E-collar problems - How to keep a cat from licking a wound?

Hi, everyone. My Gorgeous had to go to the vet yesterday after she got an abscess under her tail. Nasty business. The vet drained it and sent me home with instructions on how to care for it, assuring me all would be well in 3-4 days.

Unfortunately, my vet is a bit optimistic about Gorgeous' compliance with the treatment. I've done my best to keep the wound clean and put anti-bacterial cream on it, as well as giving her drops that my vet says will stave off the pain and keep the area from swelling.

The biggest problem now is her refusal to wear the Elizabethan collar we got sent home with. The vet said she had to wear it for the rest of the week, until the wound heals, to prevent her from licking off all the cream and keeping the wound open by not letting it dry (or so I understood).

As soon as I put it on yesterday, she had a fit and ran all over the house (backwards) with her eyes bulging out. I managed to calm her down for a few minutes by giving her a can of food, but as soon as she finished, she resumed her battle with the collar. She ended up climbing under my bed and easily ripping it off. (It was attached by a safety collar, the type that snaps open if you pull hard enough. She pulled hard enough.)

She's acting her usual self now, but I'm worried that she's still licking at the wound, and I can't get her to stop. I don't want to put the collar back on because she hates it so much, and I'm sure she'll just take it right back off.

Does anyone have suggestions for keeping the collar on in a way that won't frighten her, or else another way to keep her from licking the wound?