Cats should be kept inside for 10 to 14 days following surgery. No running, jumping, climbing stairs, or licking the incision should be allowed. These are natural behaviors that can be difficult to prevent, but restricting the cat within one or two rooms may help decrease activity. The incision should be checked daily for any signs of swelling, redness, or warmth. Cats that repeatedly attempt to lick the incision may need to be fitted with an Elizabethan collar to prevent them from reaching it.
If the proper precautions are taken, the risk of complications is minimal. If complications do occur, however, notify the veterinarian promptly so that the problems can be resolved. Dehiscence, or separation of the incision layers, is an emergency situation that requires immediate surgery to replace abdominal contents. Cats can chew their sutures and cause great damage to the abdominal organs within a very short time.
