Is An E Collar Right For My Kitten?

[GabreilleM]

I have two kittens who have recently been spayed, both were about five and a half months old at the time of their surgery. It had to be done so early because we also have three boy kittens, all from the same litter, and we didn't want to risk breeding. We took the E Collars off of the girls soon after getting home as they were too big and Nala, one of the girls got her arm stuck in it almost immediately while Harley, our other girl managed to get it off herself while still at the vet.

Nala has been healing right on track and we haven't had any problems but Harley has been having problems right from the start. She had a fever coming out of surgery which was stabilized before she could come home, then we were concerned about an infection, which we were told was just some mild irritation and were prescribed antibiotics just to be on the safe side. Today, we had to bring her in because it looked like her stitches might have begun to rip but we were told it seemed like it was just a negative reaction to the stitches and that she'd be fine as long as she didn't irritate them further.

This is where the problem with the E Collar comes up again. We have one that fits her well now but she's constantly trying to claw it off and I'm concerned she may hurt herself, either from her claws or the continuous tugging around her neck. She's confined to a rather large crate as she is too hyper to be left to her own devices in a room and I haven't noticed any licking passed her attempts the first few days which I quickly put a stop to. So my question is, will the E Collar do more harm than good or am I just being a paranoid cat mom? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[Chizzy90]

I used an E-collar on Maynard when he got neutered. He HATED it so I decided to take it off him the next morning. As soon as it was taken off he was constantly licking and tugging at the site we we put it back on and he ended up getting an infection. We kept it on for 5-6 days until the infection healed.

It was really hard seeing Maynard with the E-Collar on because he was miserable but he did get used to wearing it (sort of). Maybe Harley will also get used to it?

For me, better safe than sorry. I don't think she would get hurt from wearing the E-Collar.

 

[Kflowers]

Go to Amazon and search for soft e collars for cats. The pictures will give you some idea of what to look for locally if you don't Amazon. Some cats prefer the soft ecollars to the stiff ones. They all prefer the ones they can see over or through. If your vet didn't give you the semi-clear one ask him for one.

Cats are prey animals and not being able to see, when they're used to seeing, freaks some of them out. Dogs have the same reaction to when they can't see. Some dogs use the ecollars as shovel loaders. A large dog in a large collar is painful to all around him. So you're ahead there.

I tried to find a Gladstone collar for cats - it holds the neck straight and doesn't cover the eyes. They have them for dogs, but couldn't find one for cats. Dogs like them better than the ecollars. If you wanted to make one, you could use stiff paper/light cardboard, make the cone, then put the small part near the chin and the wider part over the cat's shoulders. It might not work, I've never tried it, but that's the shape. Dogs do have shoulders, I don't think cats do.

 

[RCM mom]

My Charlie had a abcess on tail and had to be in cone for a month. The one from vet was like yours, trouble for my poor boy so I found one on Amazon. It is a soft cone, looks like a big flower, by Sun Grow, comfy cone $12.30. It was so much better! Easier for him to sleep, walk around, I could just flip,it back for him to eat, no problem going in litter box. Best money I spent! It made for a happier kitty even though any cone is not comfortable, this is a must have for pet owners. Maybe that will help .

 

[Vilali]

Hi there! I'm a vet tech at a local spay and neuter clinic. One thing I often suggest to clients who contact our vet tech phone line is to cut four holes into a sock and put it around your kitten like a little onsie. It doesn't work for every cat, but it never hurts to try.

 

[war&wisdom]

My kitten did well with this one. It has a soft collar section: .

Here she is:

 

[GabreilleM]

Thank you to everyone who's responded! Fortunately, the smaller cone the vet gave us seems to be doing the trick. Unfortunately, her incision seems to have drainage now despite being on antibiotics. I'm probably going to make another thread for advice on that because I'm not sure if it's a 'worse before it gets better' situation or a cause for concern. Our vet is closed and we've already been back twice with concerns and I really don't want to have to bug them again just for them to tell me it's normal or something and waste their time. Honestly, this poor little girl is setting my anxiety off to the max and I just want her to get better and heal up like her sister.