So, my one-year-old cat has sliced the bottom of his back paw open—it was a 3cm gash, likely from some wire fencing. He had to be anaesthetised and have dissolvable stitches put in. He’s really struggling with the cone and is not at all happy about being kept indoors. How long will it take to heal enough so I can finally take this lampshade off his head and let him back out to see his mates?
Thanks for any advice.
Translated from French
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Hi, quick question – my girl was spayed on the 6th February. They used dissolvable stitches, and there are still two left. Is it alright to let her go outside yet? Thanks and have a good day.
@ Teorra
But in this case, as Zachary from the vet’s said, it’s the underside of the paw, so it’s in constant contact with the ground and there’s a risk when jumping or anything like that... I’d say at least three weeks as well...
Hi there,
Unfortunately, the cone needs to stay on for as long as the stitches are still in place. Otherwise, your cat is very likely to lick the wound and could end up pulling the stitches out. This would cause the wound to reopen and potentially lead to an infection, which would mean more trips to the vet and a much longer recovery period...
The same applies to letting him outdoors: as the wound is on his leg, it could easily reopen if he’s too active, and the area could get infected quite easily if he goes out, leading to further complications.
I completely understand that your cat is struggling with the cone and being kept indoors, but it’s the best way to minimise his recovery time and avoid any future complications.
It’s best to wait until your follow-up appointment so your vet can check how the wound is healing. Usually, you’ll need to wait 10 to 15 days for the check-up and for the cone to be removed, but your vet will advise you on that.
I hope this helps answer your questions.
Best regards,
Zachary.
He had his stitches put in on Wednesday, so it’s been six days now... I was wondering if it would be okay to take his cone off by next Monday at least.
You haven't mentioned how long he's had the stitches for.
Having recently had my puppy operated on, the vet told me that dissolvable stitches take about 3 to 4 weeks to disappear... and about a fortnight for the surface to heal.
The issue for your cat is the location of the wound. It really needs to be properly healed before you let him back outside; if he's jumping about or anything, he could easily reopen the wound.
