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My cat's spay incision is open. What should I do on a holiday?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 6.6 lbs

My cat recently underwent a spaying surgery. at first I was concerned about the area they made an incision (left hind leg) where they usually do it in abdominal area. On the 2nd day of surgery, the stitches opened so I immediately brought her back to the vet. I also purchased an e collar so she cannot remove the suture. Now is the 5th day and the incision is widely opened as seen in the photos and no vet is available since it's holiday. I dress the wound with gauze and disinfects it. What else?

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on July 23rd, 2020

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Safe and for providing pictures, they are very helpful. This is what's known as a flank spay, and it is a place where vets will do spays on cats. One of the advantages is that you don't have the weight of the abdominal organs on the incision as it's healing. Yes, you are right this wound is wide open. She does need to see a vet asap to get this closed. Please take her into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website. I hope this helps!

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Is my cat's spay incision open? Should I take her to the vet?
From the picture it may seem slightly open, but just superficially (skin). This will heal very quickly and it does not seem any vet's intervention is needed at this stage. Please keep in touch with us in the next few days to give us some follow up informations. More pictures would be required to evaluate better this wound.
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I had my cat spayed a week ago and her incision looks like it is coming back open to me. I’m not sure if I should rush her to the vet or is this normal?
I agree with you, it does look like Zara's incision is opening a bit but the rest of it looks great. I do think this is something that needs to be seen by your vet to be safe, but it does not need an emergency visit. You can wait until Monday to have her seen. If the incision opens wider, she starts bleeding from the incision, you notice the area becoming red, swollen, or warm to the touch, or you notice internal tissue coming out of the incision, then that is an emergency and I would rush her into a vet right away. I'm not sure if she has an Ecollar or not, but if she does, keep it on her to keep her from licking at the incision. If you don't have one, I can put a link below on how to make one at home. Best of luck, I hope this helps! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ffR-LzyW1M
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Is the spay incision open? My cat has been jumping on our beds and I'm worried she may have opened her incision. There's no blood or oozing so far. We think she may have licked it as well since the E-collar came off 2 times.
Thank you for using Boop by Petco. From this picture it does not appear to be open, but there may be some swelling around the incision. You may need to keep Nikita and a crate or small room where she cannot run or jump on and off of furniture. Be sure to keep the E collar on. If there’s any gaping of the incision, discharge, redness or she is acting sick in anyway then I recommend taking her back to the veterinarian for a check up.
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Today is one week after Gracie’s spaying and her incision seems to be infected and not healing as it should be, what should we do to care for this until we can get her to the vet?
Hello. It does look like the incision is opening a bit, but just the skin. The underlying muscle looks intact. You may have to put an E-collar ( cone of shame ) on her to prevent her from licking the incision open more. Most of the big pet retailers have them & one of the soft ones made for kitties should not be too stressful for her. I would also pick up some betadine at any pharmacy & gently clean the skin twice daily. No need to scrub. It is not necessary, but it would not hurt to put a dab on Neosporin on the incision, but only if she is wearing the collar. You do not want her to try cleaning the incision with her rough tongue. If the incision reddens much more, or begins to discharge at all, you will need to have her seen over the weekend. She will not fall apart on you, but keep a good eye on things & if it really worries you, have her seen quickly. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Hello, So I got my cat spayed exactly two weeks ago and im quite worried because despite a lot of scabbing, her incision does not seem to be healing correctly. Matter of fact, it appears as if the incision has been gradually expanding (1/3 of an inc
That does look a bit scabby, and I see what you mean about the incision maybe being open a bit. Rechecks on incisions typically are free, so call the vet who did Kitz's spay, and see if they can check it out. Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Does my cat need to be seen at the vet again? I think ahe may have an infected incision from her spay. In the photo, on the bigger and darker spot, I can see what looks like blood/tissue when she moves a lot. It’s like a dried blood scab that moves.
Thank you for contacting Boop by Petco with your question about Coconut and for providing a picture, it's very helpful. In the picture, I don't see any signs of infection, which would include severe redness, swelling, and pus from the incision. The incision looks closed in the picture, and I do see some scabs, which can be normal. There can be some discharge from the incision if the cat is moving too much after surgery, or if she was licking at it, which can happen when she isn't wearing a cone. At this point in time, I do not think she needs to see the vet. Keep the cone on her at all times, and keep her quiet. If the incision is opening up, you see the signs of infection that I mentioned above, and/or she is lethargic or suffering from a loss of appetite, then she will need to see a vet right away. I hope this helps!
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My rescue kitten was spayed today & had 2 layers of absorbable stitches & then surgical glue on the superficial skin layer. She hasn’t been active since the surgery & has spent the night/last 5 hours under my bed. I’ve inspected the wound & have noti
The first and last pictures you posted appear more open than I would expect for a surgical incision, so I would be worried that the skin layer is open. I would recommend having her examined if possible and determine if anything needs to be done. And having her wear an e-collar consistently is necessary as well to make sure she is not licking at the incision. It does not appear infected yet, but will be susceptible to infection if it is open and she has the opportunity to lick at it. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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We have a kitten about four month old and is 4.6 pounds and was spayed on the fourth of this month and the glue came off on its own the vet said close to seven days and it’s olny been five. Please let us know if it’s normal or not and if she should g
It looks like the incision is healing well, and it does look open a bit. It doesn't appear the hole goes into the abdominal cavity, but I would still have her checked out by a vet to be safe. I'd take her into a vet in the morning. Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Cinder got spayed over a month ago and everything healed fine except a couple weeks ago she had a small opening where the suture was but it healed itself. Well the suture line opened again but this time it's not a tiny hole it looks more like a rip.
She might have a minor infection in the skin suture area. Since it has reopened and is bigger this time seems like it's a good time to have the area rechecked by your vet. The area may need to be flushed and for her to receive a course of antibiotics to make sure it heals completely and stays that way this time.
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My female cat got fixed Monday 3/12 and I am not sure if her incision looks the way it should. they did find out that she was in her 1st trimester. My male cat also got fixed and his incision area does not look like this.
The incision looks like it’s opened up a little, perhaps from her licking it. I would get a cone on her so she can’t lick and the incision should heal fine in a week or so. The incision on a female has layers and goes into the abdomen so often there is more swelling and puckering than a male who just has a skin incision into the scrotum. Thanks for using Boop by Petco to help you care for Remi.
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