Cat pulling at stitches

Moonmad

Hi All,

Just a quick question, I've been tearing my hair out all night and my poor little kitten is quite distressed.
My female kitten is ten months old and was spayed this morning and I collected her from the vets' at 7 pm. The vet said that a cone would torment the kitten and said she shouldn't be at her stitches. She has been tugging at them all night. I have tried to play with her to distract her, cover the wound, put a body sock on her but she's resisting it and becoming quite distressed and i'm covered in scratches.

In the end I have put her back in her carrier and packed it with cushions to try prevent her from reaching the wound till the morning. Is this cruel or unsafe for the kitten? She has just enough room to lie down. I really don't know what else to do.
If anyone had any ideas I'd appreciate your input!

Thanks

ziggy23

Could you try a baby vest? I know you'd have to open it for her to go to the loo!

Moonmad

I'll get one tomorrow and try it thanks for tip! I've ripped up tshirts to stick her legs and tail through but it didn't work
She's dozing in the carrier now, but she's quite squashed. It seems pretty mean but was the only thing I could think of to keep her from pulling out the stitches.

ziggy23

Moonmad wrote: »

I'll get one tomorrow and try it thanks for tip! I've ripped up tshirts to stick her legs and tail through but it didn't work
She's dozing in the carrier now, but she's quite squashed. It seems pretty mean but was the only thing I could think of to keep her from pulling out the stitches.

Go into a charity shop and pick up one for 30c or something, maybe put a hole in it for her tail. Ah I know my dog got neutered last week he wasnt't too bad at pulling at the stitches but you feel awful for them:(

Moonmad

ziggy23 wrote: »

Go into a charity shop and pick up one for 30c or something, maybe put a hole in it for her tail. Ah I know my dog got neutered last week he wasnt't too bad at pulling at the stitches but you feel awful for them:(

Yeah it's terrible!! Distressing for both me, my girlfriend and poor George.

Thanks for advice, will let you know how it goes.

SingItOut

You should go back and ask for a cone from the vet, my female kitten is tiny and they had to make her a custom one and she had no problems eating or drinking with it. Your kitten is probably going to be drowsy in the morning as well. If a cone can't be got then I agree with the other posters who said get her a vest or wrap a scarf around her middle because it'll nearly be two weeks till she gets her stitches out. I know all about the nightmare of trying to keep them calm so they don't pull out their stitches, mine kept trying to jump on the kitchen counter and chase our other cat. I only had two heart attacks

Moonmad

SingItOut wrote: »

You should go back and ask for a cone from the vet, my female kitten is tiny and they had to make her a custom one and she had no problems eating or drinking with it. Your kitten is probably going to be drowsy in the morning as well. If a cone can't be got then I agree with the other posters who said get her a vest or wrap a scarf around her middle because it'll nearly be two weeks till she gets her stitches out. I know all about the nightmare of trying to keep them calm so they don't pull out their stitches, mine kept trying to jump on the kitchen counter and chase our other cat. I only had two heart attacks

Oh I'm going to bring her back in the morning and ask for a cone! Haven't had a wink of sleep and I have a job interview

SingItOut

You'll be better off knowing she is safe aswell. And the cone can easily be taken off at feeding time and put back on again afterwards

planetX

wish I'd seen this last night - I'd have said go to bed and leave her be. Even if she keeps at the stitches, the ones you can see are only the outer layer. And if she opens them you can bring her back to have a staple put in, not nice but it does the job.

Moonmad

Off to the vet now it's been a long night. First time cat owner here, needless to say my nerves are shot!!
Thanks for the replies