My kitty and her Elizabethan Collar

My 8 month old kitty just got the collar due to having sutures on her hind leg.

It is so long that she cannot eat with it on. Would it be ok to cut it a bit so she could get to her food and water bowl?

Also, I am afraid for her to walk downstairs or even jump from or to anything because she may be unaccustomed to navigating with the collar on and I am worried that she may miss steps or trip and fall or her collar will get stuck on something while she is trying to jump.

What advice do you have for me?

Yes, you can trim it or you can even use a paper plate.  Just cut a big "X" in it and fold the flaps back.  There are also soft ecollars you can purchase.

@lulu1  how is she doing now with the collar? Did you end up cutting the collar or using an alternative one?

My kitty seems to have adjusted to the plastic cone. We have confined her to my daughter's room (she sleeps with my daughter anyway) in order to avoid the craziness of the first day with the cone on, when she ran full speed into walls, stairs, furniture.

She is now quite calm and learned how to use her litter box (which we brought into my daughter's room) with the cone on. We remove her cone for feedings and to allow her to groom herself,watching carefully that she does not go near the sutures.

I actually purchased an expensive flexible e collar but I could see that she hated not being able to see anything on the sides (her peripheral vision was blocked) and was worried that this could actually cause accidents. 

Thanks for the update! Glad to hear she adjusted to the plastic one. If you want to review the collar you purchased and can find it on Amazon I can add it if you send me a link.