This is likely even more far-fetched than what Seth Godin had in mind in my favorite of his articles, “Delight the Weird.” Which if you haven’t read, you should. Now.

I cannot imagine there are than many people who are living in third-world countries where surgery for spaying cats is rather less than high-tech, and are searching for this solution. However, if you, like me, have just taken your fourth female cat in for this operation, and have had to try numerous options to keep her from licking open the thick, black stitches, then this might be useful to you.

As an aside, before you ask, cat-size cones cannot be found and the only ones available, when you can even find them, are made for dogs and so large they require securing with copious amounts of sticky tape to stay on for even a short spell. Even if you manage to secure it, they are so huge they cause your kitty to nearly break her neck every time she tries to move, which she does (move, not break her neck). After one terrifying experience, I abandoned them for good.

My vets–competent, kindly, amazing–suggest a complicated system of wrapping with towels and safety pins. She gets out of that one in two minutes flat.

An elastic wrap, of the sort you might use to wrap a sprained ankle, helped temporarily. Then she found a way to get that off, too. And to nearly destroy it.

The current answer, from my rag-bag: a sock, old but still with a bit of stretch. Snip off the toe part to create a snood. Slip over the head and front legs of your now angry cat. Gently ease over the wound and stitches. If you’ve chosen the right size for your cat, it will hold everything in place while being difficult for her to remove.

It’s not foolproof, but it helps!

Below, Boots modeling this new design.