Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[SuprSuprElevated]

2 minutes ago, EighteenTwelve said:

Lily will let me do hers.  She starts purring and rubbing her face on the clippers, and falls over in my lap, and that's that.  Snip would only let me if I gave her a happy pill first, and even then I'd do a couple, wait ten minutes, do another couple, wait another ten minutes, etc.

Wow.  Lily was a unicorn.

[EighteenTwelve]

Lily has no right being as tolerant as she is.  The only thing I can't do is pick her up and hold her, because when I do that, she gets stuffed in a carrier and either left in the bathroom for the house-call vet, or taken to the vet hospital.  Both of which she'd really rather not, thank you.

[bilgistic]

46 minutes ago, EighteenTwelve said:

I was going to sneak up on Quirk while she was napping yesterday, and try to trim a couple of her front claws.  She foiled me by not napping.  There were about 40 sparrows in the back yard and she was fascinated.

I love her little feet!

My girls act like I'm murdering them when I clip their nails. I've done it every couple months or so for over three years now and every time, drama!

[MargeGunderson]

My cat Lily was fine with having her claws clipped and she loved her cat carrier. If it was out and open, she’d climb in and take a nap. Even after I would bring her back from the vet (which she disliked), she would hang out in her carrier if I didn’t put it away. 
 

The new cats are okay with having their nails clipped, which is so nice. Sophie is better about it than Parker. Parker is improving, but still wiggles and make pitiful sounds (all for show). A few cat treats and all is forgiven. Their nails grow so quickly so I’m glad they are relatively easy to clip.

[Bastet]

I've never had a cat whose claws I couldn't trim.  Some made it harder than others, but never to the point I couldn't do it, thankfully.

Maddie and Baxter both let me do their mani-pedis with no objections during, but after his was done, Baxter always had to go "attack" his sister to prove he was still ferocious even without his talons (no, he wasn't, he never was, but she indulged him).  Riley used to freak out, twist herself into a pretzel, and try to open my femoral artery, but I got it done, and it's pretty smooth sailing now - she mostly just goes limp (Civil Disobedience Kitty - her mommy taught her well).

I usually do Bandit and Chester's (my parents' cats) claw trims because, while all they do is verbally fuss and maybe squirm a little, I can still get it done quicker than my mom (my dad is hopeless at this task).

I used to do my friend's cat's claws, because the cat tolerated it fine from me but fussed for her, but between the pandemic and her moving about half an hour away, she's been on her own.  The cat has to go in pretty regularly for blood tests, so she just has a vet tech do it then rather than messing with it herself.

[isalicat]

To be honest, you all are mystifying me! I have had lots of cats over the last 45 years and have never even thought about trimming their claws - why would this be necessary? (No, my cats do NOT scratch the furniture - any of them that ever showed an inclination to do that were hit with some water from a spray bottle and quickly figured out it wasn't worth getting wet.) They (the cats) usually sharpened their claws on wood outside (either actual trees or wood being used as fencing, or garden borders, or whatever) and/or I provide a cat clawing device of some sort inside suitably primed with cat nip. Would someone here explain why you would need to do this? Thanks!!

[Annber03]

In our case, the first cat we had, as well as our current ones, were declawed for the most part by whomever had them before us. Our first cat did have a remnant of her claws on one of her back paws, but she also had a bad leg from some incident with a dog, I think it was, so the people who declawed her apparently decided to leave the paw on that leg alone. 

And one of our current ones still has a bit of claw on her back paws, too, but we keep them trimmed enough to where it's not really an issue much of the time. Why the people who had her last only declawed her front paws, I don't know.

[Bastet]

I've had some who never needed their claws trimmed, but some still have pretty long claws even with the scratching they do (which then sometimes get caught in blankets, screens, etc.).  And some have very sharp claws, which I'd rather not have poked into my body during cuddles. 

Edited January 4, 2021 by Bastet

[theredhead77]

6 hours ago, EighteenTwelve said:

I was going to sneak up on Quirk while she was napping yesterday, and try to trim a couple of her front claws.  She foiled me by not napping.  There were about 40 sparrows in the back yard and she was fascinated.

