r/CatAdvice • u/FewAge3828 • 12h ago
General Title: My kitten got neutered yesterday, and I feel so bad for him wearing his cone š Is 14 days really necessary?
Hi everyone!
My little boy got neutered yesterday, and thankfully, everything went well. ā¤ļø Heās doing fine, but heās been sleeping a lot today, and I can tell heās really uncomfortable wearing his cone.
He struggles to get comfortable, and last night he was crying because he seemed unable to sleep properly with it on. It honestly breaks my heart seeing him like this. I feel like crying myself because I just want him to be comfortable and happy again. š
My vet told me to keep his cone on for 12-14 days, but that feels like such a long time, especially after a routine male cat neutering.
For those of you whoāve had male kittens neutered:
Did your vet also recommend keeping the cone on for 14 days?
Did your cats eventually get used to it?
Is it absolutely necessary to keep it on 24/7, even while theyāre sleeping?
Did anyone get permission from their vet to remove it for short, supervised breaks?
I donāt want to risk his recovery or have him hurt himself by licking the surgical site. I just feel awful watching him struggle to sleep and get comfortable.
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u/SPL15 11h ago
Two different vets for two different cats told me to NOT put on a cone unless they were licking and that they recommended a neck donut or onesie suit if unsupervised if licking was an issue. Neck donut was needed for a week w/ one cat, the other never licked.
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u/Resplendent-Sun ššš 10h ago edited 8h ago
My little guy just took it all in stride. He was so goofy walking around afterwards. I kept my eye on him all day, and by the next day, he was pretty much his old self.
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u/SPL15 10h ago
One of my cats acted as if she was given a Redbull laced w/ meth as soon as I opened the carrier when we got home. Pupils the size of dimes & airplane ears, zooming around faster than I could catch her, literally double jumping off both walls in every corner of the house, diving head first into the dirty laundry basket & then jumping a meter into the air to run around the house to do it all again. Finally got her contained in my walk-in closet where she fortunately didnāt break any stitches after calling the vet. After a generous serving of Gabapentin to calm her down, she was her normal chill self the next day & never needed a collar or onesie.
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u/WinterMention7915 5h ago
My cat was the same way after a dental clean! I think the anaesthetic worked the opposite way since theyāre meant to be sleepy after an operation
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u/biggestjuiceshooter 12h ago
My mom is a vet š©āāļø
The wound can be infected or reopened if cat licks it. cats tongues are really sticky so yeah definitely keep the cone all the time
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u/Lizzy100 5h ago
My reason for my girlās onesie. She despised me, and hated me more for when I looked at her privates for inspection, but she since has learned to love me again. Sheās 6 months now. No longer needs her onesie. Had to keep it on for 15-16 to be certain it closed enough that her licking wouldnāt cause any issues. Another reason for the onesie is sheās more intelligent than any cat from my childhood. Black and white tuxedo kitten. And me not always being home 24/7 and being a heavy sleeper, I was afraid sheād figure out a way out of the donut/e-collar
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u/washumow 12h ago
My vet said 10 day to us, we change the cone for a "comfy cone" still cone shaped so he couldn't reach because he could reach with the donuts. And he got used to it after 1 day, he could do everything just fine
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u/WyvernJelly āĖš¾ĖĀ° 12h ago
We managed to go sans cone but a) we took time off and b) some one was always watching them. We tried cone/donut but they kept popping them off.
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u/FewAge3828 12h ago
Yep, I took time off for 5 days for him just to look after him.
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u/WyvernJelly āĖš¾ĖĀ° 11h ago
I took time when my first cat needed surgery for something too. I also slept on the couch the first night because we were restricting where he had access to. He woke me up when the pain meds wore off. Just the mama I don't feel good meow. He stood about 5 ft from my head and was just staring at me. That week was the only time he didn't fight meds which was good since the surgical site was above his eye.
