It’s been almost 5 days since we declared a Code Rouge state of emergency and deployed Le Cône to save Louis Catorze from his worst enemy: himself. So much has happened but here’s a brief synopsis:
Monday: The vet suggests that we Cône Catorze for a day or so.
Tuesday: We take off Cône for about 90 seconds and he manages to scratch and cut through his skin again. Cône goes back on.
Wednesday: I try removing Cône once more, this time for about 12 seconds, and the same thing happens. We decide to keep it on for another day.
Thursday: Little sod seems much better and appears to have stopped scratching, so I swap Cône for a more comfortable and yielding soft Cône. He sneaks off somewhere and scratches himself into a worse state than ever. Hard Cône goes back on.
Friday: Cat Daddy takes him back to the vet. Another steroid shot, this time the month-long one, is booked for Monday.
We had completely forgotten how much hard work it is to have a cat in a Cône and to manage all the inevitable life adjustments. It also doesn’t help that Catorze is such a shite.
His firm Cône is well-designed, with a front part that de-Velcros off for feeding, but kitty needs to be ready to eat the moment it comes off. If they’re not, and you leave them at length with the front part detached, the weight of the heavier back part makes it swing back to front, and then they can’t eat. And, of course, this is where Catorze won’t play ball.
When we straighten Le Cône to allow him to eat or drink, he no longer wants to do either of those things. Then, when his Cône swings the wrong way around again, he decides that he DOES want to eat and drink after all. So we straighten his Cône, and he changes his mind again. You get the picture. Much of our week has been spent tearing our hair out over this.
Le Cône is pictured below, in detached mode and with the detachable segment just visible on the wooden chest in the background. Our model is sporting a size XS (which will surprise absolutely nobody).
If you are interested in the same Cône that was given to us by the lovely Marc from Katzenworld (THANK YOU, MARC), I have attached a link at the bottom of this post.

https://katzenworld.shop/product/pet-airs-elizabethan-collar/
Hmmm…perhaps you need the steroid shot! Poor kitty.
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Cat Daddy asked for one at the vet visit on Friday, but the vet said it was too son hence why we have to go back on Monday. 😐
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For himself or for Louis?
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Poor boy, I really feel for him (and you!). He must be so fed up and I can only imagine the nightmare of the cone on/off routine to get him to eat. Hope that once he gets the long lasting steroid shot on Monday you will see some rapid improvement. Has the vet given you any Betafuse to apply to his skin? Our vet gave me this for Cracker, to use along with the injection and it seemed to help. Wishing you, Cat Daddy and Catorze as stress free a weekend as possible!!
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I really feel for you all. I do hope he improves soon; he looks sooo fed up :’-( xxx
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Poor guy (and you– cones are no fun for anyone). I hope things improve soon.
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Poor beast! Could it be spring fever? Is he allergic to the tree pollen or has just got the wild on him due to the returning light?
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He’s had many allergy tests over the years and they keep coming back all clear. 😐
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If he wasn’t so furry, I might suggest you have a toddler on your hands. 🙂
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It is JUST like having to take care of a toddler, and not a very stable one at that. 😐
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Poor fellow, it must be very hard for a cat to wear le cône…
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Hello! He was very subdued at first, poor boy, but his spirits are improving. Sadly he can’t be trusted off Le Cône, not even for a couple of seconds …
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Wishing him all the best!
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Thank you! I will do my best to keep everyone updated, although things change more quickly than I can write. More to the point, if I write about any improvement, I know he will find a way of scratching and making things worse just to spite me!
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