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marshmallard posted:I'm in the UK too and we definitely still have to trim cats' claws here. I do Grumples' and Hat's about every three weeks - more than that and they start growing into the pads. Hat's were all sticking in his pads when I got him I've never had this problem, I never ever trimmed any of my cat's claws. I think Hat's issues might just be Hat's.
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Nov 7, 2012 00:57
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Kerfuffle posted:I've never had this problem, I never ever trimmed any of my cat's claws. I think Hat's issues might just be Hat's. It can't just be Hat - this whole conversation started because Kaworu left Jackie's claws for too long and one grew into her pad. Are yours outdoor cats? Mine aren't - maybe that's the difference.
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Nov 7, 2012 01:00
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Growing up they were indoor/outdoor, so I guess that would be why. I've just never heard of nail trimming to be required for all cats for that reason before. I thought it was just so kneading and jerk kitten things were less painful.
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Nov 7, 2012 01:10
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I think scratching tree bark and stuff is probably more effective than the indoor scratchers. As well as the pad issue, I also noticed that if I didn't do my cats' nails often enough, they skidded on the laminate floor at my old place.
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Nov 7, 2012 01:17
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I also have a polydactyl and we need to trim her claws so they do not get ingrown. She had two toes on her back legs that had really thick nails that I couldn't trim myself, so the vet did it yesterday when we brought her in for her kitty-cough. The vet confirmed that it is indeed a cough. He did an xray and drew some blood. The xray was fine, no pneumonia or chronic bronchitis or bowel obstruction. He is wondering if it might be hyperthyroidism since the girl's heart rate was like 280. He is concerned that if her heart has been beating too fast for too long, it could affect her respirations and make her cough. He was also concerned about other heart problems, and if her blood work comes back clear, he wants to do an echocardiogram. My poor little girl.  I'm really hoping it's stress related from recently losing her buddy, but it sounds like there's something else going on with her.Can't wait for the blood tests to come back.
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Nov 7, 2012 01:33
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While we're on claw-trimming, I'd appreciate ANY tips for doing it on your own. The cat burrito method doesn't work on Grumples, I can't keep him held still enough to trim :/
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Nov 7, 2012 01:49
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marshmallard posted:While we're on claw-trimming, I'd appreciate ANY tips for doing it on your own. The cat burrito method doesn't work on Grumples, I can't keep him held still enough to trim :/ For my cat I have to wait when she's in a completely lovey-dovey mood, or half asleep. Then I just pet her like normal, pick up a paw and snip it right quick. I can usually only get one paw done before she perks up and thinks it's play time (or becomes annoyed), but I just get another paw another day. It's taking some practice, at the beginning I could only get one or two claws clipped before she rebelled, but after time it's become easier. edit: also at the beginning I'd only trim the very tip until I became more confident that I wouldn't hit the quicks. feverish and oversexed fucked around with this message at 02:55 on Nov 7, 2012 |
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Nov 7, 2012 02:52
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marshmallard posted:claw-trimming I can't tell if it works or not but I have read to touch their paws on a regular basis so it's not as awkward for them when you do randomly come after them with cutters.
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Nov 7, 2012 03:06
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marshmallard posted:While we're on claw-trimming, I'd appreciate ANY tips for doing it on your own. The cat burrito method doesn't work on Grumples, I can't keep him held still enough to trim :/ He's about the same size as Grumples, so take of it what you will: 
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Nov 7, 2012 09:26
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marshmallard posted:While we're on claw-trimming, I'd appreciate ANY tips for doing it on your own. The cat burrito method doesn't work on Grumples, I can't keep him held still enough to trim :/ With Lille I grab a handful of scruff and then lay her down on her side. I hold the leg still and someone else clips. Definitely a two-person job.
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Nov 7, 2012 14:07
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Re: claw-trimming, we have 3 cats and they all have different claw growth and behaviors- I think this is something that varies from cat to cat. Our littlest needs trims because her claws start clacking on the hard floor after about a week, and also they are RAZOR SHARP and she likes to knead my face while in my lap. Fatty the middle cat gets hers trimmed because she starts going nuts on the rugs/carpets (her preferred scratching surfaces) once they get sharp again. The big fluffy boy cat never gets his nails trimmed, he hates it, and somehow keeps them short, sharp and under control at all times. Anyway, point being, I think it is both a behavior and probably a genetics issue. Our clipping regime is I stand up and hold the cat on its back (cradling a baby style) and my wife goes to town trimming their nails. The two who get trimmed regularly are 100% cool with it but the fluffy lad yowls bloody murder and squirms a bit, though not so much that he could get away.