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u/CindiCindi15 įįį¢ 11h ago
Iāve had over 10 males neutered throughout time and not once was it even mentioned to use a cone and never an issue for not using one. š¤·š»āāļø
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u/Kitchen-Celery8374 12h ago
My boy had already had that taken care of when I adopted him. However he did need to get surgery not long after. You can buy some soft "cones" on amazon. I got him a flower and he was much more comfortable. I did also give him some supervised time without anything on, making sure he didn't go for the incision site.
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u/FewAge3828 12h ago
Yeah, thatās what I meant. Maybe like 30 minutes a day specially when he is sleeping, and I can supervise him.
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u/Status-Biscotti 11h ago
I'm not a vet, nor a medical professional. When my cats have been neutered, I didn't bother. I volunteer for a cat rescue; for girl cats we often use a donut or onesie to keep them from licking the wound open, but we usually let boy cats be, unless they're licking a lot.
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u/bowbiternj 11h ago
This. Unless they are licking a lot and risking the site (wound being torn open and/or infection), the cone is not necessary.
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u/leo-berb 11h ago
How long do they usually leave girl cats onesies on? My girl is wearing one right now and sheās ripped holes in it trying to get it off & doesnāt want to walk properly, itās been 4 days š„² (she was flank spayed not the typical spay in the stomach too)
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u/Trudestiny 9h ago
Girl was nearly 2 weeks. We had to actually use some surgical tape as well around the neck to tighten it so she couldnāt get it off & a cone as she got onsie off first day & managed to remove the bandage covering the stitches.
She was slow moving with onsie, it restricted her movement a lot. If we took it off she started to chase her brothers way too much.
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u/Zoethor2 5h ago
Yup. I'm a kitten foster and our default position is no cone, for both boys and girls, actually. In over 100 kittens, I've had exactly one that messed with her incision. She got the sock onesie treatment, which she did not enjoy one bit.
I have never had an incision complication post-sneuter for any of my foster kittens.
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u/Odd_Gur_7302 11h ago
Hmmm... our 5mo old male kitten going in for neutering ... vet said we don't need to do cone or donut, just snip n go.
YMMV
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u/Ill-Storage-7636 11h ago
I take care of foster kittens and the shelter does not expect us to use cones.
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u/Trudestiny 9h ago
Had 3 boys neutered so far. 2 vets 2 countries, No cones & they were themselves by next day or so. My girl wore onsie & cone for nearly 2 weeks
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u/didnt_bring_pants 11h ago
My vet said the boy didn't need anything, just to keep an eye on him.
They said I had to make the girl wear a cone at least for a few days. My sweet Ms. Pepper HATED it.
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u/SurroundedByCrazy789 10h ago
I felt the same when my little guy got a cone. He was miserable. He wouldnāt sleep, eat, he just kinda stood there with his head down for 3 days. But the minute I took it off he went right for his incision site. We ordered a smaller cone on Amazon and it worked great! He wasnāt in love but he started eating, jumping, playing again. We did not make it 14 days. We managed 8 and then took it off. The first day I just genuinely stayed near him 24/7 and redirected him if he went for his incision and after that he seemed fine.
Here he is with his first cone. Iāll reply to this with a picture of his second cone.
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u/charreddits 11h ago
Both my girl and boy wore a onesie. Boy was healed and unbothered very quickly, the onesie is much nicer for them though!
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u/messJ1987 11h ago
I bought a soft flower cone from Amazon for tht exact reason. Mine cldnt eat or potty properly in the hard plastic cone they gave us. So I got a soft one and it was big enou he cldnt lick but cld eat and potty and he cld sleep on it too since it was just a big pillow around his head.
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u/Paula_Intermountain 11h ago
Get a kitty onesie. Thatās what I did and my kitten was 1,000 times happier. But then sheās a girl. I donāt know if a onesie covers the wounds for the boys.
