cats and e-collars

Question
We have a 14 year old cat that got a wound on her hind leg.  She kept grooming it until it got really bad and had to take her to the vet.  It is bandaged and they put an e-collar. ( I think that is what it is called) on her to keep her from grooming herself.  The collar is 12 to 15 inches long.  It seems kind of long and I was wondering if there is a certain length for cats? I think this collar is for small puppies and it seems a little long for her to eat and drink.

Answer
the length of the collar depends on where the wound is actually, and since its on her hind leg the collar has to be longs to prevent her from grooming that leg. if the collar is secured with velcro, you can take it off of her so she can eat and drink, however you MUST remain with her the entire time it is off so you can stop her from grooming that leg. this also gives you an opportunity to clean the oil from her skin and other things off the inside of the collar. Trust me, I have a cat who had surgery on her side and she had to wear that collar until her stitches were out, i removed the collar daily so she could eat, potty, drink, and i even let her groom the rest of her body but i stayed right by her side and stopped her from grooming the surgery area, i promptly put the collar back on her when she went for the stitches. so if you want her life to be a bit more normal you can try this yourself. now what you will need to do is have food and water in a room with a door, like a bedroom, so that when you remove the collar , she doesnt run away to get at that leg.keep the bedroom door shut until you have the collar back on her. cats are slick they can run away and have stitches torn out in 2 seconds flat. if you dont feel comfortable removing the collar for a few minutes then dont bother, she should be able to eat and drink with it on.