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Nov 7, 2012 15:34
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(Geesh, what's with the database going down today?) Does anyone have a cat auto-feeder they can recommend? Right now I'm just leaving food out for the cats and one of them eats way too much. I'm frequently not home for a full day or so, so I need some sort of automated dispenser. Also, I'm concerned that the overeater will eat all the food and the other cat will starve. Am I being paranoid? \/\/\/There is nothing wrong with being a full grown man and talking to your cat like that. (I hope)\/\/\/ Dragyn fucked around with this message at 16:21 on Nov 7, 2012 |
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Nov 7, 2012 15:56
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Jackie is behaving *much* more like herself today, thank god, and seems to have weathered the trauma of her first real vet visit quite nicely. She doesn't appear to be angry at me anymore, either, which is good because she's my beautiful little kitty-baby and i wub her so so so sooo much yes i do yes i do she's such a sweet little kitty yes she is yes she is  Uh yeah I'm a fully-grown man and I actually talk like that to my cat while nuzzling her face with my nose, what of it? 
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Nov 7, 2012 16:13
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Clipping nails for me involves flipping the cat over so they're belly up and on their back in my lap, then you can trim all their nails pretty easily. You kind of have to get them back into position if they squirm out, and it's definitely something you need to get them accustomed to over time, but it helps them be better about being handled and makes trimming way easier. Obviously doesn't work well for angry-type cats.
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Nov 7, 2012 18:26
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duckfarts posted:Clipping nails for me involves flipping the cat over so they're belly up and on their back in my lap, then you can trim all their nails pretty easily. You kind of have to get them back into position if they squirm out, and it's definitely something you need to get them accustomed to over time, but it helps them be better about being handled and makes trimming way easier. We clip the claws of most of the shelter cats when we have time. Some are good about it, some try to kill us and require multiple people. How we go about dealing with the homicidal cats depends on their size and overall demeanor. Some we burrito, some we get comfortable on someone and then sneakily do it.
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Nov 7, 2012 18:54
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duckfarts posted:Clipping nails for me involves flipping the cat over so they're belly up and on their back in my lap, then you can trim all their nails pretty easily. You kind of have to get them back into position if they squirm out, and it's definitely something you need to get them accustomed to over time, but it helps them be better about being handled and makes trimming way easier. I would lose my hand if I tried this with Grumples! Ha ha.
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Nov 7, 2012 19:13
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I'm potentially going to be fostering a cat for a few months. I already have two 3 year old female indoor cats here that I've had since they were adopted from a shelter as kittens. They're up to date with their shots and they are fixed. They're happy and healthy. My friend works as an asst. vet tech and they had a cat taken in who had been hit by a car. He's a male of undetermined age, not microchipped and thought of as a stray. He has to have his jaw wired and one eye removed. If no one could take him he was to be put down so I said I'd take him if he survives his surgery tomorrow. I have enough space here to segregate him and set his camp up in a spare bathroom to begin with - he may need to be fed with a syringe for a while. Although I'm looking at this as a temporary fostering, after a little while I'd like to introduce them and see how it goes. My current cats are my main priority so I want to make sure I put them in no danger and minimise stress. I've to call the vet tomorrow morning to discuss it and I'm trying to think of things I should ask, such as if he has been checked for FelV and about him being fixed. Anything I haven't considered? Is there anything that could harm my current cats? It has all happened quite suddenly.
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Nov 8, 2012 01:11
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marshmallard posted:I would lose my hand if I tried this with Grumples! Ha ha. Again, if you have a gently caress YOU NO cat, burritoz4lyfe for you I suppose. Crash BandiCute posted:I'm potentially going to be fostering a cat for a few months.
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Nov 8, 2012 02:49
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Welp. At the ripe old age of 21, Bill Z. Bubba passed away in his sleep. I am beyond crushed right now.