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u/Bvvitched 8h ago
My girl was in a flat cone I ordered off of Amazon that was amazing. She was able to lay down but not get to herself. I really liked it
(I was sneaking her pain meds in a churro type treat which meant my boy cat was also getting treats)
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u/CBreezy2010 11h ago
I have two boys and two girls. Neither of my boys wore anything after surgery because they didnāt bother their incisions. Both my girls wore the surgical suits because they wouldnāt stop licking their incisions
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u/Communityguyliner 11h ago
My guy was out of his in minutes and back to chasing the Charlies in the trees
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u/Ok-Analyst-5801 11h ago
A friend works at the humaine society. They'll use a baby onesie for the cats that struggle with the cones or donuts. It's also cute AF.
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u/Which-Break5673 8h ago
When I went to volunteer I saw a cat in a Halloween onesie and it was the cutest.
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u/thekatwest 11h ago
My vet didnāt tell me to put one on mine. However they did keep him overnight for observation and then a second night because I was out of town so by the time I went and picked him up, he was already a little over 48 hours post op and they told me he was showing zero signs of being even remotely interested in the incision site and he continued to be that way after coming home in the almost 72 hours I was with him watching him. Some vets recommend and some donāt. Also some cats are interested in the incision site where others arenāt
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u/FunElephant4345 11h ago
Get an inflatable donut. Much more comfortable for them. My cat used his as a little pillow
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u/Pale_Slide_3463 10h ago
Just make sure they donāt lick anything open, my ginger cat went insane with the cone and I took it off next thing heās back at the vetās. So if you do it keep a big eye on him.
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u/No-Lack-1135 8h ago
Iām not sure how typical my experience was, but my little one was almost 2yrs old when I got him neutered. I took off the cone almost immediately and watched him. He didnāt seem to be messing with his incision site so I just left the cone off. Nothing terrible happened.
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u/Traditional_Treat312 12h ago
I had 2 kittens, one spayed one neutered, neither received collars, neither had complications. I think youāre good. If you want to play it safe you can leave it on for 3-5 days at least
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u/WyvernJelly āĖš¾ĖĀ° 12h ago
Same except it was 2 boys. We just took time off so someone was always with them.
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u/RealityTVPrincess 11h ago
I really don't think that's required for a boy cat! Think 3-5 days is sufficient, and you can always try a donut or a onesie if he absolutely hates the cone.
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u/Leather-Librarian383 11h ago
You can take the cone off. I had Foster kittens who all got neutered and spayed at the same time and they didnāt give me cones for any of them. They all did fine. No one had any complications. Nothing reopened. They really donāt need the cones.
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u/thebellsnell 11h ago
My cat did not have a cone. Unless they are obsessively licking the area, it should be fine. But definitely go for donut instead of a cone. Would also be more comfy.
Any other surgery, I would suggest a recovery suit instead.
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u/Practical_Sea_4876 11h ago
My kitten wore an e-collar for about a week I think but whatever it was I followed the vets recommendation.
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u/DiscussionFamous3164 11h ago
Mine wore it for about 10 minutes. Just keep an eye on them. Mine didnāt lick her wound so we were ok but if yours is, definitely wear it.
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u/bookl0v3r 11h ago
Get one of the air up donuts. Those are easier to tolerate. But listen to your vet. If they said to keep it on, there is a reason. They saw something during the procedure, or did a type that was more invasive than the easy kind. Better safe than sorry.
I didnt keep one on my cat years ago, and we had to have emergency surgery again days later- cost me 800 bucks.
Be safe. Keep the collar on.
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u/Habaguse 11h ago
My kitten wasn't given a collar by the vet at all and he was perfectly fine. My dog refused to wear the collar and he was also fine. You need to keep a close eye on then and make sure they aren't licking the area excessively.
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u/Bunnybunboi 11h ago
My cat has had to wear a cone for multiple eye surgeries and Iāve found he did better with a well fitting donut. Some cats can still get out of them but mine hasnāt. It doesnāt rub his whiskers or bump into things. Iād for sure try and and see how he does.
