First time having your female cat spayed? Worrying about the recovery process ahead?
Fretting over our cat’s health is all part of being a committed cat parent. I was an anxious wreck with my first female cat, too.
To help you provide the best recovery care for your cat, this article covers:
- Aftercare instructions for a cat spay.
- What a healing spay incision looks like, day by day.
- DIY and store-bought alternatives, if the plastic pet cone doesn’t work for your cat.
Let’s get started!
Aftercare Guide for Cat Spay Recovery
So, you’ve made a vet appointment and sent your cat for her spay. What are some housing changes to be made? Here’s what you need to prepare.
1. An isolation area
If you have multiple cats, it’s best to separate the spayed cat from the group during her recovery.
Spaying is, after all, an invasive surgery. Your cat’s immune system will be weakened and she may be more susceptible to diseases. Isolating her in another room is most ideal.
Plus, if your other cats are particularly playful, they won’t understand your current cat is undergoing recovery from her spay. They’ll just launch themselves toward her like a cannonball or start engaging in the grab-and-kick move.
So, prepare a quiet isolation room or fenced-off area for your spayed cat to recover from her surgery.
2. Pellet cat litter
Pellet-type cat litter is safest for post-op cats. Other types like sand litter may stick to (and contaminate) the incision site, affecting the healing process.
Now, after the surgery, your vet calls and it’s time to pick up your cat! What should you give your cat when she arrives home? Let’s go through them now:
1. Lots of cage rest
Settle your cat in her cage. There’s no need to let her walk around and explore because actions like running and jumping risk opening up the incision.
As long as there is ample room in the cage for your cat to do her feline stretches and use her litter box, it’s perfectly fine.
Your spayed cat should have cage rest for 7 days.
2. Provide food in small, frequent meals
An hour after your cat comes home, you can give ¼ of your cat’s normal food portion. I usually wait another 1 to 2 hours before giving them another ¼.
Provide small, frequent meals over the next 7 days. Avoid changing your cat’s food abruptly during this period.
- Tip #1: If your cat has a sensitive stomach (like mine does), I’d recommend that you cut their daily food intake by 25% for the first 3 days before going back to the normal amount.
- Tip #2: I find that homecooked chicken broth helps boosts my cats’ energy. I simply boil some deboned chicken in water, then tear them into bite-sized pieces for cats. A bland recipe for humans, but cats love freshly cooked food!
3. Pain medication
Your vet will likely give you either liquid or tablet painkillers as part of your cat’s spay aftercare, so remember to feed this accordingly. Check out these useful ways to give your a cat a pill if you’re having a hard time with the process.
In my experience, I was given liquid painkiller for my cats after their spay. Perhaps the medicine was sweet, because they happily lapped it up as though it was a treat.
4. Keep the cat cone on
Your vet will put on a cone (or e-collar) to prevent your cat from licking and chewing the sutures at the incision site. Instead of just clasping the cone around the neck, they may also use ribbons to secure it around your cat’s shoulder, backpack-style.
Same as cage rest, keep the cone on your cat for a week.
If your cat slips out of the pet cone, or is in distress from wearing it, the later section also covers store-bought alternatives and DIY recovery suits to use during your cat’s spay recovery.
What to observe after your cat’s spay:
1. Appetite
Your cat may have decreased appetite right after her surgery. Instead of kibble, you can try offering canned food or freshly boiled chicken meat to encourage her to eat.
However, if your cat still refuses to eat the next day, you should call your vet for further instructions.
Personally, my cats wolfed down all their food portions happily. In such cases, the most important thing is to never give more than you should. Remember: small, frequent meals. Reduce the daily amount during the first few days, if needed.
2. Litter box use
The old saying, “What goes in, must come out”. Nothing indicates a well-functioning cat like normal urine and stools.
Your cat’s poop schedule may take some time to return to normal though. For example, all 3 cats of mine only pooped 3 days after their surgery.
3. Behavior
In the first 12 hours, your cat will likely be woozy, slow and quiet due to anesthetic effects. Her pupils may also be in a slightly dilated state. (The expression is a little like Sokka after drinking cactus juice in that one Avatar episode.)