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Nov 8, 2012 03:09
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Edwardian posted:Welp. At the ripe old age of 21, Bill Z. Bubba passed away in his sleep. I am so sorry to hear this.  At least he went peacefully. I bet he had a really good life with you.Update on my girl cat: All her blood work is fine, no hyperthyroidism. I've taken her resting heart rate at home and it's been between 180 and 200, and the vets wants it below 150. He suggested doing an echocardiogram, but it would cost $275 just for the ultrasound and extra for the appointment. I just had to drop nearly $500 for putting down my other cat plus xrays and lab work for my girl cat, and I can't afford much more at this point. We spoke over the phone about this for a while, and I feel that because her chest xray showed a normal sized heart (she's not in heart failure), that the ultrasound would only tell us specifically what's wrong, but she would end up on heart medication anyway, that we are going to forego the ultrasound and just put her on Atenolol. She would end up on the same med in the long run, and I don't need to know exactly what's wrong, I just need to control her symptoms. So, tomorrow I will go to my human pharmacy and pick the med up. Having sick animals is sressful.
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Nov 8, 2012 03:39
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So it's been about two months now since I adopted An and Sybil. They are both starting to come out of their shells, although Sybil is definitely the more energetic of the two. Maybe just for now? An has started chasing after Da bird, and playing with a couple other toys, while Sybil is getting more talkative and pet/love seeking. She does have a belly deployed trap though. Bur her purr is getting louder.... They've started chasing each other and play fighting, but no kittypiles yet. I picked up a harness with the most recent bag of food, since both love going out on the porch I figure I'll be That Guy. Oh. Pictures! (I may get murdered in my sleep tonight) An  Sybil 
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Nov 8, 2012 04:49
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Regarding the burrito method for clipping nails - how do you get the cat to stay still long enough to wrap them up? The video I watched on youtube had a lazy cat who complained a lot but just lay there while being burritoed; Indy just wriggles her way out before I can get it wrapped up. Personally I sit on the floor with the cat in a sort of "carrying a football" hold, with my arm wrapped around her body so she's held against me, and hold her paw with the hand of that arm while the other hand does the clipping. She used to be awful about it but by giving her treats after every nail and always letting her go once she's obviously had enough (she escalates from complaining to hissing - literally the only time I ever hear her hiss) she's gotten much more tolerant about it. Now we're at one treat per paw and generally make it through 2 paws, sometimes all 4 if she needs it.
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Nov 8, 2012 06:34
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Robo Kitty posted:Regarding the burrito method for clipping nails - how do you get the cat to stay still long enough to wrap them up? The video I watched on youtube had a lazy cat who complained a lot but just lay there while being burritoed; Indy just wriggles her way out before I can get it wrapped up. When I trim, it's always with the cat balanced in my lap and all I ever get now is pathetic miao'ing. I know my method sounds a little harsh but it's the quickest way to trim while keeping Aiapaec from having a cat fit and keeping all my skin intact. Without the towel I only get at max four claws trimmed before Ai runs off to sulk.
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Nov 8, 2012 07:52
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All this talk about clipping nails makes me think I'm incredibly lucky and my cats are turbo awesome. It literally takes about a minute to clip each of my cats sets of claws. I usually hold them and my wife clips, but there's no fussing or anyone getting upset. There's the occasional pulling away of a paw but that's about it.
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Nov 8, 2012 15:36
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I just wanted to add that I actually find all this discussion about various methods of claw-clipping to be fairly helpful, to be honest. Clipping Jackie's claws isn't very easy, because she does a ton of squirming and gives her pathetic little high-pitched whining meows that make me feel like some sort of horrible monster. I had the best success in the past with doing it while she was in deep sleep, so even after she woke up it took her at least 10-15 seconds to properly figure out what I was doing and get upset about it. It tales 2 or 3 sessions over a few days but I usually get the important nails clipped. Except recently of course, and part of the problem was that there was a nail I had tried and failed to properly clip a couple times. Which sort of brings me to my essential problem - I've never really been able to find a good, small, sharp as hell pair of clippers to properly trim her nails. Maybe I've just had bad luck - I actually find human nail clippers to work the best, but they're too wide to fit in some of the places I need to get to in order to clip Jackie's weird polydactyl claws. I suppose I'll just try some more expensive and well-reviewed options on Amazon, this has become way to important for me to be remotely half-assed about it at this point, and if I have to invest $30-$40 on several varieties of deluxe nail clippers in the hope that at least one does the trick, then it's a very small price. I feel stupid for not doing it earlier.
