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Wednesday Word—Claws

The peeps think I lay with my paw stretched out cos my claws are too long.

Kittehs, I dodged a bullet. The peeps once again had their finger on the panic button. It seemed that every time they saw me working my claws on my Ultimate Scratching Post, my dew claw got stuck. To dislodge it, I’d pull and pull. TW was scared I’d pull my entire claw out and that wouldn’t be fun for either of us.

No one has been able to trim my claws for almost five years. The last time they were trimmed was when I got the workover in vet jail. My new vet doesn’t want to stress me and cause my asthma to attack me so she’s not going near my claws. Smart move to keep my claws from coming near HER.

My Ultimate Scratching Post.
TW dies a little every time she sees me near the scratching post cos when I get caught and she tries to help me, I bite her hand. Hard. She tries to redirect me to the carpet on my cat tree where I can work my claws without getting caught. She doesn’t even care if I use the hall rug as long as I don’t get stuck. Yes, she’s giving me bad habits that I never had before. I love my Ultimate Scratching Post and have never used the rugs or furniture to work my claws. In fact, I have two Ultimate Scratching Posts I use regularly.

As I mentioned, the vet won’t trim them or maybe they’ll have to gas me to do it. Linda said she’d do it but that would require the peeps to give me a sedative before she’ll go near me. What would the consequences of that be? Not good for TW, that’s for sure. During my last appointment, TW axed about the likelihood of my claws growing into the paw pads and Dr. D said that usually only happens to older cats who don’t play or work their claws.

I ignore cardboard scratching posts but TW ordered one for me anyway. Just to be sure I’ll ignore it, she also ordered replacement pads. If I get caught, the cardboard will rip before I can rip my claw out is her thinking. Uh huh. We’ll see how that works out.

Does anyone has advice or tips on trimming my claws or scratching posts for me. The past few days, I’ve been using my Ultimate Scratching Post often and not getting caught which is why I dodged the bullet. The peeps are such worriers.

Actually, I’m just dreaming of scratching TW.

Disclosure (just in case): This is not a review. We bought the scratching post a hunnert years ago with our own hard-earned money and I can like it if I want to. BTW, if anyone at Pioneer Pet/SmartCat is reading this, we can use a new one.

Would you like to comment?

  1. We've never encountered this problem. Sometimes Precious hangs hers, but as soon as she relaxes, it turns loose.
    Good luck and keep avoiding the stabby place, CK!

    Pee Ess - love the pic of you in your beddie.
    >>smooches<<

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  2. Waffles is not nearly as cooperative as I am when it comes to mani-pedi's. Glogirly & Gloman use the burrito method and wrap him up in a blanket. One of them holds him firmly and pulls just one paw out at a time while the other one goes in for the trim.

    They take lots of breaks with treats.

    And even I get treats when he's getting trimmed.

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  3. The Humans are soooooo good at finding stuffs to worry about, aren't they? Phfft. My Human gets all panicky if she thinks my pretty little claw is stuck and she tries to help. I don't bite her but I pull even MORE frantically if she gets all grabby hands so she tried to stay away and not even look. So far, neither I nor any other cat she's ever had have pulled a claw out. They all need to CHILL.

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  4. Binga complains a lot when my human trims her claws, so she usually does it when she is sleepy. But I get the feeling that even Binga isn't as bitey as you! She did have a claw grow into her paw pad not that long ago, even though she does scratch our cardboard loungers lots, and my human had the vet techs do the job. She didn't need to be sedated or anything so, yeah, her meow is worse than her bite!

    Your human might try waiting until you were totally asleep and doing it really quick, but she would have to be really determined and not pause or hesitate or send of scared vibes. I'm not sure she can do that! Maybe Glogirly's suggestion of the burrito wrap would work if both your humans get involved.

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  5. My momma wraps me up like a kitty burrito to trim my claws. Try a big beach towel.

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  6. OMD CK you have no idea what a bad time we had with Ancient Pip. She was OK till the vet hurt her once and that was it. Major problems and in the end lots of treats and at least two of us were needed and then only when absolutely desperate. We would leave them for as long as we could before attempting a trim. Have a wonderful Wednesday.
    Best wishes Molly

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  7. Yea, I've only seen the claws that grow into pads on usually older cats. Or ones where their peeps are just completely clueless. Maybe TW could help you out with a long stick, like a broom if your claw gets stuck?

