Kitten Trying To Rip Out Stitches

noon

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I got my kitten spayed today. Aside from being very drugged up, she seems to be doing pretty well. But she's been trying to bite her stitches out since we got home. Apparently, she put up quite a fight at the vet's office (both before and after the surgery) and, because of this, we didn't get out of there until they weren't pretty much closing. They didn't give me a cone for her head. I'm afraid she's going to bite them out and bleed to death or have her guts spill out while I'm alseep. She, also, likes to hide inside the lining and framing of the couch and I can't get in there to keep an eye on her. I don't know what to do. Tell me I'm over reacting so I can go to sleep. I tried to make a cone for her head out of heavy stock paper, but she refuses to let me put it on her and I'm worried about handling her too roughly.....thanks....
 

sharky

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you need to find a way to keep her from ripping those stiches out...

is she small enough to put a cut up sock over her??? can someone help you get the cone on?? Is there and ER vet you can call/??
 
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noon

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I cut off the leg of a pair of panty hose with the sock idea in mind, but realized that it would just ride up as her incision goes slightly beneath her hips.

She was just at it again & I water gunned her.

Theoretically, I could knock on the door of the neighbor (spritzed her again) who has watched her twice when I'm out of town, but I'd hate to bother him so late at night especially (she was at it again) when I don't even know if the cone will fit properly and she'll likely rip off both our arms in the process. She's really very stubborn. And, at the moment, absolutely perplexed about where the water is coming from. The only way I've been able to keep her from biting at them is by playing with her, but I can't keep that up until 9am. I, also, have big doubts about being able to trick her into the carrying case so soon after such a traumatic doctor visit....uh oh she's wandered off into the kitchen...
 
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noon

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1am update: I cut the adhesive off a large bandaid and fastened surgical tape to it and tried to put it over the stitches but she wasn't having it at all. I, then, tried putting the paper cone on her again and that didn't work either. Then, I broke down crying for a while, mostly out of exhaustion and just feeling helpless. She tried to make me feel better by initiating a couple of her favorite games. She's sleeping now. I'm still worried that if I go to sleep she'll harm herself.
 

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How is she this morning? You need to go out today first thing and get her an elizabethan collar. You can get one from your vet, or you can get them at Petsmart or a place like that.
In the future, it's always a good idea to have a bottle of Grannick's Bitter Apple around the house to keep her from chewing things--her incision, electrical cords etc. You can spray it right on her skin or on objects and it will taste terrible to her. Some cats are just tough and will still pull at their stitches, but most will back right off once they get a mouthful of that. It's awful, I've tasted it.
 
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noon

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She slept most of the day and seems to have given up on the idea of biting the stitches out. Much to my relief. It may be that once the drugs wore off she realized she was hurting herself. The vet wants me to pick up some anti-biotics. She doesn't really look swollen now, but she has a history of weird infections. The vet, also, reassured me that even if she were to rip one of the surface stitches out she's got glue and an entire nother layer of hardcore stitches beneath the skin so no guts would come pouring out in any event.

Where do you get Apple Bitter?

Thanks for your concern, Mermaid and sharky.
 

mermaid

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I am glad she's settled down. An antibiotic after just about any surgery is a good idea. An ounce of prevention and all that. You can get bitter apple at any pet store, and you can get it online.
Petsmart, RCSteele, Petmeds, etc.
 

pee-cleaner

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She'll be fine. My kitten had removed all but one suture before even coming home from the vet's. The wound never opened, and then she removed that final suture on day 9 (saved me a vet trip the next day!) They really do seal the wound up well--sutures are just an extra measure of protection--and the cats heal so quickly, it's amazing.
 

yosemite

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We never had to use the collars on any of our kitties and they all fared well. I personally feel strongly about NOT giving meds after the initial operation and this is the reason. If they can feel some pain they will be more careful just as I would be more careful after surgery if I tried to overdo something and couldn't tell because the meds masked the pain.

Sounds like your kitty is doing fine.
 

gayef

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Pearl and Lexus were both spayed yesterday and I picked them up at around 6:30 last night. They both received an injection of buprenex at about 5PM and were sitting up, alert and wanting to play when they got home. I crated them with food, water and a small litter box along with piles of comfy, soft and warm blankets and slept out in the living room with them. Pearl wants to pick a bit at her stitches but Lex tried to a little then yelped, so she is leaving them alone.

They are both sleeping soundly in their crate in front of the woodstove at the moment - they are due to get their next pain meds (buprenex sub-lingual application) at 8 this evening (they got some early this morning at around 2AM, again at around 11AM) but I think I am going to wait and see how they do first. I like Yosemite's way of thinking on masking the pain. Neither of these cats enjoys being confined in the crate and if they feel sore, then they may actually limit their activities enough so that I can let them out.
 
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