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Nov 8, 2012 17:39
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kaworu posted:I suppose I'll just try some more expensive and well-reviewed options on Amazon, this has become way to important for me to be remotely half-assed about it at this point, and if I have to invest $30-$40 on several varieties of deluxe nail clippers in the hope that at least one does the trick, then it's a very small price. I feel stupid for not doing it earlier. I love how much of a good owner you are  I wish all cat owners were like you.
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Nov 8, 2012 18:28
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marshmallard posted:I love how much of a good owner you are Aww, thank you - it honestly means a lot to hear something like that, especially after this whole ordeal where I'm fairly responsible for what happened and it's tough not to feel guilty. Mostly I'm just relieved, though - relieved that the problem was easily fixed for a modest sum of money, and relieved that the vet was so enthusiastic and positive about all other aspects of her health and appearance. This might be kinda gross but I think the most disruptive part of the whole process for Jackie wasn't the removal of the ingrown claw (which she took in stride) but the taking of her rectal temperature, which deeply offended and unnerved her. And to be honest, I can't really say I blame her! But given that she did have a fever of like 103 I think that was pretty important to do. Jackie did throw up last night, though. And that's fairly uncharacteristic of her - she doesn't really throw up often at all, unless she's been eating an excessive amount of cat grass from a new batch I brought in or something. I'm guessing this has something to do with her abating fever or the antibiotics she's on. I know that taking antibiotics can make me throw up under the best of circumstances, so its stands to reason that it could make a cat throw up too. I wasn't really sure what to do so I just made her food a little warmer (and stinkier) than normal and also tried to mince and chop up her tuna a good deal more finely than it normally is when it comes out of the can. I figure this stuff can't hurt, at the very least, and she seems to appreciate it. No more vomiting in the last 24 hours and a fairly happy (if excessively sleepy) cat, so I guess that's a success. She really hasn't done much beyond sleep and eat since the vet, and even though she's a pretty lazy catte under normal circumstances she definitely gets playful and active moods on a daily basis usually. Not now though. I'm sort of expecting Jackie to be even more lethargic than normal until this infection and antibiotics clear her system over the next week, so I'm fine with that and figure it's pretty much normal. In the meantime I can deal with having a lump that moves every 15 minutes or so under the blankets of my bed instead of a cat, I think.
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Nov 8, 2012 21:35
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I found my next cat. I want a mutant tiger that stays baby sized. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0KXYygFpKo
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Nov 9, 2012 01:38
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Okay, need your help. Every now and then, mostly really at night but *sometimes* during the day, the boy cat Sheldon will start to cry like he's been abandoned in a dumpster. It generally happens after I've gone to bed - most times his sister is asleep on the bed with me when he goes into meltdown mode. He's a moderately chatty cat anyway (people like to blame it on him being Siamese but he's just a standard seal point mutt cat like they all mostly are) and I am guessing that this is him being lonely but it tears my heart out to hear him. It's the most pitiful thing I have EVER heard... Maybe he's just stupid and doesn't realize we are upstairs or maybe he's just a drama queen but it's just so horrible I want to know how to make him the super purry Belly he always is. Any ideas? I don't want to call out to him when it's just giving him attention...
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Nov 9, 2012 05:51
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kaworu posted:Which sort of brings me to my essential problem - I've never really been able to find a good, small, sharp as hell pair of clippers to properly trim her nails. Maybe I've just had bad luck - I actually find human nail clippers to work the best, but they're too wide to fit in some of the places I need to get to in order to clip Jackie's weird polydactyl claws. I suppose I'll just try some more expensive and well-reviewed options on Amazon, this has become way to important for me to be remotely half-assed about it at this point, and if I have to invest $30-$40 on several varieties of deluxe nail clippers in the hope that at least one does the trick, then it's a very small price. I feel stupid for not doing it earlier. e: hooooooly poo poo dat tiger duckfarts fucked around with this message at 07:55 on Nov 9, 2012 |
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Nov 9, 2012 07:51
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Lipumira posted:Okay, need your help. Every now and then, mostly really at night but *sometimes* during the day, the boy cat Sheldon will start to cry like he's been abandoned in a dumpster. It generally happens after I've gone to bed - most times his sister is asleep on the bed with me when he goes into meltdown mode. My cat Escobar does the same thing. In fact, he will go to bed with us, run downstairs, then start full blown yeowling like he has no idea where we went. We just assume he's a little  and call him back upstairs. If we don't, he will wake my husband up several times a night with his pitiful calls from downstairs. Ignoring him has never decreased his pathetic meows and calling out to him to get his rear end back upstairs hasn't appeared to increased their frequency. I will say that I feel better knowing that he's not the only cat in the world too stupid to figure out going back upstairs on his own. I always just assumed it was an extension of his incredibly needy personality.
