Ha-ha! Sorry, Penny...

...but Ginger won this round!

Last night Ginger and Penny really got into it, lots of screaming and caterwauling and a serious, face-to-face, cat-slap fight that ended with Ginger looking triumphant on the top of the cat condo in the living room, and a very disgruntled Penny walking out of the room, tail twiching in irritation, muttering something under her breath about "next time..."

Seems as if Ginger is not so willing to give up her position as alpha to the newcomer, not even in new surroundings!

Go Ginger.. your the alpha cat...

I know that Chessy is the alpha cat,, and she won't give up anything for angel.. They are always getting into some tiff...

It must have something to do with Tortitude.

just keep those nails trimmed! Charlie and Ling are not squabbling as much lately but Charlie now outweighs Ling, so he still will wind up as top cat eventually She's just not gonna give it up so easily.

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

just keep those nails trimmed! Charlie and Ling are not squabbling as much lately but Charlie now outweighs Ling, so he still will wind up as top cat eventually

She's just not gonna give it up so easily.

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Don't be too sure. Ophelia is by far the smallest of our cats, and she is definitely the Alpha. I've heard of that especially in feral colonies - the little female RULES their domain!

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

just keep those nails trimmed! Charlie and Ling are not squabbling as much lately but Charlie now outweighs Ling, so he still will wind up as top cat eventually

She's just not gonna give it up so easily.

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I can keep Ginger's nails trimmed but can't do Penny's - she won't sit for it and she is WAAAAY too strong for me to hold her immobile with one hand, towel-wrapping HAS been tried and discarded after Penny won - she beats ME, but so far, Ginger's still the boss cat, LOL!

So because I can't do Penny's, I have let Ginger's grow out a little longer than I usually do - figure she needs to keep any advantage she can at this stage.

Within the next couple of months they'll have redefined (or reconfirmed) their roles in the hierarchy.

Oh, and although they weigh exactly the same, Ginger is larger physically but rail-thin (still, she's a bonerack and eats like a bird) whereas Penny is built like a linebacker, tiny, compact and tres muscular.

It's not exactly fair fighting - Ginger WILL run away from Penny, but if she gets to the top of the condo first, Ginger wins!

I know that scenario only too well. At the moment with mine it's the computer chair. I have a series of photos from last night with one of them on the chair, then both on the chair wrestling, then the other on the chair etc. I must upload them!

I have to say that most of the time my boys are orbiting on seperate paths and they don't ever sit down together, the closest they've gotten to one another in a non-confrontational way was when one was sitting at each end of the sofa with me nervously in between expecting to find myself in the middle of a slapping match at any moment! They will forget their differences at dinner time and eat next to each other though. When they do that girly paw waving thing it's hilarious but I don't find it so amusing watching/hearing them yelling and dragging each other off the chair

Haha funny kitties!!!! Smudgey is scared of Stumpy in our household (but follows her around all day), even though Smudge has more than a pound in weight over Stumpy!

I don't have any fights thank goodness, but my little female rules my house too, Sapphire is by far the smallest cat, she's even smaller than my 7 month old but all it takes is a hiss or growl from her and the others fall right into line

At least Penny has the grace to accept defeat!

Much is alpha and no one bothers her. Lucy however is very insecure with her position and is constantly whacking at Carly.

Ginger, you keep your position. Seniority should count even when the environment changes.

Originally Posted by GingersMom

but can't do Penny's - she won't sit for it and she is WAAAAY too strong for me to hold her immobile with one hand, towel-wrapping HAS been tried and discarded after Penny won - she beats ME, but so far, Ginger's still the boss cat, LOL!

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You have to start using your whole body then.

When she's sleeping, go over and kneel over top of her with your legs on either side of her and lightly sit/lean over on her, trapping her between your body and the floor. Then grab a front paw and trim. Repeat with other paw.

Another way is to sit cross legged on the floor, pick her up and get her comfy in your lap, then pin her body under your legs.

Abby was a terror to trim her nails. Those are the 2 things that finally worked for me. Now I just try and catch her when she's sleeping. However, she seems to have caught onto that one, so I often use the first method with her. Catch her sleeping in a chair and then lean right over her and pin her down with my body.

