Caring for a post-op depressed kitten

Question
Hi Jessica

Yesterday we picked our 4.5 month old kitten up from the vet. She was pregnant and too little to carry the kittens through the pregnancy. The Vet was very concerned over her wellbeing if she was to continue to have them (her belly was already nearly touching the floor as she walked, and only 4 weeks into pregnancy). As a result she had a c-section and sadly had to have the litter of four aborted.

She now has an e-collar on and looks sad all the time. Is there anything we can do to help her recover? Could she experience depression over the loss of her litter? Also is there any way to make her more comfortable with the e-collar? she is trying to pull it off all the time, to which she becomes a little active running and jumping around - I'm worried she will tear her stitches.

Also, I read that we shouldnt let her use kitty litter as the dust from it can cause infection?
Any information you can offer will be greatly appreciated!

Answer
Hi Lauren,

A lot of vets send home cats with an e-collar, but I have never known a cat that would tolerate one. Because this is the case, there has been a trend by many vets to ditch the e-collar in cats following most surgeries. Thankfully, surgical glue is now used to close the incision after abdominal surgeries, and sutures are there to more or less reinforce this. Most cats lick at the incision site a bit but do not try to rip out sutures like a dog will (with an emphasis on MOST). For these reasons, cats will usually do okay without an e-collar. I would suggest to remove the e-collar at a time when you can monitor her very closely. She may lick the incision site a little. As long as she does not pull on the sutures or lick at the site obsessively, she should be okay. If she DOES pay too much attention to her stitches or the incision site, I would put the collar back on her when you're unable to monitor her, but try to give her some time without the collar to eat and groom, etc.

A spay is a rather big surgery and causes a fair amount of pain. It's to be expected that she'll feel under the weather for 3 or 4 days. I don't believe she should suffer any depression associated with losing the pregnancy, however. If she continues to seem depressed in a few more days, I would have the vet check on her to make sure she hasn't developed an infection, which can happen post-surgically.

As for the litter, I personally advise against using clay litters in general. The dust can irritate any wound, including those associated with surgery, and it can also cause respiratory irritation. And an ingredient added to clumping litters is moisture activated and will cake onto any moist wound. If unable to drain properly, the wound can become infected. Your kitty's spay site will be weeping for several days (this is normal), and it would be best to avoid a clumping litter during this time. I would recommend a newspaper litter or something made of pine for now.

Good luck!

Jessica