Grooming Time

I love grooming my cat's. By this I mean two things, brushing their coats and clipping their nails. It's my way of spending quality time with them.

I have to admit, I don't follow the book when it comes to cat grooming. For example, it is advised that short haired cats like Boe need very little brushing usually once a week or once every other week is enough. Just stroking her fur is enough to bring out the beautiful shiny sheen. But I can't stand not brushing it anyways at least every other day. She's ok with this except when I sort of get carried away and brush too much and longer than she could handle. She won't bite or claw me but usually she would swish her tale to warn me of her irritation, just enough to give me time to back off. I learned my lesson the hard way when I didn't really understand the swishing of her tail when I brushed her coat for the first time. As expected, Boe gave me a warning bite. After that incident, I started to read more about cat behavior just to understand what certain feline movements mean.

While Boe require very minimal brushing, it's exactly the opposite when it comes to my Pozzy. She needs to be brushed DAILY(and she hates it). It's not easy brushing her at all. At first she would swipe me with her claws. I had to think of a way to avoid getting hurt. And so I managed to attach the brush in a 12 inch flat stick. This way, even if she tries to swipe me away with her claw, she would only hit the brush and not my hand. Brushing Pozzy is like forcing a 4 year old kid to take a bath. She would usually run away the moment she see's my hand with that evil brush. I would follow her anywhere just to brush her coat. Eventually she felt resigned to the fact that I AM THE BOSS and I get things my way whether she likes it or not.

********

If it's a crime at all, then I would readily admit to forcibly cutting my cat's claws. Most cats do not like having their toenails trimmed. I have to "force" Boe and Pozzy to submit to this stressful session otherwise, they might hurt each other in one of their cat fights. When left uncut, their claws grow to be razor sharp weapons of defense.

This may seem like a daunting task at first, but trimming our cat's claws regularly is an important part of maintaining their hygiene. Keeping our cat's claws clipped will also minimize scratches that we might suffer. Trust me, it's not a pleasant feeling getting scratched by cats claws. From experience, the best time to trim my cat's claws is when they are relaxed/sleepy or when they just woke up from a nap. I literally avoid giving them a pedicure right after a stressful experience or an energetic round of play.

Some cat owners use clippers to cut their kitties claws. I use the ever dependable nail cutter instead. I would hold it vertically so that the claw is trimmed from bottom to top instead of across the nail. This position help prevents splitting the nail that usually occurs when it is cut horizontally. I would hold a paw in one hand and press a toe pad gently to extend the claw. I make sure I dont cut the pink tissue (also known as the "quick") on the inside of the cat's claw and literally avoiding it; cutting into it will cause pain and bleeding.

That pissed look from Pozzy before

and after a nailclipping session

Boe's resistance to the nailclipping session is nothing compared to Pozzy's. She just hates it and would do anything to break away from my grip. I would talk to her in the most loving voice just to calm her down and assure her I'm not going to hurt her. I somehow suspect that her previous owner must accidently hurt Pozzy in the process which explains her resistance. I don't know if Pozzy will ever get over the trauma so I am trying my very best to use "gentle force" on her( if there's such a word). I would usually shower her with praises right after each session and immediately spend some playtime with her. I want her to associate nailclipping to playtime so that eventually the fear and resistance will lessen and hopefully she would look forward to the session instead.