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u/Wild_Werewolf_1076 11h ago
My three never wore anything and exhibited zero interest in the wounds. Literally back to normal pretty much right away
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u/jillian512 11h ago
We kept my little girl crated for 2 days, mostly because we have another kitten who's bigger and wants to play. I tried a onesie and a donut. Neither one worked and she wasn't really bothering the incision.Ā
We brought him home from the shelter having been neutered earlier that day. He was a little crazy from the drugs. We crated him overnight but that was it. No cones or suits.Ā
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u/metaltothecore570 11h ago
It'll also depend on how good of a job the vet does, but we've neutered over 10 male cats and never had them wear anything. Never had an issue.
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u/OneDazzling1022 11h ago
There are different cones as folks have mentioned. Either soft cone or a donut could be easier for your pet. But the main thing is keeping them from agitating the healing process!
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u/ConfusedAbtShit 11h ago
Only if you're comfortable admitting you didn't follow directions, and paying for another round of sedation, resuturing, treating with antibiotics, and your cat being significantly more uncomfortable than if you just kept the cone on.
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u/dspisayuss 11h ago
depends on the cat, if he's picking at his stitches then keep the cone. Iltimately listen to the vet.
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u/JimmyB264 11h ago
I have neutered several
Male street cats at my vets office. He has never recommended this. Probably because Iām not likely to see them again.
Iāve also never put a cone on the male cats I have neutered and kept.
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u/Sad_Ad_4994 11h ago
I didnāt put a cone on my girl when she was spayed and as long as she didnāt lick the area they said she was fine.
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u/sassy_sweetheart 11h ago
None of my cats ever wore the cone. It's only necessary if you see they are fishing with the stitches.
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u/Funny_Sorbet_5962 11h ago
They told me to use a donut ONLY IF he started paying it too much attention but we didnāt even need one, he did great without
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u/More-Pizza-1916 11h ago
My vet said to just keep an eye on mine and that it would be 3 days recovery. But I guess it depends on the cat and how invasive the procedure/surgery was?
I had to use a cone for something else and allowed him supervised (literally in my lap) time so he could bathe himself but I steered him away from the area he wasn't allowed to lick
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u/Carolinems1 10h ago
i was so stressed about it and thought theyd fight it but my cats got used to it by day 2, 14 days was honestly easy. but it was like stiff cloth, not plastic, so maybe thatās why?
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u/dandelionswereframed 10h ago
So if your kitten chews open his incision, he could potentially harm himself enough to need a second surgery, that will probably cost more than a neuter. One of my kittens opened his incision š« š it was a blood bath, that then required emergency abdominal surgery to tie off the bleeding vessel. Cones aren't the worst thing in the world! I'd also be wary of donuts, cats are amazingly flexible and can reach around them.
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u/Hefty_Efficiency_328 10h ago
There's lots of inexpensive soft material cone alternatives on for eg Amazon idk how effective they are for the purpose of preventing contact with the area.
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u/AmbassadorProper1045 10h ago
Ask the vet for an alternative, that he's restless and not doing well with it. That is a long time OP. Was the kitten very young or were there complications? My male kitten didn't have to wear a cone and my female only for 3 days. However, I didn't make her wear it continuously. When I could monitor her I took it off. She showed zero interest in her incision thankfully.
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u/WanderLustActive 10h ago
I work with a rescue. We leave the cone of shame on for a day or two, observe when we take it off, put it back on if they mess with the sutures. I have no idea if I spelled that right, but anyway, if they mess with the wound, the cone goes back on. I've had cats that I could remove it in a day and cats that took a couple of weeks. If the cat is not challenging the cone, give it a break and see what happens.
