Lump after being spayed

Hi there, It’s definitely time to release her from the misery of the cone! The scar looks spot on, and that bit of swelling is actually quite normal for this kind of op. With one of my girls, the post-op swelling took about two months to go down completely, and there weren't any worrying symptoms at all. She was being seen by a very thorough vet who said there were zero issues... and the cat herself clearly agreed as she was doing brilliantly.

Hi there, You could always head back to the vet or send them some photos, but I think it's actually quite common. I spoke to two friends who had their cats spayed and the same thing happened to them. With mine, it eventually started to go down slowly on its own. After about a fortnight, the lump had completely disappeared. It's linked to inflammation and is called a seroma (a build-up of fluid). As long as she seems in good spirits, isn't vomiting, and is going to the toilet as normal, there shouldn't be any cause for concern for now. Best of luck!

Don't hesitate to get back to him and send that photo over, as it really does look quite shocking. If he doesn't take it seriously, I'd try to find another vet. My girl had the exact same lump; her internal stitches had come apart because she’d been charging about like a mad thing. She seemed totally fine in herself, but when my vet saw her, she told me it was actually her guts that we could feel under the skin forming that lump. If I were you, I’d really push for an answer, because even if it is just inflammation, it’s quite some swelling and there’s definitely something that needs doing.

Hi there, After an operation involving a laparotomy, such as a spay, it’s quite common for the wound to swell due to an inflammatory reaction or an oedema – this is especially true for cats and the size can vary. Laparotomies can involve other complications too, like abdominal wall haematomas and hernias (which were mentioned earlier), as well as wound abscesses or peritonitis. To give you a better idea of what it might be, you can try gently feeling the lump. A hernia will usually be "reducible", meaning you can feel the organs that have slipped out of the abdominal cavity being pushed back in. This can happen if the muscle sutures have come apart. An oedema is part of the healing process; you’ll notice that if you press on it, the mark from your finger stays there for a moment. It’s normally harmless. Usually, there's a wound check-up about 7 days after the surgery, which is a good chance for your vet to make sure everything is healing well before the stitches are taken out 15 days after the op. Hope this helps, Anais

I’d suggest taking her back to the vet who performed the surgery as soon as possible. It might just be a haematoma, but it could be something more serious like a hernia if the internal stitches have given way (I’ve actually been through this with one of my girls). In the meantime, you could email the photo to your vet; they’ll be better placed than anyone here to tell you what needs to be done.