ali-s Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Miley kitten was spayed and mircochipped today. when I collected her she was wearing a collar to stop her chewing at her stitches. She has to wear the collar for 10 days when she has the stitches removed. Well I brought her home and she couldn't get out of the pet carrier, the collar was too large to fit through the carrier door I had to take the carrier apart to release her. Then she couldn't drink from her water bowl so I had to fill the chicken's treat bowl (large dog bowl). Water everywhere as the bottom of the collar scooped up the water and I wasn't sure any of it went into her mouth, so I used my silicone kitchen spoon to scoop up some water, then put it inside the collar so she lap at it She was very hungry so I grilled a few fishfingers , took off the breadcrumbs and put the fish in another chicken treat bowl. Poor little mite could see the fish through the bottom of her see through collar but couldn't quite get her mouth to the fish. I ended up feeding her the fish using my fingers. She can't get into her hooded bed as when she lifts her front leg to climb in it catches on the side of her collar. I have put her little cushion on the floor to sleep on. I have taken the lid off her litter box as I don't think she would get through the doorway. she hasn't used the litter box yet and I am hoping she will be able to climb in without her leg getting in the way. At the moment she is playing with her mice, rolling about on the kitchen floor crashing into the table and chairs with her collar, you would never think she has stitches in her side. Luckily I am on two weeks holiday from work, I can see me hand feeding her until the collar comes off. The collar has come unclipped 3 times already she only came home at 3.30pm. I might end up taping it together. If anyone has any ingenius ideas about feeding bowls please let me know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 I've never used a collar with my cats when spayed why don't you just put it on when you aren't there or at night and just use it if she starts biting the stitches ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 I've never had much success either ... mine managed to remove it within minutes of arriving home. If you're around, then I'd do as Plum suggests and just keep an eye on her. They do get more used to them with time, but it sounds as if perhaps this is a bit too big for a kitten - could you cut it down at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 If she is at the stitches - ask the vets to get you a comfy collar - its a blow up round the neck job but it does not stick out like the plastic pain in the rear end ones! Mind you - a cat can take the stitches out in 10 seconds flat if you take your eyes off them, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellekatz Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Yep - I have had a cat do that before now. They do get used to it quite quickly - in a day or so she will be fine. It depends whether you can keep an eye on her all the time, if she gets the stiches out she will have to be re stiched unless it has healed up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali-s Posted March 30, 2009 Author Share Posted March 30, 2009 After 4 hours at home Miley eventually managed to remove the collar completely, in the process she disconnected the telephone. Unfortunately Andy was taking an important call.....whoops! It took two of us to put the collar back on. The bandage bow at the back of her head is double knotted, the fastening clips at the front are now secured with brown parcel tape I've also solved I hope the problem of Miley eating, a whole box of Kitten biscuits in a bowl makes a heap big enough for her to eat and not have to put the collar and her head in the bowl. Still working on how she can get a drink properly, I wonder if cats can use a straw In the short time the collar was off Miley was already nibbling her stitches. Good job I thought to count them as soon she got home. They are all present and correct. Susan, I might ask about the blow up collar at the Vets. I have to go back tomorrow to collect a tub of flubenvet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali-s Posted March 30, 2009 Author Share Posted March 30, 2009 Here is Miley in her collar before it came off. I use parcel tape for fixing things quite a lot The carpet was shredded by the previous house owners cat , parcel tape to the rescue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 That's nothing to what my cat has done. Your girl has such a lovely coat. There is something about black cats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 They do get used to them very quickly! We put the food in a heap and any treats on the top of the heap and it worked fine Miley looks like a sweetheart, I love black cats - I have a very grumpy one but she is very pretty One of my cats had a vet collar on once, ran backwards because he didn't like it and fell down the stairs we laughed (he was fine) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisnrob Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 When Tigger was neutered she managed to get her stitches out even though she was wearing an Elizabethan collar! Good job the wound was sufficiently healed. It was also somewhat amusing to see her spend the first evening walking backwards as she tried to get out of it. We came home from work one day to find that she'd tried to get it off and had got her front leg stuck in it so was, effectively, only walking on three legs It was much easier when Trumpet was done - he barely noticed a thing Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali-s Posted March 31, 2009 Author Share Posted March 31, 2009 Your girl has such a lovely coat. There is something about black cats. She is a sweetheart She is actually black and white, she has a little patch of white fur on her tum and white furry "armpits". Many years ago I had a black cat called Harriet, she was a little devil in disguise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunty e Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 When Cleo was speyed, it was done at the same time as a c section and she was stitched from one end of her tummy to the other. It was terrible. But she had a kitten to nurse, so couldn't be collared. She didn't bother her stitches until they were ready to come out and then took them out herself, saving us a trip to the vet I know that my mum's cat pulled her stitches out though, and the vet told my mum to superglue the incision back together... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Oh dear - we have all this to go through with little Orchid who we are getting on Friday! Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 When Google was speyed she came home with a lampshade round her head, she hated it, and went wild trying to get if off. I relented after half an hour and removed it, she never tried to get the stitches out so all was well. Could you try trimming the collar back say about an inch, so she finds it easier to eat and drink, sometimes those collars are just too big for kittens. Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali-s Posted April 8, 2009 Author Share Posted April 8, 2009 One more day until Miley's stitches are removed and the collar comes off we will both be relieved. Miley is one clever Kitten and soon found a way to nibble her stitches with the collar on, she also used the edge of the collar to scratch the wound area. She has had 3 different collars, the second slightly larger from from the Vet and one I bought from PAH. I have lost count of the number of times she has been able to get the collars off. I am so glad I booked her spaying to coincide with my 2 week Easter holiday. I would have worried about her all day if I had been at work. She would have definately had the stitches out if I had not been around to keep an eye on her. Towards the end of last week Miley went very quiet, not interested in food or playing or having cuddles, I think she was feeling miserable with that darn collar round her neck. She is perkier now though and comes for cuddles. She loves having behind her ears scratched and under her chin because she can't get to them herself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