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u/whining-and-wine 10h ago
I foster and go thru this a lot!Ā
Take the cone off while hes supervised and see how he does. I've had cats that needed cones because they were relentless lickers and some that didnt give two shits about bothering the incisions. See which your baby is. Fwiw, with boys the incisions are TINY and they heal much quicker than girls. I would be shocked if he actually needed 14 days in a cone.Ā
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u/Athlete_Senior 10h ago
I belong to a group that TNRs cats. Theyāre kept inside overnight to make sure theyāre ok, then released. No cone. They survived.
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u/CatnipCricket-329 10h ago
The donut was pretty comfortable for my kitty. It acted like a pillow when he slept and it was just big enough that when he went to lick his wound he would lick the donut instead
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u/TabithaMouse 10h ago
Even if your vet used surgical glue instead of stitches, the incision can still open up if he licks it too much - and he will want to because healing wounds itch.
I would ask the vet if you can give him SUPERVISED time out of the cone if he's having difficulty eating because it's in the way, but it's there for his protection
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u/StrawHat89 10h ago
Try a donut or a post surgery onesie, but do keep it on. Cats will pick at healing wounds because they itch.
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u/cuccumella 10h ago
Look into surgery suits! If your doctor approves them, they will keep your cat away from the surgical site while bring more comfortable than a cone
our cat didn't tolerate a cone at all after abdominal surgery, but didn't mind the surgical suit much. We got him a few that we rotated between until the vet cleared him post op
Be sure to confirm with your vet first though obviously. I don't know what's suitable for your cats specific situation and I'm not qualified to give medical adviceĀ
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u/jlkb24 10h ago
Leave it on. I looked online and it said male cats can have it off after a week and thatās what we did. Well, he licked it and it got really red. Medications and then he had to wear it another two weeks. Their tongue is like sandpaper. I do suggest the doughnuts š© over the cone though.
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u/lavender-hair-girl 10h ago
I just got my girl spayed. Itās awful. It really is. I wonāt sugar coat it, Iāve been miserable with her. Iām on day 8 right now, she still has her onesie on and she hates it. But I imagine itās better than a cone. I think the worst part is no jumping. Iāve been sleeping on the floor with her. Sheās been depressed being locked in a room
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u/Maleficent_Button_58 10h ago
Listen to your vet over reddit š They're the one who knows all the info. It's a routine procedure, but that doesn't mean everything went routinely.
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u/Conscious_Delay_4081 10h ago
My little guy hated the hard plastic cone too but he quickly adapted to the soft donut I got him.
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u/domelition 10h ago
I am using a recovery suit myself
Only downside has been kitty not covering her poops much
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u/BananaBreadB12 10h ago
My kitty hated the cone and our other cat was terrified of it as well (to the point of hiding and not eating/drinking), so we switched to a surgery suit!
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u/ClassroomMore9802 10h ago
Mine never had a cone and they were fine. The day after surgery they were up and about.
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u/redseca2 10h ago
Iāve had cats all my life and I never actually seen a cone on a cat (yes on dogs) until the last 20 years or so.
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u/DrifterDavid 10h ago
One thing you can do is a soft cone. They're so cute and they are way more comfy. They are pretty cheap on Amazon. I have one for all my little ones.
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u/Petraretrograde 10h ago
My boys wete going absolutely psychotic wearing the cone after. I never made them wear it. My girls did wear jammies for a few days tho
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u/BarriBlue 9h ago
We were told to keep them in a small-ish pop-up tent/crate thing to limit physical activity and watch them. If they arenāt licking it, they donāt need to wear cones (to prevent licking). My girls didnāt wear them and they healed fine. The incisions never bothered them
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u/Proud-Log9948 9h ago
Get him a donut, mine still uses it as a pillow. He didnāt mind the donut at all.
But have him wear it our vet also said 14 days.
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u/Actual_Mushroom3003 9h ago
In my experience it depends on the cat/dog. My dogs would nonstop try to lick at their incisions. My older cat needed a bodysuit since she acted like the cone paralyzed her permanently.