Kitty cat TV! No subscription required!

[EighteenTwelve]

I trim Lily's claws because she likes to knead on my arm while I'm in bed and I'd rather not get punctured when she does.  Snip grew massive daggers that got stuck in the rugs and the laundry and the bedding and all that, but she did not want them messed with.

[MargeGunderson]

All of my cats have had razor sharp claws, especially when they were young. They do have multiple scratching options which they use frequently, but their nails grow so fast. Trimming keeps them from injuring us (they knead) and each other (they play fight a lot). As my previous cats got old, their claws grew very thick and they needed the help.

[isalicat]

Thanks for all the useful replies! I have had only one cat that liked to knead - my original tom cat when I left home at 16 and could finally get a cat (my parents do not like cats, but I did have a lovely schnauzer/kerry blue terrier mix for 15 years growing up). Picasso learned pretty quick not to dig the claws in and all my subsequent cats have never clawed me, not once. I've never seen a cat get stuck on a rug or whatever except for one cat I had (Snowball the Magnificent Beauty) who used to reach out as I would walk by her and quite on purpose snag a claw or two into my lower jeans leg to get my immediate attention. And no vet has ever suggested or offered to trim my cat's claws so I did not even know this is a thing! (I do have a friend who brushed his cat's teeth every day and that is another thing I have not done, although I am happy to have their teeth cleaned as necessary.)

[SVNBob]

12 hours ago, MargeGunderson said:

The new cats are okay with having their nails clipped, which is so nice. Sophie is better about it than Parker. Parker is improving, but still wiggles and make pitiful sounds (all for show). A few cat treats and all is forgiven.

Given their namesakes, this entire passage makes perfect sense.

[SuprSuprElevated]

We trim ours for much the same reasons as everyone else.  To protect the cats and the people they own.  Scratchers aid in removing the outer sheath of the nail, but doesn't necessarily dull the tip.  I have seen kitties become caught up in textiles when the nails haven't been dealt with (Mommy's fault), and I have also medicated cat scratches.  In the interest of the health and safety of our cats, which are family pets, they are 100% indoor cats.

[SuprSuprElevated]

My house, every day, but only 2 thankfully.

[bilgistic]

Little Mama had to have her teeth cleaned Tuesday because she rated a three out of four (four is the worst) on the scale of needing dental treatment when the girls had their "annual" exam in December. She had very bad tartar buildup and inflamed gums/gingivitis. She had a cleaning just before I adopted her and her daughter in October 2017.

I knew going in that they might find a bad tooth or teeth. The cleaning alone was over $500. They called me during the cleaning and said she had a bad tooth that had to be extracted. Final bill was $867. So much for my stimulus check.

She did really well during the procedure and is doing great at home. Medication is going pretty well. (Thanks to the trial by fire I got from the late Bilgisticat.) She whines, but I've been giving her "squeezy treats" (tube of extra flavorful pureed food) immediately after and extra treats for being such a brave girl. Her daughter has been a hissy little asshole until this morning, when they were both cuddled against my legs when I woke up. She can't have any treats because of her allergies to absolutely everything but venison,🙄 but I gave her the tiniest dot of squeezy treat.

Here they are in the sunny window seat this afternoon since they've decided they love each other again. Little Mama is the one zonked out on the right. She's been playful and happy since she's been back home (I dropped her off for an overnight stay Monday because the vet is across the county and I wasn't trying to get there at dawn to drop her off on Tuesday), so I think she must be feeling good on the meds, and hopefully her mouth feels better.

[MargeGunderson]

Little Mama was a brave girl! I hope she’s feeling like her usual self soon.

[Brookside]

I'm a cat person, but if you have Amazon Prime and (like everyone) are desperate for an escape, Dogs with Jobs is lovely.

[Gramto6]

I had a new stray wander by yesterday, The most beautiful seal point siamese with gorgeous blue eyes and a racoon striped tail. Never saw one with that kind of tail before.  It was gorgeous!  Ate some of the leftover food on the porches but was extremely shy and bolted when I went to the window to look at it.  I hope it comes back if it is lost, otherwise I hope it finds the way home.

