# e-collar troubles



## LadyIsolde00 (Apr 27, 2009)

My cat has to wear an e-collar, she has a tumor on her dewclaw and until she goes in for surgery she has to wear one because she constantly licks it. She isn't adapting well at all, she won't move from my bed, not to go to the bathroom and not to eat (I am not bringing her food to the bed) 

I understand the idea that if she is hungry enough or if she has to go bad enough she will move but she has just gone to the bathroom on my pillows so I don't think this is the case.

The vet said she has to wear it at all times. I don't know what to do, any suggestions?


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## love.my.cats (Jan 29, 2009)

How long until she has the surgery?? Are they able to wrap the paw to stop the licking instead of the collar? If not and surgery time isn't too far away, what about setting her up with a cosy bed, litter tray & food in a bathroom so if she does still refuse to move for the litter tray, the bathroom is easier to clean then the bed?
I know you might not like confining her but sometimes we need to think about what's best for her health (and removing the collar may cause more issues).


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

*First*, you *can* remove the e-collar for short amounts of time *with constant supervision* to allow her to eat/drink and litterbox. As soon as you see her beginning to 'worry' at her paw, tell her no, gently distract her or use your hand to block her tongue or lift her head.
*Next*, there ARE alternatives to those stiff plastic e-collars. They are made out of foam and/or fabric. I've made several for my own cats and for rescues. The quilted fabric with batting is just stiff enough to hold its' shape and when the kitty nose reaches forward to lick their wound, the collar moves forward too and blocks their muzzle from reaching their wound. The collars I made could be worn 'up' and around the head like a cone, or 'down' like a shawl over the shoulders. With a leg wound, it could be worn like a 'bib', with the opening at the back of the neck.
*Finally*, I would do a google-search for soft or fabric E-Collars and have one rush-shipped to you to use for your kitty until she has her surgery and after her surgery during recovery.

Bonafido: http://www.bonafido.com/page6.html
Trimline: http://trimlineinc.com/
Comfycone: http://www.funstufffordogs.com/Qstore/Q ... ve+-+Small
http://www.arcamax.com/catsanddogs/s-366365-755484


> _Many of today's E-Collars are made of very hard plastic. You can be certain your pet will not be able to reach his stitches or hot spot, when he is wearing this cumbersome device. For that matter, he will not be able to do much of anything else. The archaic design of the plastic cone collar impedes your pet's vision, it causes them to bump into things, they may trip while attempting to go up stairs, it will also deter them from eating or drinking and they will not be able to lie down comfortably. Not only will your pets get stressed out wearing one of these products, often we hear that pet parents are equally stressed out by seeing their pets struggle during their recovery period._


 :yikes *OMG! I found ME in a Google-search!* :yikes 
http://forums.horsecity.com/index.php?s ... c=47023794

With the plastic cone, my foster kitty was scaring herself when the cone bumped into things (like trying to go under the bed), knocked over the food/water dishes and was afraid to move. I took off her plastic cone and made one out of quilt fabric scraps. She was much more comfortable in it. It was soft, it bent/gave, she could comfortably sleep in it and worn either up or down, it prevented her muzzle from being able to reach her spay site because no matter how she moved her muzzle, the fabric collar always moved forward with her neck and kept the edge of the 'cone' just past her muzzle.
Best of luck to you and your kitty!
heidi

Here is my foster kitty Mischy wearing the e-collar in the 'up' position.








Here she is wearing it 'down'.








This is the one I made better (_more loops to adjust neck-size_) changes to:


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## melysion (Mar 12, 2007)

Heidi n Q said:


>


This is a fab e-collar - works really well. My Toby has a skin allergy problem and this collar stops him biting his little back when things are bad!


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