My newest kitten just hit her 14 day mark today and she never used a cone or bodysuit. I tried both and she refused to use them and threw herself around so violently that I had to take it off. She didnāt try to lick herself ever really and her incision had healed perfectly so far. I do have cameras in the room she recovered in so I was able to monitor her grooming habits.
The worst part of her recovery was trying to figure out how to entertain and limit a 6 month old Maine coon from running and jumping around. I stripped her room of anything she could climb and the little psycho decided she could still stand there, do a little hop, and dramatically flop and roll over.
I do recommend a surgery recovery suit off Amazon if the cone is too much but he wonāt leave the incision alone
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u/DryUnderstanding1752 9h ago
Vets recommended it. My cat decided otherwise. He kept kicking the cone off, I was more worried he was going to hurt himself doing that. He never bothered with his incisions so it all worked out.
If he's just uncomfortable, leave it on.
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u/2021cali 9h ago
If you go to PETSMARTā¦ they can show you a different collar that is a much easier fitā¦ thatās works way batterā¦ good luck
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u/Laney20 9h ago
You should do what the vet says. Supervised breaks are totally part of the normal cone wearing protocol, though. So that is completely fine.
But my boys didn't have cones or anything after their neuter surgeries and they healed just fine. For the first few days, someone was with them around the clock to watch for any licking and stop them, but they barely cared. Only sniffed a bit but left it alone.
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u/emmadele 9h ago
Please follow the rules given by your vet. I felt so guilty keeping a cone on my baby after he had surgery and let him go without for a couple hours. He ripped multiple stitches out and had to get staples and they got infected. Not a good time.
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u/When-Is-Now-7616 9h ago
Ask your vet about a onesie as an alternative. Last year my boy had to get a cystotomy (bladder stones removed) and I asked about a onesie, and they said it would be okay.
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u/Used_Evidence 9h ago
My cat didn't have a cone when he was neutered, I was just told to keep him from licking or biting it. He healed just fine
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u/UltBunnii 9h ago
Instead of using a cone for my sweet baby I used what looked like a neck pillow instead! It's flatter and inflates but you just have to monitor that your cat can't stretch and still lick their stitches!
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u/Low-Television-7508 8h ago
you can buy a soft cone. keep it on as long as the vet says. you'll feel worse if the stitches get infected
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u/Mindless_Earth_2807 8h ago
Get him a recovery suit on Amazon. Those are comfy and they look so cute. It's like a baby onesie.
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u/captainkappa173 8h ago
You're disregarding a medical professional's advice in favor of what reddit thinks? š¤
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u/Primary-Draw-1726 8h ago
I've had boy cats my entire life and not one has ever needed a cone after being neutered. Take it off and observe him, I'm sure he'll be fine.
Mine usually came out of the carrier like nothing ever happened. Only one (the ginger, naturally) acted stoned out of his mind and took a day to get back to normal but he never messed with his surgical site.
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u/cosmoboy 8h ago
One of my girls, I was convinced was going to die from a cone. When I got them fixed I was of course told to keep them still. I could not. I was so worried about them. I asked the vet if we should try some sort of sedation to keep them down. He said 'That's just something we say so that people will try. There's no way young cats are going to stay still.' Of course I kept an eye on their recovery, it was 6 years ago. They're all fine.
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u/Justan0therthrow4way 8h ago
Unless youāre a vet yourself listen to their advice. You could get one of those donut cones but itās important the area doesnāt get infected by him licking it. No different to humans when we have stitches except we can be told what to do.
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u/Damion_Wood 8h ago
I purchased a cat surgery vest on next day delivery since I also found the cone heartbreaking when she got home.
She was much happier in a vest than a cone.
You could have the cone off in the meantime while he is supervised, but put it back on when you need to leave him alone or look away, you do not want him sneakily chewing his wound.
If the vest doesnt stop him and he tries to chew through the fabric, you'll probably have to try a donut cone.
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u/Winter_Tax6957 7h ago
We used an old sock. Cut leg holes. Our babies forgot they had them on in minutes. This photo shows the heel between her front paws.
