how can you stop cat licking ointment off it's back

Unfortunately the only way to stop it is the Elizabethan collar. I know it seems cruel and they can't do a darn thing and bump into stuff with it. but it is for their own good and it will heal faster and once it starts healing it wont itch and bother them as much and they will forget about and you can take the thing off- I would do it supervised at first. I have had to cut them down a little sometimes depending on the size of the cat. And I have had to change feeding bowls so that they can fit the thing over their bowl to eat and drink. It is a bit of an inconvenience but it does work in the long run.. Good luck.

Animals do the licking thing because that's how they respond to their hurts, I guess it makes it feel better. I know it's awfully hard to keep them from licking when they're obsessed with doing just that!! I know those collars bother them too. Maybe a hint from what I used on my dog to stop the persistant licking.... What I did was to take a small childs tee-shirt and put it over the head, and their front legs through the arms. Then I used one of those baby safety pins and pinned it together on each side of the back legs so they could still do their daily 'do' lol (Adding the safety pins at the hind legs made kind of a leg opening, and a butt opening. Think of it like a babies onesie with the trap door open) I had great success with doing this on my dog, who absolutely went nutz with the elizabethan collar thing. Once she couldn't lick through the material, she healed up quick, and her ointment stayed on. Hope this might help you with your kitty. I know it's hard finding a small tee shirt...(maybe a newborn onesie?)

yeah those do seem annoying, but he will feel better once he is heeled. You have to think of it like your kid sometimes we have to do things to keep them from hurting themselves or make them well that they don't like.