Cat Skin Lump after Spaying

by 7bee
(longwood, FL)

My female 5 month old kitten was spayed last Saturday. The incision seems to be healing nicely, but I notice a small lump just below the incision -- about the size of a large pea.

Any cause for concern?

Vet Suggestions Cat Skin Lump after Spaying

Hi,

The cat skin lump that you describe could simply be a granuloma, an area of inflammation that will resolve with time, or it could be something more serious like an abscess or even a hole in the abdominal wall that is allowing material from within the abdomen to protrude under the skin.

If your cat seems to feel fine, it wouldn’t hurt just to keep an eye on the lump for a week or so. If it is shrinking, there is no cause for concern.

If, however, it doesn’t disappear with time, it is getting worse rather than better, or your cat is not feeling well, call your veterinarian.

Many vets will perform an incision check after surgery at no charge if an owner is concerned.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Coates, DVM

Spaying a Pregnant Cat

by Mike
(Podvazie, Slovakia)

I am an American spending the summer with my in-laws in Slovakia. The household cat here, named Cleo, is a two year-old female, who has had two litters of kittens already. Her most recent litter was born three months ago; only one of those kittens remains with her.

This morning we took Cleo to a local Slovak veterinarian to have her spayed. He told us that Cleo was two to three weeks pregnant. (We observed her mating a couple of weeks ago, so this is consistent.)

He spayed her by removing her ovaries only, leaving the uterus intact. He told us that Cleo would "absorb" the fetuses. He did this via a large incision in her side, not on her belly.

Based on some internet "research" we are slightly concerned with the procedure he performed. Should we worry that he left the uterus inside? Is it true that she can safely "absorb" the fetuses, whatever that means?

He did the surgery in less than half an hour, under general anesthesia, and then released Cleo to us, to bring home. She is here now, and is just beginning to wake up, groggily.

We also read that it is common to keep the cat overnight at the vet for observation.

Do you think everything will be ok with Cleo?

Veterinarian Comment on Spaying Pregnant Cat

Hi Mike,

Interesting question. I had to do a little research since removing the ovaries only (instead of ovaries and uterus) is not in wide use in the United States, but it is becoming increasingly popular.

Cleo should be fine. What I learned is that she should either absorb or abort the fetuses. There is a small chance that the fetuses could remain inside of her and become “mummified,” but if she never shows any symptoms associated with this (e.g., vaginal discharge, fever, or just not feeling well) you can safely say this has not occurred.

Some veterinarians will keep cats overnight after surgery, but if there is no one in the hospital at night, I tend to feel that the animals are better off at home where their owners can monitor them unless there is another reason for them to be hospitalized.

It sounds like Cleo was sent home a little earlier than I like to see (I want to monitor their anesthetic recovery until I’m sure they are not at risk of complications), but as long as she woke up without problems, no harm was done.

Regards,

Jennifer