I've had three situations this year when the vet has sent my cats home with e-collars, and all three times, I've ended up having to take them off because it was pretty clear the cats were going to injure themselves trying to get it off.
The latest was today when one of my older cats had to have several tooth extractions. The vet used sutures and wanted to protect them. Despite my best efforts to comfort him, he completely flipped out about the e-collar. He was tearing around the room, running into things, flipping over, and pawing at the collar. I've never seen him that crazy. After I removed it, he calmed down completely and is resting comfortably.
So if people do use them, how in the world do you get a cat to accept an e-collar without going insane and potentially causing damage instead of preventing it?
The latest was today when one of my older cats had to have several tooth extractions. The vet used sutures and wanted to protect them. Despite my best efforts to comfort him, he completely flipped out about the e-collar. He was tearing around the room, running into things, flipping over, and pawing at the collar. I've never seen him that crazy. After I removed it, he calmed down completely and is resting comfortably.
So if people do use them, how in the world do you get a cat to accept an e-collar without going insane and potentially causing damage instead of preventing it?