It's been done, we've had a stressful day worrying but called when the vet suggested at 3pm and they confirmed she was asleep. They suggested also the frequent being sick was to do with hairballs and suggested a tube of something for that.

We picked her up at 6:30 and it looked a bit worrying seeing the wound as there was a fair amount of blood. They said there would be some seeping but cleaned it up a bit more when we were there. Whilst in the cat carrier she kept licking it so have tried using the cone they supplied but she had trouble drinking from her water bowl so took it off for a bit to see how she is and keeping an eye on her.
She seems a bit dozy and being more quiet than usual so suspect the anaesthetic is just wearing off and she's been stressed. She was sick whilst there as well and they mentioned that.
On a more trivial aspect we worry a bit about her rubbing against things and blood going everywhere but hoping it will dry and scab up quickly.

Just a quick update, we let her sit in a Primark bag but every time we look she's licking the area. She won't leave it alone so have put the cone back on which has made her a bit unhappy as expected. She can't easily sleep with it on I think but we'll be watching her all evening.

Aww bless her, i'm sure she will be back to normal in no time but just keep an eye on her at all times (especially while the cone is off) to ensure all is well. Spaying really is a very standard procedure though so do try not to worry yourself too much, just check the wound on a regular basis to check there is no sudden change or an increase in redness and swelling. Otherwise, just give her lots of love and attention :)

I know the cone looks ever so awkward but she will adapt to it after a little while and it's better than her possibly irritating the wound.

As others have said, it is all for the best and she will be a happier, healthier cat in the long run for this!

Thanks piggle :)

She seemed so terrified in the vets, she just buried her head into the bedding cloth in the carrier and didn't move when we took her in and the vet checked her over.

We went out and bought her a couple of toys and treats and she's playing a bit with a toy and got really excited about the treats.

She's walking backwards a lot trying to get out of the cone, poor thing.

She sounds like mine where you describe constantly picking.
The red blood should darken and yes a scab will form... try to keep her from jumping and running hard as that can re-open a fresh scab... having the scent of blood on her will be bothering her and drawing her attention to the wound more often... you can use just cold water (from a kettle to be sterile) and clean tissue to gently lift blood off the skin (try using a licking motion with the tissue as you do this and your girl may realise what you are doing and be glad you are grooming her where she cant reach).. will she will let you do this?
Once the wound is clean she may hopefully stop obsessing over it and when her soreness has subsided she will stop noticing the wound even more.

A word of caution, with the painkillers they give you (they gave you?) they can relive kittys pain to a point where she may exert herself (not stopped by twinging pains) and be too energetic and possibly open the scab due to not feeling any pain there. as the days pass the wound will dry and the skin tighten (they will check for any ''bunching'' at your 2nd visit check) and your girl should start to forget she has the wound.

Is she eating well?

Hi BengalDaddy,

Thanks for the advice. She's eating ok, she's had a couple of treats already. .
The wound seems to be dripping at the moment and some blood on the floor which is a bit worrying as I panicked a bit thinking she had pulled a stitch out. I don't know how much blood is of concern (the vet would be closed now). We have mopped it up with dry kitchen towel a few times just applying gentle pressure but she has swiped a couple of times.
We'll try boiling some water in the kettle to gently wipe the wound.

hmm she swiped so still very sore.

Have you been given painkillers?
If you try to clean her up again later (when calm and sleepy is easiest isnt it?) do it really gently ... just the weight of the wet tissue is enough pressure and draw gently across the skin in little lapping motions... maybe try giving a head stroke at the same time and get a 2nd person to keep her focussed on the head/neck fuss (and treats if required) while you have a little clean up of her wound.
I think its better to get the wound cleaned up before it has set a hard scab because a neat clean scab just along the incision is better that a larger crusty scab that can be repeatedly rubbed or knocked off/open.
If your girl gets back to her usual inquisitive self quickly (before she has a dried and hardening wound site) and if she is the type to get into things and roll around on the floors ect try to confine her to one room to keep her wound as clean as possible..... once scabbed/dried out you can worry less about infections ect.
Spoil her rotten and tell us how is she in herself? is she glad to be home and pleased to be back with family?

