Thursday, February 18, 2016

Cammie's Left-handed Compliment

It was in July of 2013 that Cammie came to stay with me. I didn’t know then that she would be a permanent part of my life, but even so, the building of trust began. The first step was for her to trust me enough not to growl whenever I came near her. Then, I was able to pet her; then she purred. After that, though I cannot say that improvements came fast and furious, they nevertheless came. She sat on my lap, then on my chest. She started to tolerate the other cats - still not without extensive hissing, however - and now is as much a part of the family as any of them. Something that still needs to be achieved, though, is the cutting of her claws.

I have continued to take her to the veterinary hospital for this. It is relatively inexpensive (relative to the high price of everything else at the hospital) but still is a cost. It is also inconvenient, as Cammie needs to be driven there and back, and the process takes close to an hour. She makes no fuss with the veterinary technicians who cut her claws. I think she may be befuddled by simply being in the medical environment.

This process gets the job done, but aside from being a drain on resources of both money and time, it is stressful for Cammie. Ultimately, nothing bad happens to her, but being stuffed into a carrier and taken to the hospital is something no cat likes, and the worry in her mind must be tremendous. So I keep trying to cut her claws myself.

On the weekend, I was able to accomplish half the task. The princess was lying on the couch in the library. I seized the moment, took the clippers and went in to talk to her. She was suspicious and must have known what I was doing as I held her paw and pressed each claw out. Between severing each length, I stroked her furrowed head and of course spoke to her throughout. I cut the claws on her left paw only.

Perhaps I should have pressed my luck and attempted to finish the right, as well. But that is the more difficult paw with which to work, regardless of the cat. I am right-handed, so my left holds her left around her body, and there is something that is less stressful about that for the beast, and physically more convenient for me. Cammie had, I think, had enough of the activity by then.

However, one paw is done, and I will await the opportunity for the other. My princess is a smart animal, and knows as soon as I approach her what I intend. I am aware of what situation would be optimum for success, and will watch for it. It should not be long in coming. After all, cutting the claws on one paw took only two and a half years.

19 comments:

  1. bravo!! Ivy is BAD about getting hers done. Mom finally surrenders and just wraps her in a towel and does it despite Ivy screaming like an idiot. Takes less time to actually cut them than the prep time (grab the towel and clippers, wait for the cat to be less suspicious, grab the cat, etc)

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  2. Two and a half years? well you have us beat! Leo hates having his back feet done, but with help, I can get them. Cashmere hates the whole thing, but with help, the job gets done. But Glitter! Holy smokes! She turns into a twirling sharpened weapon the second we try anything! She has shredded Greg when she's needed a bath! It's so bad that we take her to the groomers when she needs nails clipped. But a few weeks ago we tried again.. Lo and behold, I got her front feet done! We nearly fainted with happiness! Well, happiness for me, perhaps Greg was just glad he survived.. MOL So that's two and three quarters years for us! I wonder if we can bathe her yet? We need to stock up on bandages before we try though, just in case!
    Good luck on the other paw! I'm sure you'll get it now! Let me know if you want to go halfsies on a crate of bandages though.. ;)

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    1. They do seem to change their attitudes abruptly, don't they? Good luck with Glitter's bath, if you try her again.

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  3. I find bribes very helpful in getting kitties to accept things they do not like

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  4. My has the time flown! I remember when you got Cammie, it just doesn't seem that long ago. She has definitely come a long way in her acceptance of you & the rest of the gang!

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    1. She's done very well. I hope she's happy, or at least content here. It's hard to tell.

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  5. cammie....all we can say iz; sleep with one eye open... coz we drift off into slumber land... onlee ta bee jarred awake .... bye de nite mare..... terned ree al a tee..... that R clawz R gettin trimmed ~~~~~~~~~ ♥♥♥

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  6. Well done on getting one paw done! Hopefully the right paw won't take another 2 1/2 years.
    Flynn never had his claws cut until he became ill and didn't go outdoors very much. The walking and tree climbing kept them naturally short. About 18 months ago I decided they had got long so got my (human) nail clippers out expecting a lot of protesting. The sweet boy just lay there and let me do all the claws on all four feet without a murmur of protest. I now do them every couple of months and he really doesn't mind at all.

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  7. Well, I think one paw is great! I usually get one or two on the boys at a time, sometimes I can get even four, but they react like I'm amputating their limb. Go figure. I usually just get Nicki's done when he goes for his anal glands, since that's every few months. I'll trim them, piecemeal, in the interim. So I think Cammie's doing well, even if it does seem to be taking a long time to get her used to it.

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  8. I usually try and catch Dublin when he's groggy from a cat nap. He's less "helpful" then. He is a strong boy, and if he doesn't want to cooperate, he'll let you know it!!! Pepper becomes a wet noodle as soon as I start to do hers, so she's easy peasy! Good luck with Cammie's other paws!

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    1. I think Cammie is always alert enough to hate claw-trimming, unfortunately.

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  9. Congratulations on getting one paw trimmed! You don't have to run a nail marathon, after all. If you can get one paw done each day, in just 4 days, you'll be finished. I don't have anyone to help me when I trim my 6 cats' nails, but I've found that with patience and treats, it can be done.

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    1. Ha! I think it'll be more like a paw a month. But I'm patient, more patient than Cammie thinks!

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  10. That is an accomplishment! My Jessica hated having her claws clipped and we too, endured the trip to the vet just for this simple procedure. Later in life - I think it was her arthritis - she was (a tiny bit) more agreeable to allowing me to trim her claws.

    Cammie is really coming around. Tell the princess she is going to the nail spa.

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    1. I hope Jessica's arthritis didn't bother her too much. I'm sure you were very gentle with her.

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  11. Concats on getting on paw done! I started early with Marty and he is a trooper. He may complain loudly sometimes but he will let me cut his nails on a regular basis thank goodness.

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  12. Well Done! All of mine have had their claws clipped by me since they were so kittens, so it was early learning for them. But in case it might help, here how I do it. I put them up on a counter (in my bathroom) that is waist high, and put my left arm around the cat, with my elbow holding them close to me. As I kiss the top pf their head, I take each paw in turn and clip away.

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  13. I have the same issues with nearly all of my cats. They will not tolerate me cutting their nails but when they are at the Vet they show no resistance. *sigh* I'm glad you got one paw done!!!

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  14. Excellent work John and Cammie! I know that it can be stressful for both of you but you've done splendidly.
    I use the same method as the poster 2nd above . With some, I try to do as much as humanly and catly possible at the same time ( if the cat allows it) because of trust issues on the cats part. I find they will run from me if they don't know if they're getting a hug or a nail clip. Other cats, I do just a few nails at a time when they are relaxed and stop before the kitty in question realises what happened. You know your kitties and, as always, will do what's best for them.
    Give Cammie a kiss and hug from us.

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