# Neck injury



## fw2010 (Apr 17, 2010)

Hi;
My cat has a minor injury on his neck, and keeps scratching the scab off.
He has no front claws, so he must be using his hind claws to do this.

I am looking for something like an e-collar, but in order for that to work, the collar would probably have to be placed behind his front legs, or he will be able to push the collar up and get at the scab.
I am thinking of other methods, including wrapping an ACE bandage around his neck, but I'm fairly certain that he will be able to push that up or down as well.
I found some inflatable e-collars (for dogs) at Petsmart.com, which might work, since the collar would probably be soft enough not to injure the tender area, and maybe he wouldn't be able to push it off. They only have these collars for dogs, but maybe if I get an extra small it would work.

Another thing I can think of is a tiny turtle neck shirt that would fit him. Possibly a doll's size might work here.

Any other ideas?

Thanks

FW


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## Heather102180 (Nov 19, 2003)

Hmm...might want to try a paper plate. viewtopic.php?f=7&t=55059&p=557287&hilit=paper+plate#p557287


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## fw2010 (Apr 17, 2010)

Heather102180 said:


> Hmm...might want to try a paper plate. viewtopic.php?f=7&t=55059&p=557287&hilit=paper+plate#p557287


That might work! I'll give it a try.

In the past hour or so since I posted, I tried to clip his hind claws to start, but he wouldn't let us do it. Problem is he never had the claws clipped as a kitten, and now at age 5, he isn't at all comfortable with being restrained.

Thanks

FW


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Welcome to CatForum. I think your bandage idea will work if you use the correct material. I would *not* recommend anything like an Ace Bandage because there are better products to use.

I prefer Co-Flex or Vet-Wrap bandages. They can be purchased at feed stores, pet stores and even pharmacies. These bandages conform to shapes, can move with bendable body parts and stick to itself because they have latex in them. Most times you will not need a tape for the ends but if you do, use a product called Elastikon to firmly attach the end of the bandage on the outside. Do not wrap all the way around with the Elastikon, just a small 'tab' to tape the end of the latex bandage more firmly to itself.
They come in different colors and widths:































Our cat LuckyDuck was rescued by my husband from his work with a *huge* abcess on his neck. It was almost the size of a tennis ball. Husband brought him to me right away and I took him to the vet. They said almost a cup of pus came out when they burst it. A lot of his neck-skin had died and had to be removed so he had about 8" of stitches in a "Y" shape, almost from ear-to-ear and then down the left side of his neck. When his drain (looks like a rubber straw) came out on day 3, I was able to bandage him up and I changed his bandages daily and used telfa non-stick pads and vet-wrap/co-flex. 

If your kitty's wound isn't open, you may be able to use just the latex bandage with no padding underneath. I would use the 4" latex bandaging and wrap snugly, but be careful to not pull it too tight. You want there to be some tension on the roll as you apply/wrap the neck, but the bandage needs to have some 'give' to it and you should easily be able to fit 1-2 fingers under the bandage against the kitty's neck when you are done. _I would wrap with at least two thicknesses around the neck, and possibly going around 3 times depending on how well the cat tolerates the bandage and how much damage it does to the bandage with back-foot scratching._ The 4" width will cover the entire neck, from under the jaw to the shoulder-blades. It will be a little 'stiff' when first applied but as the kitty wears it the ends of the bandage-tube around the neck will get rolled a little bit. This shouldn't affect the bandage, it should still have enough firmness to remain covering most of the neck area and if the scab is not at the collar bones or shoulders I think you'll have great success keeping it protected as it heals.


















You can see some of his scars:


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## fw2010 (Apr 17, 2010)

Thanks for the latex bandage idea. I'll do some searching online, and see if I can buy it locally. Looks like it should work well.

FW


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