Roommate insists on keeping "plastic cone" on his cat for months on end- is this abuse?

[brent lidstone]

Hello, I have a roommate with an adult cat, and he has put a plastic cone over his cat's head and left it there for several months. He does take it off when the cat eats but then he puts it back on.

He claims it's necessary to stop the cat from scratching itself. The cat has a rough patch on its back from picking. I told him I think it's ridiculous that he would leave it on for so long, and he basically told me to mind my own business. What do you guys think?

(note: i've seen the cat with it off a few times and from what I can tell the cat doesn't start picking itself like crazy like my roommate says it would)

 

[cinqchats]

That's odd. Why does the cat have the rough patch? Allergies, fleas, etc? 

Cats are usually not huge fans of the cone of shame, so I'm imagining that the cat is not a huge fan of this plan.

 

[ocs mommy]

I feel very said for this cat....no empathy by the owner apparently. What else does this owner do or not do? Hmmm. Glad I don't belong to him. My cat has severe allergies, but the vet has instituted a very low dose of tuna flavored steroids that I give for short periods during seasonal allergies. Works beautifully and she loves the taste of these "treats." 

 

[brent lidstone]

I don't know why the rough patch is there. What I do know is:

1) The rough patch has been there since before I moved in, 3 months ago

2) The plastic cone has been on for the better part of 3 months now

3) I believe they may have had fleas at one point

I feel awkward trying to discuss it with him because he's made it clear that his cat's health is not of my business. However having seen no improvement on the cat's skin and seeing that he plans on keeping this going I am seriously considering telling him that this isn't acceptable. I'm not sure exactly how to put it. The cat is clearly miserable and I've heard it crying a few times

If someone has some advice as to how I should handle this situation I'd really appreciate it

 

[LTS3]

Has the roommate ever taken the cat to the vet to determine what the rough patches are and wny the cat is scatching himself? If not, that is something the roommate needs to do. The cat could have food allergies, seasonal allergies, flea allergies, a skin condition, or any number of things that can be treated with medicine. A vet may be able to talk the roommate into taking the e-collar off the poor cat. A plastic cone will not solve the underlying cause of the rough patches and itchiness.

 

[Ms. Freya]

If he's worried bout the cat scratching itself, maybe look into claw caps (like Soft Paws). He'd still be able to scratch, just not do any damage. I know none of my guys have ever been fans of the cone.

Honestly, if he has a rough patch after this long, it may be a skin issue that will need a vet to clear up. Unfortunately since it's his cat, you can gently make the suggestion that there might be more to the skin issue, but there's not much else you can do. Do you think he'd be amenable to compromising and leaving the collar off if one of you is there to keep an eye on the cat?

 

[brent lidstone]

Well he is normally home all the time anyways. He just doesn't want to have to watch his cat constantly I guess.
As for the scratching thing, I've been hanging out with this cat with the cone off and he picks at the sore on his back using his teeth a bit, so claw mittens wouldn't do anything.

I doubt that the sore is from picking, because the cone's been on for months and it hasn't gone away. I took some pictures if someone maybe has a guess as to what is causing this (in order to further convince my roommate that he needs to take the cat to the vet)

20160404_210113.jpg

• brent lidstone
• Apr 4, 2016

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• brent lidstone
• Apr 4, 2016

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• brent lidstone
• Apr 4, 2016

20160404_222644.jpg

• brent lidstone
• Apr 4, 2016

 

[Margret]

1. Yes, this is abuse.
2. No, legally speaking, it probably isn't abuse, unless not getting medical care for a cat who is clearly in need counts.
3. Even if does count as abuse in the legal sense, calling the cops isn't generally a good solution.  Last resort, only.
4. Does your roommate have financial problems that keep him from taking the cat for medical care, or does he just not give a damn about his cat?  If it's financial problems, would it be possible to gently suggest that you could take the cat in for him?

I seriously doubt that a picture is something we can diagnose for you; even a vet would need to see the cat in person to have much chance at a diagnosis.  Several things have been mentioned already, all of which are strong possibilities.  But any wound that has remained open for this long is a major cause for concern, and needs to be treated.  At the very least it must be kept clean and protected from infection, and a "mere" e-collar isn't going to do that.  E-collars are intended for short term use only, while an animal is healing.

One definition of insanity is to continue doing something that doesn't work, in the expectation that it will work.  (No, do not suggest to your roommate that he's insane -- he won't take it well.)  You need to bear in mind that this is a person who, for whatever reason, is not thinking clearly.

Margret

 

[brent lidstone]

I asked him about it this morning and he claims he already brought the cat to a vet a few months ago, who suggested the cone because the sore spot was caused by the cat picking. He also claims that every time he takes the cone off, the cat goes to lick town and that is what has prevented it from healing.

To be honest I don't believe that this is caused by the cat picking at it. My common senses tell me that if the cat has been wearing the cone the majority of the time for 2 months, then it should show significant signs of healing. It doesn't look any different than it did months ago. Considering that the cat has been sleeping in this thing almost every night, I don't think that getting to lick it profusely every now and then would completely prevent healing as it seems to be here.

