Hi Fellow Cat Lover!
I'm going to talk about claws a little bit this time.
As an experienced cat owner, you already know these
things, but perhaps you haven't been sure how to
explain them to your friends.
At the top of the list is the issue of declawing.
I won't say too much about that, because this web
site covers it very well:
http://declaw.lisaviolet.com
A lot of people have bookmarked that site to share
with others, and I am sharing it with you in case
you might want to do the same.
The alternatives to declawing include...
1. establishing a regular routine for trimming, or,
2. if you are desperate, a possibly more humane
procedure is the use of a laser to disable the tendons
that extend the claws. Be sure to talk that over with
your vet to be sure you want to do it.
These procedures all have consequences... be sure
you know what they are before you make a decision...
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TIP OF THE MONTH
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Trimming your kitty's claws doesn't have to wind up in a
huge struggle, though, if you follow some basic tips:
Starting with kittens may be easier, in order to train
them to expect and tolerate this, but you can train an
older cat to handle it, too.
Just remember to always be gentle and never hurt the cat,
or the only thing learned is to fear the encounter.
Try simply holding the cat under one arm while holding one
paw at a time with the same hand and clipping with the
other hand. You will need to press the center pad under
the toes to push the nails out.
Carefully clip near the curve of the nail, avoiding the
pink vein close to the toe. If the claw color is black
and you can't see the vein, just clip a little past the
curve, toward the sharp tip.
If you have trouble restraining your cat for this procedure,
you might want to enlist some help from another human, or,
you might have more luck wrapping him in a towel.
If you haven't already downloaded this, here's my report on
How to Wrap Your Cat in a Towel:
http://www.theproblemcat.com/ebooks/How2WrapCatWithTowel.pdf
Just right click the link to download the file quickly.
And keep one thing in mind: It's not the end of the world
if you don't get all the claws clipped in one session. Just
go after it again in a few hours or a few days.
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SPECIALS
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A great place to shop if you use natural products:
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/?click=15867
(Recommended by Dr. Andrew Jones)
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A SMILE FOR YOU ;-)
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This is a true story. It's about my own cats, in fact.
They like to be where I am, mostly trying hard to
insert themselves between me and my work. This means
they spend a lot of time on my desk, and sometimes on
my keyboard.
This is a list of things they have actually done to my
computer:
1. Shut down
2. Restart
3. Sent folders to the Recycle Bin
4. Deleted folders and BYPASSED the Recycle Bin.
(I still don't know how to do that!)
5. Turned on the Key Filter (This is done by holding
down the Right Shift key for 8 seconds. Not hard to
imagine them finding that one.)
6. Rearranged desktop icons.
7. Turned on the Caps Lock
8. Opened multiple windows
9. Sent an email before I was done with it.
10.ERASED an email before I could send it.
11.Locked the desktop (I finally found out how that is
done, and now I use it to prevent their antics...
when possible.)
Never underestimate the intellect and resolve of a cat!
Use No. 11 if your cat is messing with your PC. Here's how:
Press the Windows logo key, PLUS the letter L.
When ready to get back to work, just click your user
button as if logging in.
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Do you have any fun stories to share about your
cats? Send them in and I'll put them here in
this newsletter. (Include your name and website
if you have one, and I'll give you a "plug" for
your site. Or, anonymous is OK, too. It's
up to you.)
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If you ever want to review past issues,
here is where they are stored:
https://www.ymlp.com/pubarchive.php?catsgalore
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