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  8. The cat who came before, Cyrano, got an ingrown nail, but not until he was about 14. You've got a long way to go to get that slow. We don't get our claws clipped often because we are all really difficult about it. Ashton bites when she gets her claws clipped, too, CK. That's how much she looks up to you!

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  9. I've seen people trim kitty's nail by distracting kitty with a snack while trimming the nail. You may have to go one nail at a time.
    We have the same scratching post. Boys love it :-)

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  10. I am not crazy about having it done BUT I do allow my humans to trim my claws - the challenge is my little "extra" toe on the front paws since I'm a poly but even that is now Easy Peasy after 14 years of trimming experience! I still have the occasional "hang-up" and my human tries to unhook me with mixed results (i.e., bitey occasionally). You must be getting some good results with your your scratching posts OR do you bite your nails? Hmm???

    Hugs, Sam

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  11. I'm very interested in hearing others' comments too. Truffles BADLY needs her nails cut and I can't imagine how I'm going to do it. She gets stuck in the living room rug everyday and I swear someday she's going to twist her little shoulder out of it's socket waiting for me to release her.

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  12. Mum plays with our paws and our claws since we are kitten so we get used to have our paws hold or gently pinched. She trims our claws when we are alone and totally relaxed. She's even able to do our pedicure ! But yes, the human has to be sure and not hesitate, as said above ! Mum never trimmed Angel Céleste or Angel Loupi's claws as they were outdoor cats. Purrs and good luck

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  13. Athena won't let me trim her claws. I've tried and tried but she just won't have any of it.

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  14. Mommy trims our nails. All of us cooperate with her with the exception of Tutu who will sometimes bite. But Mommy just holds on and keeps cutting until she's done. :)

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  15. Our kitty has claws like that, just ask our muzzles! Ouch!!! BOL!!

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  16. CK however it gets done you really need to o that. A sedative if you won't mind too much is probably the best idea. You could hurt yourself in the night. xxoo

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  17. For whatever it's worth, look and see if you have a traveling Vet. If so, and you can get a sedative into CK, the Vet can come to your place and trim her nails right there in her own home.

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  18. Mom has threatened to trim our claws and has even had our vet show her how to do, but she always chickens out. They only get trimmed if we go to the vet or when she comes here for our annual round-up. You are a really good girl for not scratching the furniture. Good luck on continuing to avoid those nail trims. XO, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

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  19. Wish we had a solution to offer you but silly Faraday just sits there and gives Mom and accusing and sorrowful look, going for the guilty angle.

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  20. CK....just a thought but may bee ewe wood like a sissal mat.....we scratch mor on de matz then we due de posts....oh, N we haz ta bee in sleep zone 835 bee fore any one can trim R claws...

    heerz a linx ta de mat

    http://www.amazon.com/Fat-Cat-Scratch-O-Rama-Scratchy-Colors/dp/B0002MKC7W

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  21. CK, I has three favorite brovvers. xoxoxo

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  22. I don't get my claws clipped because I keep them short climbing trees and walking the fields, but.....
    When mum and dad came home the other day after leaving me locked up for eleventy million years mum said I kept sticking my claws into her and they were like needles. She got her human nail clippers and snipped the tiniest bit off each one so they weren't so sharp. I'm ashamed to say I just laid there while she did it. I thought she was giving me a paw massage.
    Hey, want to come over and share some dried Finnish fishies with me?

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  23. Ah yes, the dreaded claw trimming in our feline furiends! Two of my kitties will (somewhat) let me clip their claws, but KiKi.....well...there's just no way!
    ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!

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  24. Sneak up on him while he's asleep, have someone pet him while you trim his thumb. If he complains, dribble his head like a basketball (not too hard) while you trim. The dribbling usually distracts them for a few seconds anyway and takes his mind off his thumbs.

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  25. Psssst....CK, why don't you send this to SmartCat and maybe they will give you a new one? Just sayin'.....

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  26. Dang, I love having my claws trimmed CK so we are of no help.

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  27. Hmmm, M says she's been very lucky thru the years with all 4 of her kitties. Not one ever bit her or put up a struggle. I sit very quiet for D, but with M I do tell her this is not my favorite thing to be doing. Guess we are of no help either.