Your cat should slowly go back to her normal, cheeky self over the next few days.
Cat Spay Incision Healing Process (7 Days, Photo Timeline)
Here is a day-by-day timeline, showing Gracy’s incision healing.
Day 1 to Day 3 – Freshly stitched, the incision looks like a wrinkly line. Some redness. The skin looks soft and fragile.
Day 4 to Day 5 – The skin regains a little firmness as it recovers. The incision is much less wrinkly and fragile-looking. Redness slowly darkens as scabs start to form.
Day 6 – Some scabs start to fall off, leaving smooth, new skin.
Day 7 – Any remaining redness is dry and scab-like. Also, a lump … has formed.
Note: We joke that Gracy has Wolverine genes. She heals much faster than my first spayed female, Little Sister. For instance, Gracy’s Day 3 incision appearance was Little Sister’s Day 5.
Therefore, use the photos above as a reference only. It’s okay if your cat heals a little slower – what’s most important is progress. As long as there is no redness or inflamed swelling, your cat’s body will do its thing.
Now … the lump.
Why A Lump Forms After Your Cat’s Spay?
In most cases, the lump forming after a cat spay is a harmless event. Before panicking (and jumping right into PetMd’s doomsday prediction), make a quick call to your vet for direct confirmation.
Here’s the answer from my vet. In layman’s terms, she explains: It’s simply the reaction of your cat’s body after those layers of skin (tissue and fat) were stitched together. As long as your cat shows:
- No incision redness
- No signs of pain
- Healthy appetite
- Normal urine and poop
The lump will flatten and disappear after 1 to 2 weeks. In the meantime, ensure that your cat continues to get lots of rest. The lump takes longer to go away if your cat jumps and zooms around the house.
Since the initial 7-day period has passed, what I did was restrict my cat to one room, where there were no cat trees, sofas or anything tall for her to leap from one point to the next. I also removed toys for the time being, so she can only lounge and walk around.
Including the lump recovery period, it takes at least 14 days for a cat to completely heal after being spayed.
Alternatives to Cat Cones
Ah yes, the infamous cone of shame.
After we got back home, Little Sister wriggled her way out of it within 10 minutes. It was the same with Gracy. Well, cats are flexible creatures.
We tried putting it back, but they were very stressed out about it. They also had difficulty drinking and eating food, even if it was on our palms.
Honestly, I have no idea how anyone keeps the plastic cone on their cat for 7 – whole – days.
Time for alternatives.
#1: Soft cone (Buy from pet stores)
The soft cone feels plush-like. It’s big enough to stop your cat from licking the incision, but small and flexible enough to be pressed against bowls so she can reach her food easier.
However, if your local pet shop doesn’t sell that and you need an immediate solution within the next hour*, here’s a DIY cat onesie tutorial.
*Me. I was in this situation.
#2: DIY Cat Post-Op Onesie (Tutorial)
What you need:
- Old T-shirt
- Scissors
- Pen
- Needle and thread
Slip your cat into the onesie. Use the T-shirt yarn to tie ribbon knots around her back. There you go!
These are the overall measurements I use for Little Sister’s onesie:
Caring for Your Cat After Spaying
To sum up, the 3 keys to smooth recovery are small meals, lots of rest and making sure your cat’s incision isn’t disturbed while it heals.
As we end this article, let’s address some common concerns after a cat spay.
1. Will my cat’s personality change after spaying?
Some say that cats become more affectionate or calmer after being spayed. Personally, my cats’ personality never changed at all. Their individual quirks are 100% the same.
The only difference is that they lose their “on heat” behaviors. They don’t meow loudly as though they’re using a megaphone. Or roll around the floor, low-crawling with their tails to the side *ahem*.
So don’t worry, your cat will be the same feline you know even after her spay.
2. How long does it take for my cat’s fur to grow back?
After spaying, a thin layer of fur will start to grow within 1 to 2 weeks. To achieve full fluff, it takes around 6 weeks.
