Post-neutering cone

My little cat Neige had her op yesterday, Wednesday 6th February, and has to wear a cone for 12 days. I'm heading back to the vet tomorrow for a check-up to see if everything is alright. She’s just got a dressing and nothing else. Last night she was hiding under the bed; I offered her some dry food but she didn't want any. The vet said she needs to drink, but she didn't want to, so I just let it be. The balance issues that are so common—making them look like they’ve only just woken up—are caused by their whiskers touching the cone. Whiskers (which you must never cut!) are vital for a cat's sense of balance and orientation, so it's perfectly normal for them to be a bit unsteady. I hope this was helpful. Sorry for the typos 🙄

Hi everyone, sorry.

Apparently there's too much risk of infection with the bandage, so the vets in Neufchatel say a cone is mandatory.

You’re more than welcome! I’m so glad to hear that everything is back to normal. That stressful episode must have put them off their food... and the rest (it’s a lot for a little furbaby to deal with all at once). Your story about the bandage reminds me of my girl when she was getting around in her tulle recovery suit, barely an inch off the ground like a common lizard! Even though I felt ever so sorry for her, I couldn’t help laughing the first time I saw her.

Hi there, and thanks for your reply. Actually, Sunday was a total nightmare as I mentioned, but by Monday everything was back to normal: eating, drinking, and going to the loo. It’s baffling. Mind you, the cone is definitely bothering her—getting up on tables and things is fine, but getting back down isn’t always easy. Anyway, I think we’ve got through the worst of it now, hopefully; just one more week to go. I did think about using a bandage like you suggested, but her sister, who had her op the day before, was also picking at her dressing. We tried a bandage on her, but she just froze, hissed at us, and couldn’t even stand up. It was awful! In the end, we took it off and she just ripped the dressing off herself; she licks the wound a little bit now, but that’s all. Thanks again for getting back to me.

Hi there, First and foremost, give your vet a ring to have a chat about it. It’s possible that it’s just down to the cone (and you have to give them a bit of time to adjust... although they never really get 100% used to them), but being off their food can be a symptom of something else. As for our experience with cones: it was a total no-go for our girl after her op (honestly, I don’t think it would have lasted 24 hours between her and her brother). She ended up being wrapped up like a mummy in bandages (as our vet didn’t use dissolvable stitches), which had to be redone twice in a week. After that, we stepped things up with a "recovery suit" made from a length of tubular bandage. The suit eventually gave up the ghost, falling apart along with the bandage 24 hours before she was due to have her stitches out -_-' (we just left the basic little dressing on and crossed our fingers... thankfully, she didn't touch it).

Hi everyone, My little rascal had surgery on Thursday; when I picked her up she was in great spirits, but she wouldn't stop pulling at her bandage. The next morning we saw that a stitch must have come loose because something was dangling out, so it was straight back to the vet for another operation. Now she's in a cone; she’s really not herself and has stopped eating (she had a bit of ham this morning but threw it up immediately). She won't touch her dry food, even though she’s usually such a greedy little thing. I don't know what to do anymore. Is she just out of sorts because the cone is upsetting her, or could there be something else going on? Thanks for your help.

Right, thanks for your replies. My Happy had to wear a cone ^^.. Otherwise she kept taking her bandage off.. :/