Originally Posted by SwampWitch

At least Penny has the grace to accept defeat!

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Grace, schmace - she's busy plotting her revenge!

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

You have to start using your whole body then.

When she's sleeping, go over and kneel over top of her with your legs on either side of her and lightly sit/lean over on her, trapping her between your body and the floor. Then grab a front paw and trim. Repeat with other paw.

Another way is to sit cross legged on the floor, pick her up and get her comfy in your lap, then pin her body under your legs.

Abby was a terror to trim her nails. Those are the 2 things that finally worked for me. Now I just try and catch her when she's sleeping. However, she seems to have caught onto that one, so I often use the first method with her. Catch her sleeping in a chair and then lean right over her and pin her down with my body.

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Natalie, forgive me, I appreciate you're trying to be helpful, but it is SO much easier to TELL someone how to do it than to ACTUALLY do it.

I'm no longer new at taking care of cats, and have managed to occasionally trim a claw here and there on my feral rescue.

Penny is unbelievably strong - have you ever owned a Bengal? They do not have the same body type as regular domestics.

She can quickly, and I mean QUICKLY, twist herself out of just about any restraint position there is - the only way I can restrain her and HOLD her is using both my arms, holding one of her upper front legs just so.

If my roomie wasn't such a doofus, then I could get him to trim her claws while I hold her, but he is useless - and he refuses to hold her while I do it because he's afraid he'll get scratched.

Useless, I tell you.

You know you could always just come over to Minnesota and I'd do Penny for you - haven't yet had a cat I could not do one way or another.

My WORSE one was the turkish angora I owned - he hated nail clipping - never seen a cat hate it. Took me 2 days to do 4 feet, but I got him done

Betsy's right about Penny and nail trimming. Penny doesn't like having her nails trimmed...period.
When Penny doesn't like something, she let's you know by not co-operating. She's extremely strong and quick, then combine that with being very clever, she makes a formidable opponent to the human with nail clippers.

It takes two people with skill to defeat her efforts to escape and get the job done.


Betsy, if it's any consolation, our new show boy, Cypress has decided he doesn't want his nails trimmed anymore. He's 5 months old and currently weighs 8.5 pounds of solid muscle and he has learned the "twist and jump" manuever. He's going to be HUGE.
I may be paying the Vet to trim him before shows. Let him be the bad guy.

That figures - Cypress was my fave pick of the new kids, LOL...if you ever retire him, I'll take him in, why not? I'll start collecting kitties that hate having their claws trimmed...I'm already covered in scars from Ferris!

If only I had a couple more arms...

I have to agree with Betsy and Nial on this. I can do every cat in my house by myself except Takoda, Magnum and Sampson. Sampson is deaf and any confinement totally freaks him out and sneaking up on him when he is sleeping just makes him jumpy. So it sometimes takes two of us to get the job done.

Now with Takoda and Magnum, I have never and I mean never felt so much power and strength packed in such small bodies. It takes two people and sometimes a third to trim these boys or it's like holding one of those thorny cactus and trying to cut every thorn.

Magnum is the easier of the two and he is bigger too.

Originally Posted by snosrap5

or it's like holding one of those thorny cactus and trying to cut every thorn.

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That is an EXCELLENT description! Except it's a cactus that won't stay still!

I am going to sympathise with the claw trimming thing. Radar is a big softy and is easy to do although he cries like a baby during the trimming

Sonic on the other hand has decided that he hates it - even though he often wants to 'hold paws' with you, he really doesn't want them trimmed and it's a huge production number scripted for the west-end/broadway stage (with accompanying aria) trying to get them done, even with 2 humans involved. He's only 9 1/2 months old but so muscular and wiry that it is really difficult to hold him.

I have no idea what it's like with a reluctant Bengal, but an oriental not even full grown kitten can really kick the out of you with those giraffe-length legs, and it's like holding a super-powered eel on steroids! It is claw-trimming day tomorrow and I am psyching myself up for it but I am pretty determined that I am in charge, not him!