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My cat recently got neutered and must wear the e-collar as he's already ripped open the incision once. Most of the time he's licking the collar trying to get at his wound.

That's not the problem. I remove the collar every once in a while (closely supervised) so he can have some time to relax. When I take off the collar he won't stop licking and gnawing at his upper chest, upper front arms, and scratching the back of his head. He's not even going for the incision.

This wasn't an issue before he got the e-collar (except for the occasional scratching). He's already gotten flea medicine when we got him about a month ago.

Is there something wrong? Should I see a vet? (We have an appointment next week as a follow-up)

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    The collar has kept him from grooming for hours. He feels grungy. Thorough bath is definitely required. Also, grooming relieves stress, which is why animals that are stressed may groom excessively -- including humans.
    – keshlam
    Commented Oct 11, 2016 at 23:50

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He's just grooming himself, when they wear the collar they can't reach anything so once it comes off it's go time! No concerns as long as the incision is healing nicely :)

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I doubt this should be much of a concern. If you take off the collar for a longer period of time (A few hours/days) and he still grooms the entire time, that might signify a problem. If his happens, try checking for fleas and other bugs in his fur. You might want to brush him while he still has the collar on, it will help him stay clean while he cannot clean himself.

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