Let’s start with… I trim my cats claws. I always have. It’s not hard to do. Just grab a pair of nail clippers – the kind you would use on yourself and just nip off the ends. If the claws are light you can see the quick and go a little higher for a lasting trim. If the claws are dark… just take of the really pointy part.
Needless to say I don’t do it frequently enough. Our guys & girls really don’t claw at the furniture. We have many scratching posts (3 in the bathroom (they’re small) , 3 in the living room (they’re big) , 1 in the craft room (off the top of my head)) that they can use and get “goooooood kitty” rather than a sharp clap and a “HEY!”
David and I have surmised that cats have biorhythms just like us humans. We’ve been trying to figure out the duration of the Emotional (lovey dovey must sit on your lap), the Physical (psycho running insanely aroung the house wrestling with the others) and the Intellictual (figures out how to open the treat jar without opposible thumbs) lengths. We have a spreadsheet that we’ve been keeping … somewhat sporadically. We really have to get serious if we want to figure it out. Which leads to Archimedes – Psycho Kitty.
I would say I haven’t cut the Mede Man’s claws in a month or so. He doesn’t like it. And so I either have to catch him asleep and cut or have a kitty struggle complete with pathetic “Your killing me” meows. So day before yesterday I should have known something was up with Archimedes (http://www.taciej.com/kitties/supremes/archimedes4.jpg). I couldn’t walk without tripping over his little black butt. Although he’s about 15 lbs. right now and not fat so his butt is anything but little. Anyway, he was all over me like a cheap fur suit. I sat down on the edge of the bed to get ready for work. Up hops Mede-Man. He lays on my knee hi’s. Which I then must extract out from under him without a) getting runners or b) getting clawed. The game has begun! I managed a and a little b. Then I put my clothes on the bed. There was a string in the pants. Fun! Fun! I managed to extract my clothes and put them on. But this is now a full fledged game. Archimedes the grabs my arm… full out teeth and claws to play. Talk about OW! Once claw actually dug in and left a bruise! So I grabbed hime by the scruff of the neck, swung him around to face me, said “Ow! No!” in my most stern “you hurt me” voice, and plopped him uncermiounously on the floor. Well I guess because I did the Mom thing of grabbing him by the scruff of the neck, he “apologized” by looking contrite and rubbing on my leg. This lasted for all of 10 seconds. I gave him a little pet and he grabbed my leg for some more play time.
Needless to say… his nails have been cut. Let the games continue!