Hi LP! Congrats on the kitten. Will we start seeing pics of her soon?
Tiramisu, my youngest got the subcuticular suture like your kitty. She licked it and she 'opened' the incision a bit so she had to get the ecollar and antibiotics to prevent any secondary bacteria infection. SHE HATED IT. As soon as the incision started scabbing, I took the ecollar off. She was a happer girl... Keep the incision area clean, but you don't have to apply anything on it, i think. I guess neosporin kinda stuff won't hurt. Whatever your vet recommends... You could ask for those loose 'tube' stockings to cover the area from her preventing, but if she wants to get it, she will get to it no matter what! So the best thing on the market is the ecollar and you have the soft kind so that is probably 'better'.
It is the vet's preference to either do unabsorbably skin suture or the absorbably subcuticular one these days, but I think most are going to for the latter one. Anyway, don't worry if you think you may offend your regular vet because you took her to another clinic where the breeder recommended.
As for pain meds, mine got one for 5 days post-op. If it is past a week, maybe you won't need it for her. I think spaying is a major surgery so it would have been ideal for them to provide you with pain meds. Cats have much higher pain tolerance than us, so don't be too critical that she missed it.
Here is Tiramisu with her ecollar.
Tiramisu, my youngest got the subcuticular suture like your kitty. She licked it and she 'opened' the incision a bit so she had to get the ecollar and antibiotics to prevent any secondary bacteria infection. SHE HATED IT. As soon as the incision started scabbing, I took the ecollar off. She was a happer girl... Keep the incision area clean, but you don't have to apply anything on it, i think. I guess neosporin kinda stuff won't hurt. Whatever your vet recommends... You could ask for those loose 'tube' stockings to cover the area from her preventing, but if she wants to get it, she will get to it no matter what! So the best thing on the market is the ecollar and you have the soft kind so that is probably 'better'.
It is the vet's preference to either do unabsorbably skin suture or the absorbably subcuticular one these days, but I think most are going to for the latter one. Anyway, don't worry if you think you may offend your regular vet because you took her to another clinic where the breeder recommended.
As for pain meds, mine got one for 5 days post-op. If it is past a week, maybe you won't need it for her. I think spaying is a major surgery so it would have been ideal for them to provide you with pain meds. Cats have much higher pain tolerance than us, so don't be too critical that she missed it.
Here is Tiramisu with her ecollar.
. Pain management is something that vets are starting to take more seriously, but there are still many places out there that don't really consider it necessary... But now that you know it can be available. Don't be hard on yourself. I didn't have it for my first cat neither because I didn't know better. 
