How tight should an E collar/cone be?

Ok, so after my cat Houdini'd out of her collar and tore out her stitches, she is now back home with most of the sedation worn off.
I've got the collar back on, and yes this might be overkill but, It's attached with all tab A's in slot B's etc, tied with the ribbon, attached with a regular collar and duct taped.

I know that's a lot but I don't want anymore unnecessary trips to the vet.

Anyway, how tight should it be? I can fit one or two fingers under it. Is that good?

Oh, and FYI when they were putting her in her carrier at the vets, she got out of it there as well. Talk about duct tape [emoji]128512[/emoji]

Fitting one finger inside sound just right to me :bigthumb: Some animals are just very good at getting out of e-collars

What operation did she have? If she was spayed, or it was something else on her body (as opposed to legs, face etc) she might do (and feel) better in a post-surgery jacket. There are tons of options available these days, and they're well worth the money - I've yet to meet a cat that is even halfway happy in an e-collar! There are various diy patterns online too, if you're feeling crafty Just make sure they're truly safe to wear (I've seen some that use safety pins - something I would never feel happy about

Hi Columbine, she tore her cruciate ligament (ACL) so I don't think the shirt will do. I think right now it's at that really itching stage of healing. She was pretty good but started showing more interest in it starting on Sat.
Was experimenting with a few alternatives. Tried the donut. But the first was too small. The second one was too difficult to get on. Thought it was too tight, but now maybe it wasn't. I also ordered the soft Kong, it just came today but now I don't trust the the string fastener will be strong enough.
I might be brave and try it in a few days after the incision has had more time to heal. Maybe punch some holes in it and run a regular collar through it as well.

hno: Poor girl The Kong collar with a regular collar run through it might be your best option. You can always tie the string under the toggle for extra security from it work loose.

that you find a houdini proof solution soon, and that she heals up quickly

Thank you, she is actually healing/doing quite well considering that her surgery was only last Wednesday.  She puts weight on her leg and doesn't even show much of a limp.  The vet today also said that the incision was healing very nicely and was considering not doing the re-stitch.  But in the end, we both felt that it would be best.  Better than having it reopen.

I think putting the holes in the kong would work but I'm also afraid she would find some way to pull the soft cone up so she can get at the stitches.  I've been sitting here watching her make many attempts with the hard plastic on already.

She really is a determined little thing, isn't she :lol3: If you want to try the Kong collar, try it for a short time under close supervision. It's just possible that she may object less simply because it's more comfortable - I know I'd consider crazy with those hard plastic tabs around my neck too!

That's what I'm hoping for as well with the Kong, and I always supervise when trying a new collar. But they always experiment when you're not looking
Yes, she is very determined and with the attitude to go with it ;-)
Half Manx and siamese

Well, the Kong soft collar was a bust.  Put some holes in it to accommodate her regular collar but she seemed to hate it more than the hard plastic one.  Kept shaking her head and trying to get her front legs behind it to push it off.  She probably would have done it if I hadn't attached the regular collar as well.  I don't think that string would have held it alone.

She also was very quickly figuring out how to get around it.  She put her butt up against the edge of her bed, that way she was elevated, then stretched her leg straight out then she would bend over causing the bottom to fold up.  This way she could get at her paws.  She couldn't make it up to the stitches, but that probably was just a matter of time.  Oh, and she did this all withing a 4-hour time span.

Also, I don't think she liked the big blue halo that surrounded her.  She was constantly licking at the cone as well.  Maybe with the plastic one, there was more light coming around her so she wasn't so claustrophobic.  Who knows, so it's back to the plastic one.

Well that sucks about the Kong collar. She sounds like a very ingenious houdini :lol3:

Mega that she heals extra fast and that she'll be free of the emotion collar before long

Thanks, Columbine,  it is unfortunate but she really doesn't seem to mind the hard plastic one.  The kong also got dunked in her water and got soaked.  With the plastic one, I think she has figured out a little trick.  She has a fountain and with the plastic cone, she is able to put it under the stream and have it flow up to her mouth.  I found this out when I went to give her meds at night and she was all wet.  After that, I watched her at the fountain but her back was to me so I couldn't make it out for sure.  It's that or she just dunked the cone into the pool, drank, then lifted her head and poured it all over herself. Both are plausible, but I want to go with the former as it makes her appear more intelligent  

Anyway, she goes in on Tuesday to get the stitches out. It can't come fast enough, I think they are really itchy at this point.  I have to be very very careful with the cone off.  She tries to go for the stitches quickly and I almost have to force her head up to stay away from them.  l like to take it off for a while so she can do some grooming but I dare not leave her.  

Sorry the soft Kong e-collar did not work out. She sounds like a very determined kitty!

Thanks, PushPurr, you never know until you try right?

I don't know why I didn't think of this before.... Watching bird videos! I haven't seen her this content all week.

What a wonderful idea My girl loves watching TV too, especially birds (and Simon's Cat animations for some reason...or other cat-centric cartoons :lol3: ).

If the stitches are getting that tight and itchy, it can't be long before they'll be coming out. Something I've done for my guys when they're coned is to scratch itches for them if I see them trying to get somewhere (eg scratch an ear or cheek). They really seem to appreciate it. Very carefully and gently rubbing/scratching around the outside of the stitches (NOT in between or over them - think of drawing a circle around the stitched area and stay around the outside of that circle) might bring her some relief too. So long as you're gentle and stay away from the stitches it should be fine, and it might help relieve a little of her frustration.

Mega that she's fully healed up very soon