little_tippler

So my cats are the most adorable things, but they have claws. I would never consider declawing them as I feel very strongly against that. Don't try to convince me please as that ain't happening.

When I'm not trying to "do" something to them, they will let me grab them pretty much any way I want, stroke them, play around etc, but if I try to cut their claws a little shorter or apply anti-flea products they go a little nuts on me - wriggling out of my grasp and sticking claws out in fear. I have always loved animals but been pretty chicken on how to deal with these kinds of situations. I hate pain and I hate getting the hell scratched out of me. They don't mean any harm but sometimes I'm just a coward. It's my own fault becaues I was too lazy to teach them when they were little and now I have trouble if I want to snip their claws, bathe them (once a year), bursh their teeth, brush them, and stuff like this. It worries me as in later life they may need more "handling" so to speak and I'll be useless. I want to learn how to get around this. Does anyone have tips? Like I said, my cats are extra docile but they hate it when I'm trying to do something non-habitual and "annoying" to them. All the rest of the time they are the best.

Thanks for the help

__________________
Whether we write or speak or do but look
We are ever unapparent. What we are
Cannot be transfused into word or book.
Our soul from us is infinitely far.
However much we give our thoughts the will
To be our soul and gesture it abroad,
Our hearts are incommunicable still.
In what we show ourselves we are ignored.
The abyss from soul to soul cannot be bridged
By any skill of thought or trick of seeming.
Unto our very selves we are abridged
When we would utter to our thought our being.
We are our dreams of ourselves, souls by gleams,
And each to each other dreams of others' dreams.

Fernando Pessoa, 1918

Lady Sage

Ahhhhhhhhh I love cats!

1) Bathing. Hold the cat by the scruff of the neck so that only their bottom feet can touch the bottom of the bathtub. This prevents 99% of cats from being able to move for fear they will fall into the water.

2) Paws. When you are petting the cats gradually work your way to the paws. Stroke them gently on their chest and legs, eventually youll be able to stroke their paws and even play with their feet. This takes time and trust.

3) Nails. After you master #2 you can clip their nails or if you want to do it sooner wrap them in a towel. Fish out one paw at a time and "football" the cat under your arm. (Be careful not to get nipped.) Talk soothingly to the cat the whole time and pause every few nails of possible to softly stroke the cats head and coo at it. All else fails have someone else hold the cat in the towel.

4) Anti-flea. Wrap in towel belly down with only the head out. Wrap them tightly! Apply the flea treatment drops at the center of the base of the scull all the way down on the skin. Place the towel on the floor and let your angry cat run away and hide.

5) Brushing. My cats brush themselves. You heard me right! I hold a brush and they brush themselves. Teach them its nothing to fear, pretend to brush your arm while they watch then just hold it out for them to inspect. Lay it on the floor for them to come see. They also make a carpeted base with what looks like a gigantic pipecleaner on it. Put some kitty crack (catnip) on the carpet and they will walk through brushing themselves and not even know it.

6) Teeth. Towel thing again is the best I can say or Oral Care cat food does a good trick too. Less wet food.

Hope this helps or at least gives you some good ideas.

__________________
If only closed minds came with closed mouths.
Minds are like parachutes, they function best when open.
It`s Easier to Change a Condom Than a Diaper
Yes, the rumors are true... I actually AM a Witch.

noodle

I, too, use the cat-in-the-towel technique. However, I lay the towel over top of him and bundle tightly underneath, wrapping one side up around the top. Then I lay the Kitty Sausage across one leg and gently scissor him with the other over top because my Houdini has caught me I don't know how many times in the chest, face, arms, etc.

I refuse to do the teeth thing and his mouth is suffering, but I almost had tendon damage in on finger after trying the "tooth wipes". I love him, but there are some things I won't sacrifice. I also scissor him for the flea stuff and do most of my "cat work" on the floor so my legs aren't available. I bathe the little monster and found that if the sink is conducive, he'll tolerate it better if I hang on to the scruff and let him put a foot on the edge. He thinks he's getting away with something. I also let about an inch of warm water fill up in the tub/sink so that he knows he's not getting out of it. I have hardwood floors and a kitty tower so he can take care of his own claws.

One word of advice, never try to blowdry the cat.

__________________

*Nikki*

Being that I handle cats everyday as part of my job and the five I have of my own I totally know what you are talking about.