/edit
afterthought, I remember I used kitchen towel not toilet tissue now because soft tissue can break up and will leave fibres behind that you dont want in the scab. dampened sterile bandage, kitchen tissue better than toilet tissue. You prolly figured this yourself

Hi Bengaldaddy,
No painkillers unfortunately, I'll give them a call tomorrow and check on this I think.
She's just sat on the floor at the moment, she did have a moment where she tried to run up the post on her cat tree but seems to have calmed down now.
I've put some boiled water (cooling down) in a bowl ready to wipe the wound, now she's sat still it doesn't seem too bad.

She just seems a bit quiet still and wags her tail a bit when we stroke her but hasn't been aggressive really apart from when we tried drying up the blood.

I'm hoping it dries up quickly now but will try wiping it later with the damp tissue.

She just seems to be quietly watching us at the moment, she's not too sociable right now but seems to like being near to us. She hasn't come over and sat with us or anything yet.

Ask them for the Loxicom tomorrow when they open and ask when she is safe for a dose (I think right away but ask the vet).
Right now your girl still has some of the vets surgical strength painkiller in her system?
She will get sorer and less comfortable than she is now as that wears off overnight tonight.
Just like us after surgery you can feel better than you are while meds are in effect but between doses the pain returns.
She isnt scared of being ill and showing illness to you which is a good sign of a family bonded kitty .. she isnt hiding and Im guessing she de-stressing well back in her cosy home with her humans

No problem, will call them in the morning to enquire. She just managed to get the cone off and was growling a bit when we tried to put it back on again but have managed to do it and tighten the collar up a bit more.

She's enjoying fuss it seems, we can tickle her under the chin and stroke her etc. and she seems to act normally otherwise. She's just keeping a bit of a distance at the moment.

I've never been given painkillers for any cat that has been neutered. They have all been fine fairly quickly.

That being said, neutering for a 3 year old is a much bigger operation than on a kitten and they don't respond the same way to pain as kittens do. Kittens are like babies, they carry on regardless and recovery is far quicker. I am a neonatal cardiac nurse and our babies can be on paracetamol for pain relief 3 days post open heart surgery.... adults would need much stronger pain relief.

I would be a little concerned if the wound is bleeding still so keep an eye on it. A little oozing is normal on a fresh surgical scar but bleeding is not. (blood tends to be more opaque and blood stained ooze is transparent).

You can fashion a jacket out of a baby grow or tube bandage that covers the wound and prevents her from licking it. Instead of the cone. Licking is very normal as it smells funny so needs cleaning. Its pulling on stitches that is a real problem and constantly messing with it.

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Lollo

The baby grow or bandage idea sounds good. We are feeling a bit uncomfortable seeing the blood (red), I am worried how much the wound has bled. We have tried mopping it up a few times, also with the cone on she has been rubbing it a bit and making it worse possibly.

We're hoping she'll just lay down and go to sleep but she seems quite restless, not running around, just constantly walking about in a small area and going between her litter tray and water bowl.

The amount of blood is worrying, we're both keeping an eye on her, possibly all night I don't know.

She has a full bowl of water and keeps putting her paw in and flicking the water out.

I am not sure wiping a fresh wound is a good idea. My guess is it is being pulled on and causing more bleeding. The blood will clot and form a seal so the skin can start to heal. The more you mess with it the longer it will be open/fresh. I would confine her to a small room with her cone on and not mess with the wound. She needs rest and so does the incision.

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Many thanks both, we've not touched the incision, just gently wiped the area around it but have left it for about 6 hours at least although it still seems like it's bleeding a bit and looks messy.
It's now 5am and we have been awake all night so far watching her so are now going to put her in the kitchen with the cone on and some food, water and bed and hopefully she'll be ok there.
It just seems as though the blood around the incision is still wet, it doesn't seem to be coming out of the incision that we can see. It looks like it has a couple of times, maybe when she tried being a bit active.

The plastic cone is attached to her collar. We've only gently touched the incision with kitchen towel which has absorbed a tiny amount of blood each time. Will leave it alone now and hopefully it'll heal up ok.