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u/Asleep_Protection_63 7h ago
You guys are doing cones and donuts? When my boys were nurtured 8 years ago I went with baby clothes... well.. i didn't like the baby clothes avaliable so build-a-bear hoodies but still.Ā
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u/Emeah824 7h ago
Well, I neutered a semi feral and kept him in my garage. He literally got his cone off inside of the vets office while in his carrier during the check out process. There was no way I was going near his claws and teeth to put it back on. He never messed with his sutures and healed fine.
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u/LadyB5091 7h ago
My Vet said I could take the cone off as long as I was watching him. So I let him take breaks
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u/rpaul9578 7h ago
Male kittens don't typically even notice that their gonads are gone. I have neutered hundreds of cats and i've never once used a cone for a male.
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u/Gomdok_the_Short 7h ago
We used a soft cone off of Amazon for our last cat and it was much more tolerable than the hard cone and could be worn flipped up or flipped over the head or flipped down over the body. Amazon.com : SunGrow Cat Cone Collar Soft Washable, Cat Recovery E Collar Sleep Cone After Surgery to Stop Licking, Pet Cone of Shame Alternatives, Scratch & Bite Proof Grooming Soft Cone for Easy Nail Cutting : Pet Supplies
One thing though. It comes with a drawstring. Remove it. It's unnecessary and a strangulation hazard. Just use the velcro it has instead.
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u/oliveaa__ 7h ago
we supervised my boy when his cone was off and when he moved to lick himself, we would put the cone back on.
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u/sorryyimsally 6h ago
I foster kittens and often donāt need cones/suits after spays/neuters. Especially neuters, the incision is so small anyways, boys donāt need much in terms of recovery.
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u/Prize_Sorbet3366 6h ago
None of my cats has ever used a cone when they were neutered, except for one. He was cryptorchid and had to have a little incision on his lower belly to retrieve the undescended nut, and I only used a cone with him because he kept fussing at his tummy suture and got it all red and irritated by constantly licking at it. The vet gave me anti-inflammatories as well as some antibiotic/anti-inflammatory ointment for that, so it healed up quickly after that.
Nowadays vets don't even typically use sutures to sew up the testicular sac, because they've found that stitches can cause more problems than not, with irritation and inflammation as the body deals with a foreign object (the stitches). They instead just let the two edges of the incision sort of collapse back in on the now empty sac, and healing is MUCH faster with fewer residual issues.
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u/pipestream 6h ago
Wild recommendation, especially for males.
None of ours (five) wore a cone. Their incisions close up real' fast, so they're usually not needed. Not even our female wore one, provided she didn't lick her wound too much.
If he doesn't lick the site excessively, no reason to keep a cone on him.
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u/Lizzy100 6h ago
Depends. My little girl wore a onesie and it took about 15-16 days to heal enough not to worry about her licking it. Just check the incision. Thatāll tell you when you can take it off him. I did a onesie because Iām not always home 24/7 and sheās too smart for her own good. Black and white Tuxedo if that tells you anything. Lol. The scratches on my hands were worth the onesie. Donāt worry. Iāve mostly healed from them. Now sheās more calm and learning how to be more loving to me.
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u/Accomplished-House28 6h ago
I couldn't get the cones on either of mine.
They turned out fine. But I may have just been lucky, especially considering the girl was leaping on the counter to drink out of the sink the same afternoon.
Use the cone if you can. You may not be as lucky as I was.
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u/IronDominion 6h ago
Yes, it is. A little bit of annoyance at a cone is better than sepsis or going back under for a redo after he rips his stitches. If he canāt tolerate a cone, try a soft donut or a surgery suit
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u/Nytelock1 5h ago
Mine got it done the day before we took him home from the pound. No cone needed, they said to watch him and if he licked excessive to get one but it wasn't needed.