Edited January 9, 2021 by Gramto6
typo

[EighteenTwelve]

@bilgistic, I suspect daughter cat thought mama cat smelled like vet's office, and that's what the hissing was about until it wore off.  I used to get around that by feeding both cats something strong-smelling at the same time and filling up their sinuses with that smell instead.  (It may have worked as well as it did because Snip wasn't particularly bright, though.)

[ABay]

I used a towel rather than my hands.

[bosawks]

Winter Dog Park day!

Edited January 10, 2021 by bosawks

[SuprSuprElevated]

[SuprSuprElevated]

I hope you all don't mind these memes.  If you'd rather I not put them here, I'll stop, but I just sort of thought that humor was in order, wherever we can find it. 

[Annber03]

LOL, my cat Lily can vouch for that one :D. She does that a lot with our bathroom door. 

[supposebly]

None of my doors are closed. When visitors use the bathroom and close the door, it's more like indignant sitting in front of it. They normally almost never go into the bathroom except after someone else uses the bathroom. Obviously.

[SuprSuprElevated]

36 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

LOL, my cat Lily can vouch for that one :D. She does that a lot with our bathroom door. 

Same here.  We are simply not allowed to have a closed door policy, anywhere.

24 minutes ago, supposebly said:

None of my doors are closed. When visitors use the bathroom and close the door, it's more like indignant sitting in front of it. They normally almost never go into the bathroom except after someone else uses the bathroom. Obviously.

I haven't been to the bathroom alone, except on a rare occasion, in probably 30+ years.

[Moose135]

14 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

I haven't been to the bathroom alone, except on a rare occasion, in probably 30+ years.

That's life with an Australian Shepherd too. They always need to know where the whole "pack" is at. If I close the bathroom door on Jake, I'll find him laying on the floor, staring at it.

[isalicat]

For some good news:

https://www.ksby.com/news/local-news/missing-cat-turns-up-3-years-after-montecito-mudslide

(Okay, one life down, eight to go!) (And doesn't this cat look entirely chill? 🙂

[bosawks]

Harper has yet to meet a door that he hasn't wanted to fling his whole body at to open up.

I have to admire his enthusiasm.

[MargeGunderson]

Kitty Gunderson the Elder (RIP) hated a closed door, especially the bathroom - maybe because I was in there alone and she could get all of my attention (she was a needy cat). She would scratch at it until it was opened. If she could have meowed at the top of her lungs, she would have (she could not meow, only purr and make weird squeaky sounds when hunting her toy mice). For years I couldn’t take a shower without finding her lying on the bath mat when I got done. She also on occasion would jump on my lap while I was in the bathroom. Always in the middle of the night when my reflexes weren’t as sharp. In the daylight she knew she would never get away with it. 

[SuprSuprElevated]

1 minute ago, MargeGunderson said:

Kitty Gunderson the Elder (RIP) hated a closed door, especially the bathroom - maybe because I was in there alone and she could get all of my attention (she was a needy cat). She would scratch at it until it was opened. If she could have meowed at the top of her lungs, she would have (she could not meow, only purr and make weird squeaky sounds when hunting her toy mice). For years I couldn’t take a shower without finding her lying on the bath mat when I got done. She also on occasion would jump on my lap while I was in the bathroom. Always in the middle of the night when my reflexes weren’t as sharp. In the daylight she knew she would never get away with it. 

I have a cat who when she was a kitten, invented the "britches" game, whereby she would hop into the pants around my ankles and then wait for me to play chase the finger on the outside of them (I would pull them up to about mid-calf after she jumped in).  Hilarious.  

[Bastet]

4 minutes ago, MargeGunderson said:

For years I couldn’t take a shower without finding her lying on the bath mat when I got done.

Baxter thought evil lurked in the shower in my old condo, because he stood guard (well, lying down) on the mat as soon as I got in, and when he heard the water turn off, he meowed until I opened the door to show him I had once again escaped being sucked down the drain.  Once we moved into my house, he stopped.

[MargeGunderson]

Does anyone else’s pet like to get in between the shower curtain and liner when you are in the shower? I’ve had two cats who loved to do that. One wanted to play - she would swat at my hand if I teased her through the curtain - and the other would just sit on the edge of the tub until you were done, then get in the wet shower and lick the water. Both had unfortunate mishaps and ended up very wet on multiple occasions. 

