need e-collar advice to keep cat away from his tail

Friends of mine have a young male cat, around a year old, who managed
to do something to his tail in their apartment last week. They said
he was acting fine but one of them noticed his tail looked odd. They
brought him to the vet the next morning and it turned out he hurt his
tail really bad. I think they said that the skin pulled away from the
muscle underneath, but that the skin didn't really look cut. The vet
had to shave the end of the tail and cut some skin away. He was kept
overnight and sent home wearing an e-collar and with antibiotics
(Clavamox) and a disinfectant for the tail.

My friends had a vacation planned and were leaving this past Saturday
(4/24). The vet said they no longer board cats but they would make an
exception. The cat would be caged 24/7 in a room full of dogs. I was
already scheduled to take care of their cats (they have 2 others) and
they decided to keep him at home. So I have been taking care of the
cats since Saturday. Last night as I was getting ready to leave I saw
Phil sitting on the bed, wearing his e-collar, licking his tail. This
was soon after I had applied the disinfectant. I can not find another
e-collar small enough for a cat but long enough to prevent him from
licking his tail. The guy in the pet store I went to said that Petco
carries another type that's flatter & round, like a donut. Does
anyone have experience with this type of collar on a cat, and will it
prevent him from accessing his tail? The wound is near the end, maybe
1" - 1.5" from the tip.

Thanks,
Liz

Oh, that's a tough area. I know the type of collar you're talking
about but am not sure that would even work. You could ask Petco what
their return policy is and try one, if you can return it if it doesn't
work. Are you able to call their vet and ask for advice?

I also wanted to note that Clavamox has a common side effect of
putting cats off their food. I have experienced it with two of our
cats and if you search this group, you'll find a number of others here
who have too. If he refuses his food, he'll need a different
medication.

On Apr 29, 4:27*pm, Rene wrote:
Oh, that's a tough area. I know the type of collar you're talking
about but am not sure that would even work. You could ask Petco what
their return policy is and try one, if you can return it if it doesn't
work. Are you able to call their vet and ask for advice?

My boss actually suggested calling the vet so I did. The person I
spoke with said that they do have bigger collars but I would have to
bring him in to be measured/fitted. I wish I had noticed him doing
this sooner because I brought him in on Tuesday. I'll bring him over
tomorrow and hopefully they'll have a better fit.

I also wanted to note that Clavamox has a common side effect of
putting cats off their food. I have experienced it with two of our
cats and if you search this group, you'll find a number of others here
who have too. If he refuses his food, he'll need a different
medication.

His appetite seems good. The place they got him from (a woman doing
rescue out of her home) fed the cats cheap dry food so that's what
they were used to. They've been slowly changing the food over and now
they get Wellness or Fancy Feast canned and Innova Evo kibble. He's
absolutely insane for the kibble. One of my own cats is also on
Clavamox right now and his appetite is 100%!

--
Liz

On Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:37:26 -0700 (PDT), Elizabeth Blake
wrote:

Last night as I was getting ready to leave I saw
Phil sitting on the bed, wearing his e-collar, licking his tail.

You can cut down a larger collar to fit if necessary. The problem
with that is that you have to buy the collar. You do need to make
certain the cat can drink and eat. My old cat, Tiger, had to have the
tip of his tail amputated after a mysterious injury. I think a dog
might have bitten his tail. He did quite well with an elizabethan
collar. Tiger was a big cat and the vet used a small dog collar. The
urge to groom made him lick the inside of the collar a lot, poor
kitty. He healed quickly. I don't remember how long he wore the
collar, but it wasn't long.

Bud

On Apr 29, 6:04*pm, William Hamblen
wrote:

You can cut down a larger collar to fit if necessary. *The problem
with that is that you have to buy the collar. *You do need to make
certain the cat can drink and eat. *My old cat, Tiger, had to have the
tip of his tail amputated after a mysterious injury. *I think a dog
might have bitten his tail. *He did quite well with an elizabethan
collar. *Tiger was a big cat and the vet used a small dog collar. *The
urge to groom made him lick the inside of the collar a lot, poor
kitty. *He healed quickly. *I don't remember how long he wore the
collar, but it wasn't long.

Bud

I was wondering about rigging a larger collar to use but then I
thought it might be too heavy. He's a young cat, not quite full grown
yet. He can eat with the current collar on. He gets it removed at
the start of mealtimes but he's usually so thrilled with having it off
that he's not as interested in food, unless it's kibble. Mostly he
wants to scratch himself, roll around on the floor and get scritches.
I know he will go back to the food after the collar is replaced
because I saw him with his head bent over the plate, eating, the other
day.

The vet said that he still has blood flow & sensation to the tip of
his tail and that it's warm so it's looking good that he won't need to
have it amputated. They still have no idea how he hurt himself. They
live in a one bedroom apartment so it's not like he has a huge space
to roam around in.

--
Liz

On Apr 29, 3:37*pm, Elizabeth Blake wrote:
Friends of mine have a young male cat, around a year old, who managed
to do something to his tail in their apartment last week. *They said
he was acting fine but one of them noticed his tail looked odd. *They
brought him to the vet the next morning and it turned out he hurt his
tail really bad. *I think they said that the skin pulled away from the
muscle underneath, but that the skin didn't really look cut. *The vet
had to shave the end of the tail and cut some skin away. *He was kept
overnight and sent home wearing an e-collar and with antibiotics
(Clavamox) and a disinfectant for the tail.

My friends had a vacation planned and were leaving this past Saturday
(4/24). *The vet said they no longer board cats but they would make an
exception. *The cat would be caged 24/7 in a room full of dogs. *I was
already scheduled to take care of their cats (they have 2 others) and
they decided to keep him at home. *So I have been taking care of the
cats since Saturday. *Last night as I was getting ready to leave I saw
Phil sitting on the bed, wearing his e-collar, licking his tail. *This
was soon after I had applied the disinfectant. *I can not find another
e-collar small enough for a cat but long enough to prevent him from
licking his tail. *The guy in the pet store I went to said that Petco
carries another type that's flatter & round, like a donut. *Does
anyone have experience with this type of collar on a cat, and will it
prevent him from accessing his tail? *The wound is near the end, maybe
1" - 1.5" from the tip.

Thanks,
Liz

http://pca.vetnetwork.net/articles/n...collar-cat.jpg

get the picture?