Put e-collar on my cat, now she pees on me :-(

I wasn't sure if I should post this in the health or behavior section.

My sweet girl, Trixie, has a wound on her neck that she wouldn't stop scratching, so I put an e-collar on her. Earlier I put it back on after eating and she peed on me. I figured that was just an accident but when I came home a little while ago I picked her up and put her on my lap, she did it again.

Obviously she is stressed and upset with this ordeal and I don't blame her. I hate having to do this but she scratches herself until she bleeds and then some.

I'm just looking for some reassurance that she will stop hating me once she's healed and the collar comes off for sure.

Aw, poor thing. You can put some cortisone cream on the itchy area to give her some relief. Neosporin would also not be a bad idea just to prevent infection. The collar is definitely a good thing to do, even if your cat is not convinced.

Every cat is different, but I have put the cats I've taken care of through some very unpleasant stuff, and they always learn to trust me again. Once my cat had to have 3 enemas in a 2-week period, and she avoided me during business hours (when the vet was open) for a week, but after she got better and I stopped taking her to the vet, she concluded I was no longer a threat and we went back to normal. You are the one who feeds her, pets her, and plays with her, so once she's convinced you've gotten over the phase of putting annoying collars on her, she will be happy to go back to the way things were.

Yes, she will most definitely forgive you for putting the e-collar on her.  In the cat world I suspect it's the equivalent of a parent putting braces and headgear on their child, so she's probably feeling a little unhappy and uncool about right now.  I suffered with headgear and hated my parents for it too, but I forgave them in the long run.

I'm just hoping someone else will chime in about the inappropriate urination.  It could be the e-collar or she could have a kidney or bladder infection. Interestingly enough, the last time Thirteen had an infection my vet didn't start off with an antibiotic. Instead she gave her D Mannose and it worked like a charm. There are vast amounts of information on the internet about this simple sugar but it essentially works by creating a non-stick surface on the bladder and or kidney.  That way bacteria can't latch on and they end up being excreted in urine.

Hope your girl is feeling better soon.

Back when I had to give Lucky subqs, he'd growl at me like nobody's business. This sweet boy that never growled at me his entire life before he got sick, was just growling at me so much because of all the stuff I had to do to him (pills, subqs, syringe feeding, etc). But he always forgave me, and by the time bedtime rolled around, it was like nothing had happened.

Thanks for the reassurance :-) I adore my Trixie girl and this e-collar business hurts me more than it hurts her. I can't wait until things are back to normal.

I didn't even think about a possible infection, I just figured the urination was due to the stress of the collar. The urine didn't have a funky smell to it. Any other infection related symptoms I should watch for?

What a great story, Donutte.

LavishSqualor said:

What a great story, Donutte.

Click to expand...

I wish in my case it had just been an e-collar. But, such is life.


As far as a possible UTI, I'm not sure there's anything you would notice in terms of how it looks or smells to indicate an infection. Was there absolutely no smell at all, not even normal cat-pee smell? Now THAT would surprise me. I've only had that with my two sickies because their urine was so dilute.

I don't think it hurts to have her get a urinalysis done just to be sure. Although it's probably more of a peace of mind thing than anything else (you really can't put a price on that).

Also be careful putting any human medication on her and clear with your vet first. Some neosporin isn't safe. Has the vet seen the wound on her neck at all? Do you know what caused it?

I am not sure what caused the wound, it looks like an allergic reaction to something. My vet hasn't seen it yet. I'm planning on taking her Saturday unless everything closes (supposed to snow, I'm in the South).

It is looking better now after having the e-collar for a few days. I haven't put any medication on it, just washing with soap and water daily.

She slept with me last night and didn't urinate on the bed :-)

Hi, I was just wondering how high on the neck the wound is... Our kitty Mikki started out with a scab right above her shoulder blade and I was able to make a shirt for her to wear instead of a cone. She didn't like it..but she tolerated it... made us feel better too

It's mid neck. It's healing very well.

I am happy to report that I have not been peed on since my original post and me and my girl are cuddling on the sofa on this snowy Saturday. I am a happy cat lady :-)