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My cat's spay incision is swollen and firm. Is this normal?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

My cat was spayed on February 1st. She was given an antibiotic to go home with. I just noticed that she has some swelling at the incision site. She is not acting differently and doesn’t seem to be in distress at all. She still is purring, playing, eating, snuggling and displaying her typical behaviors. There’s no drainage, but the area feels pretty firm.

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4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

Veterinarian

Published on February 7th, 2020

Swelling like this generally represent a suture reaction, a hernia or infection (which is less likely if on antibiotics). Most pets are rechecked 1 week post op so I recommend to go ahead and have her examined. I hope this helps.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Rebeccah Wood

    Licensed Veterinary Technician, Registered Laboratory Animal Technologist

    Published on July 28th, 2017

    Hello there! Some swelling at the surgical site is normal as the body is working to repair the incision. The swelling that I see here is a bit more than I'd call normal, so it might be time to visit the vet. When cats are very active after the spay surgery, they can sometimes develop some fluid under the skin near the incision. This is called a seroma. Most of the time seromas resolve on their own, but sometimes they need to be drained. It's also possible that this is an infection, but that's less likely as the incision and area surrounding doesn't appear inflamed or angry. Unless Cinder is acting abnormally (lethargic, vomiting, diarrhea), it's probably not an emergency, but I recommend giving them a call tomorrow. Good luck, and I hope Cinder continues to recover from her surgery well!

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 2nd, 2017

    From what i can see in the picture it looks pretty normal, this swelling can take several weeks to go down completely, i would not worry about it, just continue to monitor it but i'm sure she will be fine.

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    Answered By Lauren Barry, BVSc, MRCVS, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 31st, 2017

    Hi there, from your pictures it looks like Bell may have some swelling under the skin around her surgery site. Sometimes this can be a little fluid accumulation called a seroma, but more seriously it could be an infection or even a hernia. If she has been licking the area, she may need to wear a cone or e-collar. I'm sure the vet who performed her spay would like to check her (usually most vets will provide a recheck after surgery as a courtesy) and if she has a fever, they will probably start her on antibiotics.

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