Am I right in assuming this? I told my roommate this morning that if it hasn't healed by now, it's probably not going to and the cat needs medicine. He insisted that it will eventually heal, that the cat doesn't need medicine, and the cat just needs to spend another month or so in the cone (increasing the total wearing duration to over 3 months). I honestly don't think he's right but he insists he already took the cat to the vet and no medicine is required.

 

[kikilove]

Please find a new place to live and take the cat with you. 

 

[Margret]

Yes, you are exactly right.  If the vet said it was "caused" by the cat licking the wound, he's a bad vet.  What caused the wound in the first place?  The vet doesn't seem to know or care, assuming your roommate is reporting accurately.

Once again, this particular treatment isn't working; assuming that it just needs longer is irrational.  This is not how cones are meant to be used, and your roommate isn't thinking clearly.  I wonder why.

And, unfortunately, I'm out of suggestions, unless you think that pointing out that the vet is incompetent might help.

Margret

 

[brent lidstone]

Thanks for all the replies. I told him all this stuff, that the wound isn't going to heal and keeping this up is irrational, but he wasn't receptive. I think the only thing left to do now is to try to get some advice from an actual vet and see if he'll listen to that. But I think there might not be much else I can do for this cat

 

[sidneykitty]

Oh gosh that is terrible. What a tricky situation for you... my "foster" cat Amber was in a cone for a month and it was like torture for her!! She was very unhappy and disoriented especially at first, poor girl. I can't imagine it being a longer period of time...

To be honest, people like this should NOT own cats and should never be allowed one ever again in my opinion. If it were me, to be 100% honest, I'd just take the cat to the vet myself and deal with it... this cat definitely needs to see a vet especially if the sore has been there 3 months. I agree it seems the current treatment is NOT working and maybe a second opinion is warranted. I would encourage you to take the cat in yourself, maybe to a different vet but I know that could cause a lot of drama...I'm just thinking of the poor kitty. Please let us know how you get on and keep us updated, I hope this situation gets remedied one way or another.

 

[kikilove]

I can't stop thinking about this.  This is HORRIBLE.  My god, that poor animal.  It's like living in a cage.  My guess is roommate doesn't give kitty much interactive play or lovin?  Why even have one?  Listen though, I know how easy it is to give advice, but not necessarily easy to do if you're the one actually in the situation.  It sounds like you have done everything you can; but I love your idea of taking the cat to the vet.  I wouldn't even tell RM.  Just make an appt and take the cat.  You would be a freaking HERO to this animal (and to all of us).  If it's a $ thing, I will help and send a check for 50 bucks to help.  Worst case scenario, RM gets pissed you did this... but that will blow over.  Best case, you save this cat from YEARS and YEARS of this horrific life.

 

[ocs mommy]

Get a second opinion and take it to an independent vet. There are excellent vets and not so good vets, like in any profession. My Lagniappe went to two different vets within the same office and two different treatment plans resulted. The second vet got it right; Lagniappe is now pain free and no more face blisters from being allergic to mosquitos! 

 

[cocobutterfly]

Omg, your roommate has no business owning a pet if he's going to willfully neglect their health issues. It's the definition of abuse. It's horrible, and it makes me so angry. You're an absolute angel for taking the situation into your own hands!

Just imagine if your roommate had an open sore on his back that didn't go away for months. It would be safe to say it requires serious and diligent medical attention. Mind you, cats age approximately four times faster than humans, so if this sore has been on the cat for three months, that would be equivalent to 12 months of suffering for us humans. And imagine having a big, uncomfortable cone around your head and neck that hindered your activities for a year. The wound needs to be treated ASAP. Even if it's just an itchy sore, how awful that he has to live with it. I know when I've gotten giant bug bites, I picked and scratched at them until they bled. I'd go insane if the itch was there for months on end. 

Are you sure your roommate actually took his cat to the vet? He didn't just say it to brush you off? Could it be possible that he just picked up the cone thinking that that was an appropriate treatment? What about a follow-up and alternate treatment in the event that the wound didn't go away? It's been three months! Any chance you can get a hold of his vet's phone number and give them a call to verify the treatment plan?

There's a free app called Kuddly. It has a list of very qualified vets all across the country. Most, if not all, vets on there will do a phone/skype/email consultation for a nominal fee (under $5). Maybe you could do a filtered search for a vet that specializes in dermatology (they're on there!) and email him/her with the photo that you just uploaded. Of course, the cat needs to be seen by a vet in person, but initial consultation on Kuddly could lead you to some new ideas and possible alternative plans. 

Thank you for caring about this poor little cat. Situations like this absolutely break my heart. Poor little thing can't speak his mind, and the owner is keeping him from the proper treatment that it needs. Please keep us posted. 

 

[hmckinney]

 
Please find a new place to live and take the cat with you. 

this.

poor kitty. it's probably going through torture. wait til the roommate is gone and sneak this kitty off to the vet if you can. he really needs to be seen. it sounds like your roommate just doesn't want to spend the money on taking it.

 

[bubblzmay]

Please find a new place to live and take the cat with you. 

I AGREE!!!!!!!!