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My cat's neuter incision is swollen and bleeding. Is this normal?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 6.6 lbs

Our six month old male cat got neutered last week. He was recovering just fine until the last 24 hours, when we noticed that one side of his surgical site is distended and weeping a little blood. Is this normal? His behaviour is fine, he’s active and eating.

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on May 8th, 2018

It is not quite normal, however it is possible that he was licking the incision and aggravated it. If he keeps licking, it will not heal like it should and he may even lick bacteria into the wound. You may want to put an e-collar on him so he cannot reach the wound. It should then heal without problem.

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11Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Silvia De Cecco, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 18th, 2018

    Unless Audi is licking the wound, it should be almost close. Monitor for further bleeding, avoid licking by using a buster collar (you could find it at your vet practice or pet shop) and if the bleeding continues or Audi is unwell bring him back to the vet for a post-op check. Please post again on the forum if you would like to discuss it further. I hope my answer was helpful.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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6days before I neutered my cat. Bt today i found the place kinda reddish. May b he has licked the place. I immediately used ointment suggested by the vet. Now should I be concerned?? How long does it take to dry the wound out?
Unless Audi is licking the wound, it should be almost close. Monitor for further bleeding, avoid licking by using a buster collar (you could find it at your vet practice or pet shop) and if the bleeding continues or Audi is unwell bring him back to the vet for a post-op check. Please post again on the forum if you would like to discuss it further. I hope my answer was helpful.
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We just got our Cat benji neutered on Tuesday. He started licking the wound so we spoke with our vet and came to the conclusion of a Cone Collar a couple days later after trying another method. We just noticed today (3 days post op) there is a very s
If Benji has a normal energy level, is active and eating and breathing normally with nice pink gums and it is just a small amount of blood, waiting til tomorrow should be alright, If he is lethargic, not eating, breathing rapidly, has pale gums, or is it a constant non stop dripping of blood then an emergency vet visit would be recommended.
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My 7 month old cats were castration yesterday. Both had severe diarrhoea yesterday but that's seems to have calmed down. One of my cats sack is really red and very wet but I know he keeps licking it despite me trying to stop him. Is that normal?
The diarrhea could have been caused from the anesthesia or the stress of just being at the vet's office. If the diarrhea continues, let your vet know so they don't get dehydrated. The redness of the scrotum is not normal. Make sure you are keeping them confined and not letting the run, jump, or play. I would put them in a large crate with a litter box if you have to. Also, I would strongly encourage you to put a cone collar on the one that is licking the incision. If he continues to lick it, it will not heal. The bacteria from his mouth could cause it to quickly get infected and cause it to be very irritated. If the redness doesn't improve or if you start seeing some discharge, I would have your vet recheck the incision. There is a good chance he may need some antibiotics. I hope this helps!
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My male cat was neutered about two weeks ago. We have already had to take him back in for swollen testicles. They said it was a blood clot. A few days later, the area is swollen again! What is going on?
He may have a bleeding disorder and the scrotum may be full of blood again. It may also be infected or inflamed. Do not let your cat lick the scrotum as it irritates it and may introduce infection. If the swelling is cool, you can just observe it and over time it should shrink again and the body will have reabsorbed the blood. If the swelling is hot or painful or red, then you will need to take your cat back to the vet for a recheck.
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My cat just got neutered about 7 or 8 hours ago. We just picked him up from the animal hospital and the person who was monitoring him, told me that he peed himself. I have another cat who also got neutered the same day but when you look at his incisi
It certainly doesn't sound like Cookie's incision is normal if the entire area is red and looks like it's bleeding. I would have him seen by a vet right away for this, as I think it's important to have him examined to make sure everything is ok since I can't see him myself. I would not wash the area until Cookie is seen by a vet for a check, and they can let you know if it's safe to wash him or not.
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Yesterday I took 3 cats to get spayed and neutered, I was look at the incisions today and both the males look very red and a bit swollen. The females stiches looks like they’re sucking inward. I’ve taken cats previously to get spayed and neutered and
The incisions do not appear to be infected in the images supplied. Confirm all three cats have e-collars (cones) in place to prevent licking. The cones should stay on for at least 10-14 days post op. Monitor for lethargy, loss of appetite, odor, excessive bruising, active bleeding or discharge.
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He has fixed 18 days ago and the wound started looking like this and I went to the vet and I was told that if he continues having a normal behavior I should not worry. But I am still worried looking through the web I saw many images of infected wound
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I got my cat neutered 10 days ago I SWEAR I checked his incision everyday an hour ago i took off his ecollar and he was playing too much so i grabbed him and started checking... Im so shocked I can’t even breathe properly what should i do please help
It's ok! There is some swelling but I don't see any sign of infection, bleeding, or break down of the incision. Put the Ecollar back on Cake, rest him as much as possible. and have him seen by a vet in the morning.
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My dog got neutered yesterday. They glued the outside. He seems to have torn a little bit. There’s spotting of blood. Should I take him to the emergency room or can I wait until tomorrow to be seen by his vet
There is quite a lot of swelling/bruising here which is not uncommon but the damage to the wound appears minor and could be monitored overnight. Keep him confine and apply a muzzle or Elizabethan collar to prevent further injury. If blood loss increases to a steady flow he should be seen urgently
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So my cat just got neutered Yesterday is it normal for him to be red down there? I don’t think he’s swollen but I don’t know how it looks if it were to be swollen
Yes, you can see some redness. It looks like Chandler's incision has opened a little bit, but not too much. Continue to restrict his activity and if it gets redder, there's swelling, and/or the incision opens all the way up, have him seen by a vet.
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