Feline stubborn bitch!

[hyphenate]

I had a rough time with Jessica this morning. Since she's been sick, she hasn't been grooming herself as often or as extensively as she should, and she has gotten some mats in her fur. I bought a pet clipper, hoping to do the job easily and quickly, but she refused. I had to give up the clipper and use the scissors, and now have several more scratches on hands to prove how much she was protesting. Then I clipped her (front) claws, which was a major job, because they were a mess. If a cat doesn't tear down the extra "nail" that accumulates, they end up with thick, almost horny (NOT that meaning!) nails that are a PITA to clip.

So now, not only am I pissed off with her for not tolerating what I was doing and biting and scratching me for trying to be a good mama, but pissed at myself for thinking it was going to be an easy job!

It would have been easier to send her to the groomers!!!

[Patiod]

1. We started claw-clipping when the Little was a kitten

re-inforced with treats Now, she runs straight for the kitchen after her claws are clipped. She's not perfect -- she cries with annoyance occassionally, but she's pretty good.

Sorry you're struggling with Jessica

True story: Was interviewing a doctor for work, and I had big scratches all over my hand (like the ones you now have) from playing with the cat. The doc looked at my hands and said, "good thing you don't work with the Big Cats at the zoo. One of my patients works there, and she has huge gashes acorss her chest from one day when one of the tigers 'greeted her a little too enthusiastically'".

Later, I looked up that city's zoo, and they are indeed known for their Big Cat exhibit.

[hyphenate]

2. Uh, yeah

I don't think I want to be that close to a tiger, lion or any other big cat if their claws weren't clipped!

I've had my share of scratches through the years--my hands and arms have reminders of some of those encounters. But I discourage them from biting or scratching at play by discontinuing the playing when they start. Jessica is one of those who when excited too much will overreact and strike out. Her "time-out" used to be in a pillowcase. But she's diabetic, and has gotten all scraggly over the past two years, while at the same time eating twice as much food. She went from 14 to 7 lbs, but last visit to the vet, she was 8.5, so she's doing okay, but not great. She'll be 15 this year, on Flag Day early June, don't know exactly what day it is, though I think it's the 14 or 17.

She also lost a companion this past year in August, when Amanda was sick and I had to let her go. She was 15 and had a horrible abscess break into her sinus cavity which was killing her.

My kits are all older now, except for Oliver ("Ollie") who is a lover, not a fighter! He's about 3 and a half.

[Patiod]

3. Sounds like they are well-taken care of!

My friend and her husband nursed a cat 5 years beyond when it was expected to die -- they gave the cat IV fluids every week for kidney problems, and kept him around!

When the doctor told me the Big CAt keeper story, "Uh,yeah" was exactly my reaction as well.

[Dangerously Amused]

4. Bless your heart for taking such good care of her.

I've had two kitties with diabetes now. It is extra work to be sure, with all the insulin shots and trips to the vet to monitor blood sugar. Added expense, too. Those supplies ain't cheap!

But they are so worth it and I admire you for rising to the challenge.

:hug:

[hyphenate]

13. Thank you

but it's really not much hassle for me as I'm diabetic, too. My doctors wanted me to go on insulin, and I was being stubborn, but finally I relented. I'd used it in the past, and was used to giving myself the shots and all, and had supplies for it. I had a vial of insulin here anyhow, mostly for Jessica, and started using it for myself as well, so when I met with my doctors, I told them I had started, and was using the cat's insulin. They had a good joke out of that. They said they would give me my own prescription so I could give Jessica's back to her. :)

Getting the blood out of her for testing, though, is a major pain. The main source is the tips of their ears, where if you look at their ear through a light, you can see the wein surrounding the outside of the inner part. It's annoying because you might have to do it twice, and the ear is one of their most sensitive areas, unlike the scruff of the neck where they get their shots.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

5. Whew, it's you.

When I saw the subject of this thread I got worried. Nay -- arch-worried!

