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Old August 22nd, 2008, 09:07 PM
smooshface smooshface is offline
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Question Cat just got neutered - questions

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forum! My little guy got neutered on Monday (its been a total 4 days) and I've been using a collar because he loves to lick. Today I decided to give him some "free time" and was more lenient on not constantly observing him. Well, wouldn't you know it, about 5 minutes into letting him alone he was BITING and licking aggressively at his boy-parts. I've put the collar back on and experimented again with the same result, he is obsessed with biting and licking.

My question is, is this normal behavior? How long should I wait until he is in the clear to lick after his surgery? He hasn't broken skin and there is no bleeding, the area looks pretty much healed but I don't want him to do any potential damage.

Thanks everyone!
~Katie
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Old August 22nd, 2008, 09:13 PM
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Frenchy Frenchy is offline
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Originally Posted by smooshface View Post
Hello everyone, I'm new to the forum! My little guy got neutered on Monday (its been a total 4 days)
That's about the time it takes to start to heal and hitch. I know for dogs it's 7 to 10 days before they're in the clear. I think it's the same for cats.
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Old August 24th, 2008, 07:06 PM
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Joeyjoejoe Joeyjoejoe is offline
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I may have this problem in the near future... One of my cats Azrael (who started puberty really early at 4 months) likes to lick himself too. I chose not the neuter him then as many have said his size/age might lead to complicantions (vet, this board, friends, etc).

Next week, Azrael with his brother (Kyuubi) will be 6 months old and are scheduled for their neutering. However in the last 2 months, Azrael has developed a habit of licking his private parts. I doubt this will just instantly go away once the neutering is done.
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Old August 24th, 2008, 07:13 PM
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It's normal for cats to lick. If the kitty is excessive about it give the cone at least another 5 or 6 days. You want to make sure they are well healed so no infection sets in.
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Old August 25th, 2008, 03:12 PM
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RUSTYcat RUSTYcat is offline
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Originally Posted by smooshface View Post
...he was BITING and licking aggressively...My question is, is this normal behavior? How long should I wait until he is in the clear to lick after his surgery? He hasn't broken skin and there is no bleeding, the area looks pretty much healed but I don't want him to do any potential damage.
After having watched the recoveries of six male cats here and, if I were to see what you're seeing, I would take him back to the Vet for a follow-up exam. With my six, I've seen nothing like that, so, I would want to ensure that there's nothing going on 'under the surface' - I would expect that follow-up check to be complimentary as well.
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Old August 30th, 2008, 03:26 PM
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Joeyjoejoe Joeyjoejoe is offline
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So my two cats are back from being neutered (neutered yesterday with an overnight stay at the vet) and yup, they are both licking.

Azrael is licking his wound, but it's not aggressive or that often.

However, I'm concerned about Kyuubi. He is licking his wound a lot. He's also licking around the general area as well. He's even doing that thing that dogs do where they rub their butt on the floor. He's fine with humans near him, but he's hissing at Azrael. Kyuubi never hissed at Azrael before... In fact, Kyuubi never hissed before!

Also, Kyuubi's genitals look much more swollen than Azrael's.

The vet recommended that I try to distract him with toys so that he is not licking. Kyuubi would be interested for about 10 seconds and then go back to licking. The vet is closed now, but tomorrow, I'm going back to pick up a cone.

Anyone have any expert advise on what's going on? Is it possible that Kyuubi may have an infection?
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Old August 30th, 2008, 06:29 PM
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It is possible there is an unlying infection.
Did you put babypowder or vanilla or something on both of the cats so they smelled the same? I would think Kyuubi is reacting to the "vet" smell on Azrael.
Let us know how things go please.
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Old August 30th, 2008, 06:34 PM
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onster onster is offline
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I had to have a cone on my little guy for a week as he licked himself obsessively.

He never rubbed his bottom on the the floor tho (called scooting) though and I'd reccomend you take him in when you get the cone just to have the vet take a look
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Old August 31st, 2008, 04:20 PM
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Update:

Kyuubi woke me up this morning by kneading my stomach (his normal morning routine... I don't like it, but he seems to enjoy it ) and so far today, he has hasn't licked himself. The swelling has gone down. Also Kyuubi isn't hissing at Azrael anymore. In fact, they are napping together right now. All great signs that Kyuubi is back to normal!

Azrael did lick himself today, but I think that's just because it's a habit for him. He's the one that started puberty early, so licking himself is almost routine behavior. Although, I can tell he's not enjoying it as much as he used to.

I think 14+kitties nailed it on the head... it was probably the "vet" smell that made them fearful of each other. I did notice that they spent a long time cleaning themselves yesterday, so that could have been them trying to get rid of the smell. The vet clinic where they got their operations was actually a different vet than where they are used to going.

Both the new vet and old vet are closed until Tuesday, so I won't be able to get a cone, but if from the looks of it, neither cat needs one.

Thanks for all the advise and well wishes!
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