The thing is when it comes to doing something to them that you NEED to do but they don't want you to, I throw the whole 'gentle' thing out the window. They need to understand that you are the boss and that is all there is to it. If this means that you hold them a little tighter then they like, so be it.

I have found that for clipping the nails in particular it requires two people and one must strongly hold the scruff while the other clips. Sometimes the towel thing works, but I have found that this only makes them more mad. Like I said though, don't hesistate to be strict with them and let them know that you mean business. Petting and consoling them will do no good in situations where you need to have them do what you want. Cats are VERY independant and strong willed, it is up to you to overcome that part of their personality.

surferlove007

Another idea on how to bath your cat...put them in the toilet and shut the lid then...*FLUSH*...*FLUSH* then you're done. Haha, I'm totally kidding. My mother used to put either my sister or I in the shower with the cat, we had those rolling glass doors, and make us deal with it. Needless to say, I have the scars to prove that last statement, thanks mom.

Brewmaniac

tecoyah, have you tried kitty valium? Ask your vet, explain what you want to do and I'm sure he'll fix you up. They will be far less trouble when their rather mellow. Just a thought .

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"That's a joke... I say, that's a joke, son"

little_tippler

Thanks for the tips, I might try the towel thing, though when I had help from my ex, we still had trouble the two of us, mainly because they wriggle a lot and I'm chicken.

Hah. BS. Not my cats. When my ex used to try and bathe them, they scratched the hell out of him no matter what the technique was. I have to say he was pretty good with them, he didn't like getting "scarred" but he got the job done. I take them to my vet's to be bathed now, It saves a lot of hassle and they sometimes get sedated a little there.

I stroke their paws all the time. That's not it. Like I said I can pretty much handle them like putty when everything is calm and I'm not doing something out of the ordinary. Usually I manage to cut the claws on the first front paw and then they start wriggling and licking at my fingers like they're saying "what are you doing?...get off!"


Thanks for the tips, I will try some of these and hopefully I'll master it. I was wondering do they make any padded body suits so you can do this sort of thing and they can be as annoyed as they want and it doesn't matter? Just kidding!

__________________
Whether we write or speak or do but look
We are ever unapparent. What we are
Cannot be transfused into word or book.
Our soul from us is infinitely far.
However much we give our thoughts the will
To be our soul and gesture it abroad,
Our hearts are incommunicable still.
In what we show ourselves we are ignored.
The abyss from soul to soul cannot be bridged
By any skill of thought or trick of seeming.
Unto our very selves we are abridged
When we would utter to our thought our being.
We are our dreams of ourselves, souls by gleams,
And each to each other dreams of others' dreams.

Fernando Pessoa, 1918

Lady Sage

I find oven mits or thick winter gloves and huge sweatshirts help. Or at least they did when I had the abused cat...

__________________
If only closed minds came with closed mouths.
Minds are like parachutes, they function best when open.
It`s Easier to Change a Condom Than a Diaper
Yes, the rumors are true... I actually AM a Witch.

Ratman

Of course it helps to start when they are young. For those of you with kittens, YOU are the "mom" and need to start grooming habits and patterns while they are young. Then it becomes bonding time.

For those of you with adult cats, I have found it helps to ease them into things over several weeks of build up. When you are stroking your kitty, touch their paws. Gently at first, then working into kind of a massage over time. You are building trust. As you massage their paws, start gently extending the nail, but make it part of the massage. After awhile, three or four weeks, you can probably clip that nail while it's out, just don't take too much. You might have to do one or two a day, for awhile, but they do accept it eventually.

The same goes for teeth. While stroking rub thier head (mom cats lick between the eyes/ bridge of the nose to show affection). After they have adjusted to the head massage, gently work a finger around the whiskers. Be gentle! If they trust you with the whiskers, your life is easy! Using your finger, work up to a little gum massage. Make sure your fingers are clean, don't try this after cutting onoins! Again, once they trust you in their mouth, you can probably start working in the toothbrush- a soft, clean, small-head kitty toothbrush.

Try this. Build trust! Be patient! You may get a couple of swipes, but don't freak- keep stroking, talking, praising (my cats love it when I sing softly).

Good luck!

__________________
The difference between theory and reality is that in theory there is no difference.

"God made man, but he used the monkey to do it." DEVO