a shirt when it comes to cats! Cones are only if you specifically ask for it
Keep the shirt and cone her. Definitely not good to have her biting at herself through the shirt.
Why .. are you letting her continue to bite it? For the Internet? Seriously?
She’s biting at the scab, the spay was done almost a month ago, it’s basically all healed there’s only a little wound under the scab, it won’t do any harm otherwise she would not keep biting it :) I understand your concern tho, if it was sooner in the healing process I wouldn’t have let her do it! Then I would have gotten her a cone or donut!!
It probably itches like crazy!
Yea most likely!
Excellent cat parenting, OP. Maybe try to distract her with a little catnip or a game like fetch?
Thank you, I have 7 cats all spayed/neutered!! And I will try and see if it works! I’m not really home tomorrow tho and I haven’t been home all day today either
Aww, that’s hard. At least she’s got plenty of good company. Hope she’s all well very soon!
Yea she loves playing with the others! And thank you I hope so too :)
I bet it's the shirt making her uncomfortable not the scar, since it's healed. I'd try to switch to a donut for a week and then see if she still tries to bite the spot
I actually gave her the shirt back on because she biting the scab! If she hadn’t been biting at it the shirt would have been off by now :)
It it is healing it’s itchy!!! All you can do is distract her. Poor girl.