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Nov 9, 2012 08:26
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Question for everyone: About 6 weeks ago, my wife's favorite cat died after a short battle with a nasal tumor. We spent a lot of money on the cat before they told her it was probably cancer but that she had a thyroid condition and wanted us to spend a lot more money on tests. She was sick and when we brought her to the vet to put her to sleep, she started bleeding out her nose...basically confirming what everyone thought. Anyways, we have 3 other cats. They're 12, 9, and 6. Last weekend was a free adoption weekend at the MSPCA so we got our fourth cat and have been keeping her quarantined for 7 days like they suggested until we're sure she doesn't have an upper respiratory infection. What is the best way to go about introducing them? Who should we introduce first? The calm one? The grumpy one? The playful one? Would it be better to put her in the living room where we have a glass door separating the two rooms so they can see each other? Or should we take one old one and the new one in the bedroom and close the door? Any advice is helpful.
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Nov 9, 2012 13:56
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I was petting one of the neighborhood cats this morning, and I guess I wasn't doing a good enough job, because after a while he took a couple of swings at me and then walked off.  He managed to score four small skin punctures with his claws (nothing with his teeth, though). According to the OP, rabies vaccines sound like they're pretty common, and rabies is transmitted by bites, right? (Yeah, I'm almost certainly hypochondriacking, but I figured I should check just to be sure.) I'm not gonna die, am I?  Thanks. VVVV Yeah, the cat had a collar. I've already washed and disinfected my arm. I'm not worried about getting cat scratch fever or anything. (Even though there's only one Ted Nugent song I actually like.) prefect fucked around with this message at 14:32 on Nov 9, 2012 |
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Nov 9, 2012 14:26
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prefect posted:I was petting one of the neighborhood cats this morning, and I guess I wasn't doing a good enough job, because after a while he took a couple of swings at me and then walked off. You're probably more likely to get an infection than rabies depending on where you are. Did the cat have a collar on? Honestly, I'd probably just wash it really well with soap and water and keep it dry and clean for the next few days. If it makes you feel better you can probably go and get a rabies vaccine but I wouldn't...
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Nov 9, 2012 14:29
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1up posted:My cat Escobar does the same thing. In fact, he will go to bed with us, run downstairs, then start full blown yeowling like he has no idea where we went. We just assume he's a little
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Nov 9, 2012 17:20
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prefect posted:I was petting one of the neighborhood cats this morning, and I guess I wasn't doing a good enough job, because after a while he took a couple of swings at me and then walked off. You can't get rabies from scratches (at least according to a bunch of vets I called panicking when I was scratched by a stray I rescued). You're gonna live to pet more cats!
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Nov 9, 2012 19:53
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Pillowpants posted:What is the best way to go about introducing them? I'd separate them by a solid door for another week, rotating bedding around for scent swaps. Then open it up for everyone. Expect hissing/growling/swatting - break them apart if they're serious about injuring one another (when you see blood), otherwise enjoy the show.
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Nov 9, 2012 21:51
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duckfarts posted:Go for a scissors-style one no more than $10, if it's not sharp enough, return it. More money doesn't equal a sharp/decent pair here, and deluxe doesn't mean poo poo. Hopefully you have a local store you can do returns at. I don't recommend human nail clippers for handling reasons, and because scissor style ones are slightly curved on both sides when they guillotine the claw for a better cut. That said, stay away from guillotine style clippers(where you put the claw through a hole instead of scissors style where you put the scissors around the claw) because they loving suck to deal with when you have a squirmy cat. Do you put the scissors around the nail side-to-side or top-to-bottom and then clip? Or does it even matter? I have a pair but keep trying to figure out the specific logistics before I burrito my grumps. Overthinking is the death of me.
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Nov 9, 2012 23:12
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Prototypical posted:Do you put the scissors around the nail side-to-side or top-to-bottom and then clip? Or does it even matter? I have a pair but keep trying to figure out the specific logistics before I burrito my grumps. Overthinking is the death of me.
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Nov 10, 2012 01:46
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Thanks a ton! I managed to do all of the front paws today. I'll let them resent me for a day or two before trying for the back.
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Nov 10, 2012 05:27
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