I’m not one of those pet owners who likes to dress up their dog or cat in doll-sized human inspired clothes. An animal is an animal to me, and that’s it. However, when it came time to spay my lovely Pixel cat, I couldn’t bear to put her through the torment and humiliation of an e-collar, aka “the cone of shame”. I already felt bad enough for her.
Thinking like an idiot that she would be too drugged up to bother to lick her surgery wound, I passed on the $9 e-collar the SPCA recommended. However, as soon as I got her home, she was right after it. I tried scolding, shooing, and giving her the staring contest, but nothing would be a good solution in the long term. She would have to leave it alone for 7-10 days.
So I hit up Google for DIY solutions to e-collars and came across this peculiar image of a sleeve with cut out holes:
This hilarious invention from a creative cat lady inspired me enough to come up with my own version using an old pair of Forever 21 hipster leggings I probably shouldn’t be wearing at my age. I cut both legs to the length of my cat (one for practice, the other ready-to-wear) and guestimated where the arm and leg holes should be. You’ll want the holes to be large enough where your cat can move her elbows and hindquarters. I had to cut them a little bigger after watching her crash multiple times trying to jump in it.
Since this was my first time trying to dress up a scared animal in pain who has no idea what the hell is going on (and I’ve had many cats and dogs in my life), I was a little apprehensive in doing it alone.
While I was waiting for a kind friend who was coming to my rescue, I locked Pixel and myself in the bathroom to give it one try. She wasn’t happy obviously, and took a swing or bite at me a couple of times, but eventually she kind of just succumbed to my will and rolled on her side like a beta wolf. Do cats have a caste system like dogs? I don’t know, but she let me be boss. Slipping the outfit just over her head was the furthest I got by myself by the time my friend joined the already cramped bathroom. Two people are better than one, and I finally got her legs through and adjusted the shirt in under 5 minutes.
As you can see, my DIY e-collar / cat shirt / summer suit fits a little differently around the neck and shoulders compared to the one I found on Google. The original elastic on the ankle end of the leggings helps keep the makeshift shirt in place. Just make sure it’s not too tight on kitty. If it’s too loose, it will be easier to slip off and lick around and that just defeats the purpose and your hard work. Also, make sure the tail end is open enough for bathroom duties.
I wake up the next morning to find that my DIY e-collar is still on. There were no signs of tearing or licking. Awesome, it works! She also seems to be getting used to it — she rolls and lounges around in it like it’s her new bathing suit. It could also just be the pain meds that’s making her loopy. Either way, she’s doing just fine with it much better than she would be as a conehead.
In conclusion, if you have old leggings or shirts with sleeves lying around that you don’t care to repurpose and you have about thirty minutes to spare, it’s much cheaper, nicer, and funnier to make your own e-collar for your spayed cat.