[tiftgirl]

Shlomo hated when I took a bath.  He would sit on the ledge of the tub and try to pull on my leg with his paw, talking to me the whole time.  I took it as "How can you sit in all that water- get out, get out, get out!"

I too never closed a door especially the bathroom.  When I had company that would use the bathroom and of course shut the door, any combination of the 4 cats would be outside the door, and since there is a gap between the bottom of the door and the floor, little paws would be jiggling on the door as well.  My Daddy once let Shana in and when he came out he said, "She just stared at me".  Well, she obviously believed I could not be in there unsupervised, so, I guess that applied to everyone else too.

[Browncoat]

I still don't close the bathroom door, and I haven't had a pet in years -- old habits die hard.  The last dogs I had couldn't abide that closed door, either.

[Bastet]

I've never heard of this brand, but it's distributed nationwide, so if anyone feeds Sportmix pet food and hasn't yet heard, there's a recall.

[SuprSuprElevated]

44 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

I don't know what to do with that.  It is TMI, but I oddly want to know more.   Did I just say that out loud?😲

Quite benign really, just referring to the fact that my cats have always been mommy followers, with the bathroom being particularly critical for some reason I'll never quite understand.

[Bastet]

45 minutes ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

Quite benign really, just referring to the fact that my cats have always been mommy followers, with the bathroom being particularly critical for some reason I'll never quite understand.

When Maddie died, it was the first time in a long time I was cat-less, and it was so weird not to have company in the bathroom.  Then I adopted Riley nine months later, but she's not as into it as most of my cats have been, so I can go a week without a bathroom escort, and then she's more interested in inspecting the room to make sure nothing had been changed without her approval; I get a brief stop so she can rub my legs and I can scratch her head, and then it's off to check the perimeter - and then, if I'm in there long enough, check to see if any of the cabinet doors haven't been closed tightly.

[bosawks]

My thought balloon for Harper is, “Where are my nuts!?!?”

Edited January 18, 2021 by bosawks

[luv2lurk]

I think Harper is really saying - can I wear a bandana instead?

 

 

[Moose135]

He was clearly upset you stopped petting him!

[SuprSuprElevated]

This falls somewhere between funny and slightly disturbing, so I'll share anyway, and let you all decide, lol.

 

[Mindthinkr]

@SuprSuprElevated I thought that video was hysterical. Human muzzles 😂😂😂

[SuprSuprElevated]

3 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

@SuprSuprElevated I thought that video was hysterical. Human muzzles 😂😂😂

Yeah, that was funny as hell, lol.

[supposebly]

9 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

It turns out that Cubby has asthma.  He has to take medication every couple of days in his food.  He wakes up out of a sound sleep, jumps to the floor and starts wheezing like he is fully congested.  Other than giving Cubby the medication and making the house as free of dust as possible, I don't know what more I can do for the little guy.

Poor thing!

From the little I know from human and animal asthma, it's a good idea to get rid of most household cleaning supplies (replace with white vinegar and baking soda) and any other scented things such as candles, perfume, etc. as much as possible. Clay litter is a problem, especially scented stuff, so I would try different litter types. And if it applies and you can afford it, getting rid of carpets is also a good idea.

Open windows as much as possible and at least for 5 minutes every day.

Depending on your heating/air system, an air purifier might or might not make a difference. Clearing the vents at least once a year also helps.

Indoor air quality is affected by all of these things. Dust isn't necessarily the worst part.

[SuprSuprElevated]

[Mindthinkr]

My kitties are on Twitter. They nominated Cheddar for Cat Poet Laureate. Imagine my surprise that he was awarded this position. 
 
 

My kitties are feeling pretty happy and imagine our surprise that the White House even answered us. I have all the tweets from the nomination on, but they are too big to put on here and I’m no good at shrinking them. 

[MargeGunderson]

What an honor! You must be so proud. I hope you don’t forget us now that your cat is famous!

[Annber03]

Oh, my god, that's so cool! Congrats to you and your sweet kitty :)!