[hyphenate]

12. Uh, thanks.

I'm speechless. Thank you. :shrug:

[Shine]

6. Bummer, but listen to this:

we have two cats, Spark and Flame. They're sisters. Spark has the incredibly annoying habit of chewing on wires. She has managed to destroy my phone headset, my son's headset for his Play Station Portable and just this morning we discovered yet ANOTHER headset of my daughter's Leapster game that had been chewed through.

That's THREE headsets since Christmas she's ruined!!!! I'm so pissed at her. We have to be hyper-vigilant by making sure those skinny types of wires are kept out of her range.

I worry one of these days we're gonna find Spark literally sparked to DEATH because she decided to chew on the printer wires or something. :eyes:

Have you ever heard of such a thing? :shrug:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

7. My cat has gone through...

numerous headphone wires and two laptop cables (never while plugged in). I don't know how he hasn't electrocuted himself. He also has lost about 6 collars. I swear, if he didn't have a breakaway collar, he would have commited suicide by now. He's only two years old.

[Shine]

9. Yup, we've got the same thing going on here with the collars

BOTH of our cats have each managed to lose their collars about 4 times, each. We get the breakaway ones, too. The ones with the bells. Also, we like to get them little gold-plated engraved nametags. So each time they lose them, it's about $15 to replace. :grr:

[ScreamingMeemie]

8. My brother in law's cat (sister to Merlin) lost half her tongue from

chewing on wires. Cats are not always as smart as we are supposed to believe they are. :hi:

[Shine]

10. OMG!! Never heard of that before!

Yeah, in my frustration I took Spark and put her face into the chewed up wire, while saying "BAD cat!!" and lightly spanking her....but I'm sure she was probably completely clueless about the connection. All she knew was that Mommy was mad at her.

:eyes:

[hyphenate]

11. Garibaldi, my huge tom,

(he weighs about 20 lbs, is long haired and does look remarkably like a racoon), loves wires. But not just headset wires--telephone electric wires. He's ruined two cordless phones on me this way,

An old Siamese we had many years ago would chew anything, though his favorite was stuffed animals. It's a condition called "pica" and it's a well known phenomena among cats. Nothing used to be safe from Caesar--socks, cords, wool clothing.......it's not easy to stop it, but there is something you can get at pet stores called "Bitter Apple" that you spray onto things you want them to stay away from, and it is supposed to work.

Jessica, on the other hand, with her constant hunger, will eat almost any food available. It's not unusual for her to eat my left over pasta, lettuce, tomatoes, potato chips, or any other thing I have cooked, including the stuffed green peppers I made over the weekend! In her case, it's just her desire to have food, though--she doesn't eat anything really weird.

[Shine]

14. Hey, thanks for the tip about 'Green Apple". I'll look into it.

somebody also suggested using chili oil, but that might get kinda messy...

[EC]

16. Yes, I tried that with my dog when he was a puppy because he'd eat

the corners off of the coffee table (had to remake corners with brackets filled with wood putty) but that didn't work with him...what finally did work was very, very, very hot sauce, one of those atomic mixes - just brushed on...he seemed to remember that...

[EC]

15. Yes, my siamese cat Blu used to eat wires

I say used to, because I've started taking scraps of fabric and making tubes to slide the cords into. He doesn't like chewing on fabric, so problem fixed.

[Shine]

18. Glad you found a solution, but I'll probably look for something not

so labor-intensive. I'm not the sewing type. heheh. I'll look into some spray or chili pepper or something...

:hi:

[kedrys]

17. Three of my cats routinely use electrical wiring to floss with

They went through 5 power adaptors for two different laptops, Cat 5 cable, and we even found a crushed RCA jack. :wow: Mind you, the three littermates in question did this when they were teething, but never quite broke the habit to this day, and they're almost 5.

The only other problem is that we spray them with the water bottle when they misbehave, and you can't really do that around the electronics. :P

[Shine]

19. Yeah, our sister cats are only about 1 1/2 and they really like to

chew....

:grr:

[barb162]

20. No way I clip mats out without someone petting them under the

chin...otherwise they don't hold still. I have a 17 year old sick long hair and he has stopped grooming. I just cut the mats out now.