opinions about e-collars

[danadu6]

My 3 foster kittens will be getting fixed soon. They will come home with an e-collar. I have not dealt with spay/neuters in sooo many years, and when I worked at an animal shelter (15 years ago) the cats that got sent to get fixed never returned with e-collars. Whats your opinions about the e-collars?  Are they really needed? 
I do work full time, so they would be alone during the day, but I do come home for an hour lunch break.

[Rzrwyre]

Peronal experience with spuetering, is USUALLY they do fine without the collars.  (Oh, I've had many kitties in my life!)  I had one friend (none of mine) whose girl ripped out her sticthes the first day, and off to the ER vet!  But even my last girl who was NOT happy about being spayed, never did anything to the stitches.  (Rats tend to get the pica/weird chewing thing going on...kitties are more tolerant).

My one boy kitty, who we fondly at 5 years called "transgendered kitty" had to have a surgery for urine crystals that was...really kind of a transgender surgery!  (They removed and rearranged his male parts!)  He did wear a cone kind of thing for a few days.

I've seen many kitties, male and female spueterd and USUALLY it works out fine.

I would just personally say, if they tolerate the collars for a few days, great.  I really wouldn't worry too much about the boys.  If they can't stand them, even the girls, not too much worry.

I think you are going to a clinic where they will send them home sooner than later, so if it were me, I'd let the collars stay on for at least a day.

Just know that if they do chew out their stitches, you'll have emergency vet funds.  But in all of my years, all of my kitties, no one has.

Good luck!

  - Raaz.

PS:  Don't be surprised if they aren't terribly happy about it!  I use a ramp of some sort to their favorite place to sleep so they don't have to jump.

[forkyfork]

It depends on the cat whether they need an e collar. Ive speutered 7 cats in the past few years and out of all of them only  a few needed some sort of barrier to keep them from messing with their stitches.

Maynard did fine with his e-collar it was like he wasnt even wearing it. I didnt bother finding an alternative to it. He is such a dork that it was really quite humorous watchng him wear it.

One of the other cats went postal with the e collar on, there waas no calming her down and she was going to hurt herself. The other cat couldnt function with the collar on I swear she was going to break her neck wearing it.

They make soft e collars but Ive never seen one in person. This looks like a good alternative and it comes with instructions.  http://www.thezenofmaking.com/2011/11/diy-e-collar-alternative-for-my-ocd-cat.html  and this http://www.instructables.com/id/Alternative-to-the-Elizabethan-Collar/  anyway some googling around should give you some other ideas.

Ive always used a tube sock cut holes for their legs butt and neck. (Ive had other cats in the way past need something). But they dont make them like they used to, the socks dont stretch right and they are very stringy. You have to be very careful that the cat doesnt eat the strings.

I did see the other day someone online cut up a newborn sleeper leaving the legs in tact and cutting out the bottom for the tail and going potty. If you have boys you have to work the area between the legs so it gets in the way when they go to lick.

I find it best if you use something they wear that it goes over their shoulders and their back legs to through it.