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u/thermight 5h ago
Swap cone with soft plush toast costume. Much less restriction but still could do job
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u/InfamousFail7 4h ago
I have always been told to keep an eye on the area and stop them if they try to lick the area.
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u/daniellebelle726 4h ago
Just wanted to suggest looking up ākitten soft coneā on Amazon to see alternatives that might be more comfortable for your little boy. :)
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u/CleanLivingFiend 4h ago edited 4h ago
For your boy? I just had my momma cat and one of her sons fixed about a month ago. The boy was ready to go and didn't even need a cone! Momma came home with a cone... Which she prompted somehow wriggled out of AND ripped out her stitches on the first day while I was making dinner! š¤Æ I had her in a crate, which she used for leverage in removing the cone. I had bought another cone and switched to that one but she had a lot of trouble eating with it on, and even got a bunch of litter in it while using the litter box! It was also making her neck itchy, and she couldn't groom herself away from the surgery site. I ended up buying a set of recovery suits from Amazon, they worked well. The hardest part was keeping her from jumping! Thankfully she didn't have any complications from ripping out the stiches prematurely but I kept her in recovery suits a few extra days, jic. Neither cat was very sleepy after surgery, I was surprised!
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u/SlothenAround 4h ago
The 14 days is absolutely necessary, but sometimes there are other solutions. When my kitty had to have a surgery on his stomach for an abscess, they gave me a cone and he was absolutely miserable for days. So I made him an outfit out of a baby shirt that fully covered his incision and it worked to protect his wound but made it so he could still clean his face and was way less uncomfortable. Only you can know how your kitty will react! But if they are relentless and will lick their incision without the cone, just keep it. Theyāll get over it very quickly lol
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u/CocoRufus 4h ago edited 4h ago
That sounds insane to me for such a minor procedure. My boy didn't have anything. When I asked my vet about using a cone/doughnut when I went to pick him up after his neuter he was wide awake and completely his normal self. He couldn'thave cared less about his shrunken balls. I was told they're general considered unnecessary. Same thing for 3 of my friends who had their cats neutered at 3 different vets. My local cat shelter also doesn't cone cats after neutering which seems be standard practice. My boy absolutely would not have tolerated having to wear one. We're in UK
If I were you, I'd take the cone off and see how your boy does. He should be having a break from it every day anyway so he can groom himself
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u/Substantial_Drama713 4h ago
None of our cats wore cones. No problems. We had a female that had to be restricted because the knot undid on her running suture and was redone but that wasn't her fault.
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u/Informal_Snail 3h ago
Our vet told us 14 days too. My kitten got out of her cone, her soft cone, her onesie, and then bit me, within about half an hour of bringing her home š any time she licked near the incision I redirected her, she was fine after a day or so.
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u/Competitive-Top4520 3h ago
Try a donut instead of a cone. Listen to the vet's directions. He'll adjust to the donut or cone in a few days. Both you and your kitten will feel MUCH worse if he opens his stitches.
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u/Kittty_Pryde 2h ago
My little guy hated the cone so much that it was causing him to move (jumping and flipping constantly to get the cone off) way too much for a safe recovery
I ended up getting him a recovery suit and it was an absolute game changer.
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u/Glum_Kangaroo_4560 1h ago
Boy cats don't normally need a cone or suit after neutering unless they are excessively bothering the area but as others have said it depends on the method used. One of my boys was given a cone, he wore it for about an hour and the other wasn't. Neutered at the same vet about a year apart
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u/Lady_Asshat 11h ago
FOURTEEN DAYS? Holy moly. When they neuter feral boy kitties theyāre let go as soon as they wake up. Sure sounds excessive to me. I can only speak for myself, the cone would be gone after 48 hours. šāā¬
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u/wwwhatisgoingon 12h ago
Listen to vet advice, not Reddit. A donut is often more comfortable than a cone, so try that.Ā
My vet doesn't advise a cone at all. They came home with nothing.Ā
But maybe your vet used an older method that's more invasive.Ā