What are the signs of infection in my cat's C-section wound?

Hello. Cats don’t like to follow the rules sometimes. This incision looks great. The flakiness is just some residue of the skin glue, the green is tattoo ink . There does not appear to be any problems with this incision at all right now. Continue to monitor it and watch specifically for redness, discharge or significant swelling. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach !

Then incision is more red than I would expect it to at this time. It could be just because he has been too active, or it could be early signs of an infection. If it is more red tomorrow then it is probably an infection. I would confine him to a small bathroom where he can’t jump around and keep his mouth away from the incision. Either a onsie or the e-collar needs to be on at all times to protect him from opening the incision. I would encourage you to have a follow up appointment with your veterinarian tomorrow to examine the incision and see if he needs antibiotics. I don’t see any need for an emergency clinic appointment today. Best of luck and I hope he heals soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Poor Rain! That's a very tough spot for the body to heal itself because it doesn't have great blood supply and it's easy for pets to get to and lick, which is really bad for healing. It's a little hard to see how moist or dry the wound is from the pictures. It looks like it was very wet last night, and is a bit drier today. It actually looks pretty good to me, especially if this only happened a few days ago. So, I would be comfortable waiting until tomorrow, UNLESS you're seeing increased discharge or if Rain is lethargic/not eating/seems very painful. I'd recommend she have a soft sided cone on if possible to try to prevent licking, along with close supervision because cats are great at getting around the cones - pet stores often sell these. A hard sided one might work better, but could also be used to rub against the wound, so I would definitely use that if your vet gave you one or recommends it, but wouldn't advise it without seeing her in person to see how she's moving around and how comfortable she is. I hope that helps. Feel free to post again (even just as a regular free question) to see if another vet has a different opinion because I think this is a bit up for debate. I hope she continues healing well. Good luck!

I see a little redness and maybe some yellow discharge? Always watch incisions for any redness, swelling or discharge. If anything like this is seen, Robin needs to be examined by the veterinarian. That's great news that all that infection is out of her body but she's not completely out of the woods until the incision is fully healed. That's why it's best to play it safe. She also needs restricted activity - no running or jumping. She also needs to wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps.

Poor Luka! From the picture you have provided, the edges of the wound make it appear to be an older wound, not a fresh new one, and it appears to be healing. That being said, I cannot rule out any additional wounds or any infection without seeing him in person, and it is a pretty good size wound. To be safe, yes I would take him into the vet just to get it checked out and to make sure there aren't any other problems. I hope this helps!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Oliver. The incision site appears slightly red in color. However, there is no discharge visible and I do not see areas that appear to be opening. I think that it is healing very well. Please keep the collar on him at all times to prevent any further licking. He should heal up very well. I hope this information helps!

They are holding the incision together. At the end of the incision there is some tissue swelling and irritation which is causing the redness and mild discharge. This doesn't look infected at this point. Once the staples are removed this will finish healing and the scar with flatten out. As long as she's eating and feeling fine I would not treat this with antibiotics, and I do not recommend cleaning or putting anything on the incision as it may damage the scab and slow down the healing. Use a cone if she's licking since licking will cause additional irritation. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Milo.