Update on Rascal

Rascal has been wearing a cat cone around his poor head for a couple weeks now.  Read my post on why he was sporting the cone of shame here. His swelling went down right away with the antibiotics and he was able to have the drainage tube removed from his cheek last week. This week he went back to the vet for his final visit, we hoped, and he received the all clear! He has healed nicely.

Freedom!

His stitches were removed and he was able to come right home without the cat cone on his head. Oh, how he hated that thing! He had been trying in vain to bathe himself, only succeeding in licking the inside of the cone. He couldn’t eat out of a bowl, so I had put a shallow plate down for him, but even then, most of it was pushed off of the plate by the cumbersome cone. He would try to shake his head, and the cone would put off his balance, so he would fall over. It was hard not to laugh, but he really was pathetic to look at. He laid around most of the past two weeks, which is not like him. He’s usually outside climbing and pouncing during the day.

Here are some things we learned about having to live with a cat cone or vet collar.

Caring for a Cat Wearing a Cat Cone:

• Keep cat indoors
• Give cat quiet space to rest
• Keep other pets away
• Lay blankets or towels down where cat will spend the majority of time if there is a possibility of wound drainage
• Wipe cone clean as necessary
• Check every so often that the cone is on securely, but not too tight
• Remove cover from cat box (if you have one) and place in same room
• Place food on a flat plate on a towel or mat on the floor (watch to make sure cat can access food easily)
• A shallow water dish may be easier for pet to drink from than a regular bowl. Also, watch to make sure cat can drink it.
• Check water often, a full dish is easier for a cone head to drink from.
• Change dish if necessary for ease of eating and drinking.
• Keep room clean and clear of anything cat can trip on or become entangled in, especially floor or furniture cat likes to be on.
• Give cat lots of love; scratch gently around the cone and on his face if that does not interfere with his wound(s)
• Brush your cat gently to get rid of excess fur he would normally be shedding, scratching, and licking off on his own
• The cone may make him unstable and he could have difficulty jumping up or down from furniture
• Even shaking his head can throw him off balance
• Try not to laugh at the poor humiliated guy, too much

As soon as I got Rascal back home, I gave him a good brushing before he could start licking. I knew he’d spend quite some time getting his fur back in place and rid himself of vet smells as fast as possible. He’s happier than ever to have his head free!

Of course, check with your vet about specific care for your cat with a cat cone. My advice should never take place of professional veterinary instruction. Depending on the injury, specific diets may need to be followed, brushing or scratching may not be advisable or jumping up or down may be unsafe for healing. Talk to your vet if you’re not sure about certain advice.

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Have you ever had to care for a cone head cat? Any tips that I missed?