If your cat has a special marking on her abdomen area, don’t worry – it’ll grow back at the exact same spot, too!
This is exactly the advice I was looking for and considering the love I have for this sweet stray that never gave up trying to be rescued with her kitten. I greatly appreciate the onesie pattern. We are out in the country with pet stores at least a 30 minute drive away. I can whip this onesie up this afternoon (she comes home from the mobile vet in an hour).
I’m glad my article helped you, Jennifer! I’m also happy to hear that you’re helping strays and spaying the female. My cats are all rescues too, so it’s great to meet a fellow rescuer. 🙂
Thank you so much for these pictures! I started to get nervous because my cat is on day 4 of post spay and I noticed her incision was looking a little more “dark” today but after looking at these pictures it seems like it’s a normal part of the healing process. I’ve never been so anxious about stitches popping open/not healing. I don’t know if I can go through this again!
You’re welcome, Kayla! I’m glad my pictures helped you. I completely understand how nerve-wracking it is! This article was written based on my experience with the successful spay recovery of two female cats, but I recently spayed a third one where the topmost stitch did open. Thankfully it’s all under control now after some meds and careful care. If you’re unsure, it’s always worth calling the vet and sending a pic to them for further assurance. 🙂
This made me feel so much better. I have a 6 month old female who just got spayed a week ago, day 7 she developed a lump too! I obviously emailed my vet at 1030pm when I noticed 😅 and most likely will get a call from them tomorrow to confirm if I need to take my little girl in, but this article made me have less anxiety for sure!
You’re welcome, Autumn! The lump isn’t something mentioned in most spay and neuter articles, so it’s understandably concerning to cat owners like us, who had never seen it before. Glad to hear my article helped you.
Thank you so much for the detail. We had our two kittens spayed and neutered this week. The female will absolutely not wear her cone(we have two types), or the blow up collar we bought and will not stop jumping. We did our best isolating her from the other cats, but placing her in the bathroom she jumped onto the counter and managed to open the door! Anyhow, she is not licking her incisions at all, but did just develop the lump on day 5. Everything else seems okay, appetite is good, just very small peeing. I feel better after having read your article though! Of course her lump started on Saturday when the vet is closed for the weekend! Our male kitty is wearing the cone no problem so we are good there! Thanks again!!!
Glad my article helped you, Becky! You’re very welcome.
This was the best info I came across. Especially about the lump. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Ann!
Thank you! I rescued a 3 month old kitty last week and your pics and insight have been really helpful 🙂
You’re welcome, TJ! I’m glad the info has helped you prepare for her future adult spay recovery. 🙂
Thank you for the insight. No way would this kitty wear a collar.
Love the soft collars at pet stores!
You’re welcome, Suzanne! I’m glad to hear that the soft collars work for your cat.
This really helped, thanks!
You’re welcome, Helena!
My goodness this was SO helpful!! The pictures of the recovery, the “lump” explanation…why do vets not explain these things? I’ve been in such doubt and questioning of all these details, and all you did was share. What a difference, I’m not alone! Thank you, Denise!
You’re welcome, Crystal! With this article, sharing information not fully available elsewhere and letting other cat owners know that they’re not alone in this were my two main objectives. Thank you for your kind words!
Thank you so much for your insight and experience. The timeline photos and explanation about the lump were so very helpful and informative. Truly gave me a peace of mind.
You’re welcome, Amir! I’m happy to hear that what I shared helped you.
Thank you!! I googled “lump after cat spay” and this is exactly what I needed. Thanks for the reassurance.
Glad to hear my article helped you, Sarah!
Absolutely loved your Avatar reference! Literally made me LOL! And it’s a spot on description!
Haha, glad it made you laugh, Stephanie!
This was such a helpful article, thank you. It makes so much sense to share a timeline of photos for the home caregiver to check on progress, but NOBODY shared this, including the “experts”. Bravo!
You’re welcome, Leona! Also, thank you for your kind words. I’m glad the photos helped you. All the best with your cat’s spay recovery!