Optimal time to take Elizabethan Collar off after spay

temperpolk

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So, I posted here a couple of weeks ago that Chiquita got spayed. She was very very active from moment one, and because I have my other two cats, one of which is a little nut that considers Chiquita his personal play toy, I've kept them separate for two weeks when not supervised. She had skin glue, but from the beginning the bottom of the incision looked like a little protusion, almost like belly button, completely closed but still protruding. I took her back to the vet and they told me it was fine. Today is her two week mark, when I've been told I can take off her collar, but what's worrying me is how much she has been obsessed with liking herself. Should I keep the collar on her while I'm sleeping or at work? When is it really OK to take the collar off? I can't remember very well when my other female got spayed. I don't remember her being so obsessed with licking herself. I'm wondering what other people's experiences have been with spays.
 

Willowy

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I have never used an e-collar for a spay. So I'm not sure about what vets recommend. But after 2 weeks, the incision is totally healed (inside still has some healing to do, but the outer incision is healed), so it doesn't matter how much she licks it now.
 

cat person

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Originally Posted by temperpolk

So, I posted here a couple of weeks ago that Chiquita got spayed. She was very very active from moment one, and because I have my other two cats, one of which is a little nut that considers Chiquita his personal play toy, I've kept them separate for two weeks when not supervised. She had skin glue, but from the beginning the bottom of the incision looked like a little protusion, almost like belly button, completely closed but still protruding. I took her back to the vet and they told me it was fine. Today is her two week mark, when I've been told I can take off her collar, but what's worrying me is how much she has been obsessed with liking herself. Should I keep the collar on her while I'm sleeping or at work? When is it really OK to take the collar off? I can't remember very well when my other female got spayed. I don't remember her being so obsessed with licking herself. I'm wondering what other people's experiences have been with spays.
Once you are completely sure the cat will not lick, chew, or generally injure the incision/surgery site. Is when I feel you should remove the Elizabethan Collar.

If she is licking the area excessively, which it sounds like, I would not remove the collar without speaking to a licensed veterinarian first.
 
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