245. Why Cone without Shame

Late every summer, Tuukka gets a hotspot that he worries with his teeth and tongue until it bleeds. We take him to the vet, who cleans the wound and prescribes necessary medications. Then, we take Tuukka home and put him into what we lovingly call his "cone of shame." Watching him fumble around the house in his cone sometimes adds levity to our routine, but I recently got to thinking about the great advantages of the cone. Tuukka doesn't control when he has it on, but while wearing it, he cannot do anything that impedes his recovery.

How great would it be to have such devices for humans. A physical cone might prevent us from picking at our blemishes, blisters, or cuticles. It might hold our arms down when we reach for another late-night calorie bomb or drink or drug. Such a device would provide a physical barrier between a person and any bad choice or counter-productive compulsion. But equally helpful would be psychological cones that would block our paths if we tried to invest when the market is up or send the late-night text. It might keep us away from our phones all together. And if we could wear them shamelessly, knowing that we all have reasons to save ourselves from ourselves, wouldn't that be swell?

Whom would you want to control your cone? What other kinds of cones would you devise? Please share some cone ideas in the comments.

After writing the post above, we bought Tuukka a new device, which you can see him napping in below.