cat ramen cones top

A pet coming back from the vet with a cone around its head can elicit very conflicted emotions in the owner. On the one hand, the pet is clearly uncomfortable and just wants to lick away whatever pain they’re in. But on the other, they look absolutely ridiculous and – pangs of guilt or not – you really want to laugh at them.

But now Japanese Twitter users have discovered that cleaned-out instant ramen bowls make for perfect pet cones, and they’re showing off their pictures online.

Pet cones, hilariously called “Elizabeth collars” in Japanese based on Queen Elizabeth I’s poofy neckwear, prevent pets from biting or licking wounds or injuries, allowing them to heal. They’re usually quite miserable for pets, and the owners would like nothing more than to take them off for them, but they can’t.

▼ They also make pets look like this, which may cause you to cry and/or laugh out loud.

dog cone headFlickr (Sarah Nichols)

But now it seems, people in Japan are fitting their pets with homemade pet cones by using washed-out instant noodle cups in place of those provided by their vet. We’re not entirely sure that’s the best idea, but here’s what’s happening online in Japan:

▼ “The Elizabeth collar we got at the vet was too heavy, so I made this instead.”

https://twitter.com/999cc/status/602813766439292929

Hopefully the owner at least consulted the vet before making his own pet cone that actually needs to do its job. But either way, the trend immediately caught on online, and other people started temporarily coning their own pets to get some pitiful pictures:

▼ “So I heard people were coning their pets with used ramen bowls?”

https://twitter.com/yadamonchan/status/595039540777103360

▼ This one looks regal enough to earn the term “Elizabeth collar.”

▼ “I come home late at night and this is what greeted me. It took everything I had not to burst out laughing.”

▼ This one looks like it’s getting sucked right into the bowl!

Some owners either didn’t quite understand what they were doing, or they just got too excited by the idea of putting ramen bowls on their pets and forgot to cut holes:

▼ So I heard we were putting ramen cups on cats. Am I doing it right?

https://twitter.com/happy__365/status/511523139868581888

▼ This lucky dog got a bowl with Japanese construction worker’s “safety first” motto written on it.

Others who didn’t have pets but were still anxious to use their leftover ramen cups for something came up with a bunch of different ideas:

▼ “I made udon but didn’t have a strainer, so I poked some holes in the bottom of a used ramen bowl.”

▼ “I used a ramen bowl as a mold for my pudding!”

▼ “I used a ramen bowl to cover up the stinky part of my sink.”

▼ “I use a ramen bowl to rinse after brushing my teeth.”

▼ “I made a snow pyramid with my used ramen bowl!”

https://twitter.com/0609_star/status/434199371484106753

▼ “These swallows are using my ramen bowl to make a nest.”

Never a dull day in Japan…

Source: Naver Matome
Featured/top image: Twitter (1, 2) (Edited by RocketNews24)