Cats are (almost) liquid

If you have ever put a cone on a cat (which lasts about five minutes), you see they get crazy. They hug the walls.

Their whiskers are a major factor in their perception.

I think they can also dislocate their spine.

My cat likes to sit in what we call his "Buddha" position, with his back bent about 90 degrees, and his paws in front. This seems to be a common position. He'll sit like that for an hour.

My cats are weird and loved their cones after they got neutered. One would stick his head back in the cone after I took it off.

I think the cones must also screw up their aural spatial sensation (changing their perception of sound from fairly omni-directional, to seeming like all the sounds are coming from in front of the cone).

I think all cats are weird in their own way. Our cat often sunbathed in the middle of parking space across the road. We occasionally had to go out to fetch him because he would refuse to move when someone started to drive into the space.

I have a ginger tomboy who does exactly this. He loves just rolling around in the fine layer of dirt while keeping an eye out for birds or frogs

I've seen a few people use a soft inflatable or plush collar that's more flat, and doesn't go up around the face, instead of an actual cone. That way the cat's the whiskers aren't disturbed while still preventing the cat from worsening wounds by licking. At least some cats seem to be a lot more tolerant of that style.

Orange cats sharing their one brain cell.

I tried this but cats, being (almost) liquid, can very easily wrap around the soft collars and reach pretty much any part of their body.

I think mine goes to the bathroom, when it's his turn with it...

>If you have ever put a cone on a cat (which lasts about five minutes), you see they get crazy.

You got me thinking about this, as I've dealt with a number of sick kitties / foster kitties, etc but we've always used a paper plate with a hole in the middle in lieu of a purpose-made plastic cone. So thinking out loud here, our solution might not have been more generally affordable but also had the benefit of not interfering with whiskers.

I hear this sentiment often, but it doesn't match my own experience with orange cats... the one I had back in high school (orange male) was at least as intelligent as any other cat I've had. The orange female I have now is very clingy / anxious and far more territorial than any of my other cats, but otherwise demonstrates at least average cat intelligence. I'd had a variety of different types of cats - a japanese bobtail, a balinese, a siamese, various calicos and domestic types - and the orange ones have been on the upper end of intelligence by comparison.

Putting some tape on the back makes them immediately crunch down and creep. There is definitively a reflex going on.

That’s really clever!

Have you ever tried putting a leash harness on a cat? We did that a few times and every time the cat would just constantly walk backwards until we took it off. It was like being stuck in reverse gear.

Cats also tend to be extremely picky about the feel of the litter in their litter boxes because their paws are extremely sensitive (like walking on your finger tips). Not to mention their sensitivity for smell (flehmen response and affection for well-worn clothes or backpacks).

I think cats just generally tend towards some form of hypersensitivity and the distress of anything you put on them can come from any number of places. No wonder so many seem to suffer from some kinds of neuroses.

>Have you ever tried putting a leash harness on a cat? We did that a few times and every time the cat would just constantly walk backwards until we took it off. It was like being stuck in reverse gear.

They are just trying to back out of it. This is also their reaction when you first put a collar on them too, until they get used to it.

You can buy plush neck donuts which do the same thing, my cat lasted one day with a cone before I felt too bad and same day delivered one.

Due to an incident with a door, my cat had to have a caudectomy and subsequently had to wear a cone for almost a month while she healed. It was awful! We kept her in a spare room to keep the other cats away from her, so she had a private litter box, etc.

The cone is pretty much a giant scoop, and cats sniff the litter to find the right spot before doing their business. You can see where this is going. She would take some of the litter with her each time.

On top of missing her tail, she is also missing a few teeth (I'd like to point out that she came like that) so she drools when she sleeps. The litter + drool makes a hardened mess on the cone, which required constant cleaning.

0/10, do not recommend.

They have little onsies now too. That's what we used when my kitten was spaded and it was so much better.

My orange boy is not smart. He lets me know when he's hungry by walking over to a house plant and pats at the leaves. Other than that, he's a dumb and lovable guy.

The smartest one that we've had is a Cyprus (looking) cat. She's incredibly athletic, has fantastic spatial awareness, and is a murder-machine if given the opportunity.

This can be done with a balloon and static electricity.

He's probably threatening you. Warning you that if you don't feed him he's going to start destroying your precious house plants

Yeah, if we don't feed him he eventually starts nibbling on the leaves. I haven't lost any plants.. yet.

> I have a ginger tomboy

I don't think that's what you meant to say. Or maybe it is.

I am surprised that without any special training or accustomation (is that a word?), our Siamese cats are just fine with being on a harness.

Yeah there's donuts, there's also stiff flat collars. Both seem better tolerated than cones except only cones can protect some injuries (like to the face for example).