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  28. Mom's never had a problem clipping claws for her kitties or for friend's kitties. Her only advice is "less is more" dont' constrain too much. Be as loosey goosey as you can.

    Hope that helsp.

    The Florida Furkids

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  29. Um, we're thinking the kitty burrito, or better yet trying to trim them here and there while you're very sleepy. If TW and Pop only get a claw or two at a time, so be it...

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  30. We don't like our nails cut either, CK. The mom usually waits until we're sleeping and then grabs us to do it. She always rewards us with treats when she's done.

    We love our Ultimate Scratcher...we have 2 of them.

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  31. ummmm...the humans here are BIG TIME claw clip peeps. Whether we like it or not, once a month...me and The Kid get our mani/pedi. That keeps the nail quick back so they can keep our claws shorter so we do not get caught in the carpet or afghan, etc when we play. If we pull out a claw, that would be even a larger problem than NOT getting claw whacking done. So, Mom L says...give my BFGF a sedative and whack those claws! Just sayin'...na'mean???

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  32. I have never encountered this problem , since my mom-person cut´s my claws way to often if you ask me !

    XOXO

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  33. We wish we had an answer for you other than to say you just need someone to cut those things fast and quick! We're sorry but the alternative is worse. One of our angel brothers used to have a dew claw that would grow so fast and big, it would curl around and dig into his paw. He hated having that thing cut but it had to be done to prevent other bad things from happening. Again, we're sorry, sweetie. Demand treats for like, an entire day afterward! Purrs...

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  34. Aww, this is my first time visiting your blog and I thoroughly enjoyed this post. I like your writing style. take care of those peeps, now. I'll be back.

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  35. OMC Weez won one of those pawsum scwatchin' posts last year fur Christmas. And like yous, meez occassionally gets meez claws stuck ifin meez not hav on meez soft paws. Mommy sez dat's how she knows is time to clip. Don't know what yous alweady twied, but meez not a good patient. Meez growls and fusses and eventually bites too when mommy clips me claws. But mommy puts me in hers lap and holds me like a toddler. Then hers takes a paw and uses hers chin to keep meez face fwum hers hands. And then she clips as quickly as pawsible. Now ifin meez gets to ovewstimulated mommy will stop and do da west anudder time, but so dat meez dusn't win and finks meez has da upper hand, hers puts down da clippers and holds me tight and tells me she luvs me (me growlin' da whole time) and then sets me on da floor. Dat's so it looiks like hers da one in contwol. MOL Sumtimes hers will only clip da claw dat be gettin' caught. And sumtimes hers files me claws wiff one of those peeps files fur da fake fingernails. Yous know da black ones yous can get at Wally World or a booty supply store. As fur helpin meez get un-stuck, mommy sez stead of gwabbin' da paw and helpin' it out (where yous hand is nex to da mouff), she picks me up fwum da bottom and lifts me up a bit so dat meez not pullin' and meez claws wetwact and it comes loose all by itself. :) Hope meez suggestions help yous. Ifin yous wuld like mommy to splain better, yous can use da contact form on meez blog and email us and mommy will twy to help yous.

    Luv ya'

    Dezi

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  36. CK, in my book it's perfectly ok for a cat to not want apes clipping off those lovely sharp talons, but you and I know, a dew claw getting caught can be a pain and worse, embarrassing.

    My ape wondered if it's worth getting your human to learn some TTouch for cats, to help you learn to relax when your paws are handled. There's a book by the Author, Linda Tellington Jones on how to use this gentle massage technique for cats. It's really good, my late bro Oliver hated his paws being touched, and with a bit of perseverance, the TTouch helped so it only took one ape to trim his claws, instead of about 27

    Looks like your Ultimate Scratcher is pretty good, do you prefer upright scratching? I do, so the apes have fixed a couple of the cardboard scratchers to the wall and one hefty bookshelf, so I can get some scratching in at my preferred angle.

    Some nip rubbed on the upright cardboard, got me started, I'm a bit shy with new scratchers, toys and beds.

    The ape has wondered if attaching sturdy strips of heavy duty sandpaper to scratching posts would be good for keeping claws under control.

    Big old dry logs, with the bark still attached are pretty good too, we had one for a while and I loved it. Mine was lying down, but if you had a wider one, it could stand up. They last for ages and are great for pawdicures!

    Good luck CK

    Luff
    Mungo

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