First-time Kitty Owner...Questions!

purplecj-7

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Hi All.
This is part of a post I placed in the Behavior section, but I think that this part belongs more appropriately over here....


Is it normal for cats/kittens to have cat boogers?? Kiwi constantly has what looks like dark colored lint stuck in her nose that I have been gently wiping away with a damp Q-Tip. I have to clean her nose every day. Is this something that I should be concerned about?

One more question for now. The day I brought Kiwi home I clipped her nails (after reading instructions in my kitten care book) and she was great about it. Now her nails are getting long (and dangerous) again, but she won't let me anywhere near her with the clipper. She Bites and claws and squirms. How can I clip her nails without causing her too much distress, and at the same time saving myself from the wrath of her teeth and claws?? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you all so much in advance. I am really looking forward to getting to know you all, and absorbing all your kitty wisdom. Any other feedback, advice or tips you would like to offer are always welcome, since I am a complete novice here. Take care.
 

going nova

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I'm not sure about the nose boogers...

My mom's cat has such long claws, that they stick out even when fully retracted. She clips them herself. The first time we did it, I held him and she clipped and he was so scared that he pooped! Now, she can do it on her own but he still hides when he sees her with the clippers. He just doesn't like it


You could try waiting until kitty is very relaxed (in your lap or something), and do one or two claws at a time. Then, give treats (food, or petting or praise) so that she associates clippings with good things?

Some people wrap their cats in towels when they try to medicate them, but I've not done it and I'm not sure how well it would work with clipping. Good luck
 

ninacaliente

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My Griffin gets dark crusties around his nose. I've asked the vet about it, and since he is totally healthy otherwise the vet is not concerned.

About claw clipping: Some of mine don't care, others need some persuasion. It's always best to wait until the cat is very relaxed, maybe dozing in your lap. You can try to just keep clippers handy and do one or two every day like this. Give treats afterward too. This method may get her to eventually accept claw clipping. If she objects to you handling her paws at all, work on conditioning her to that too when you're just cuddling.

Otherwise, I have wrapped cats up in a towel to keep them still during clipping. You just pull out one paw, clip, rewrap, pull out the other paw, clip, and you're done.
 

jack31

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We often have to scruff to properly clip nails around here. Sometimes they allow it without scruffing but not always--its hit or miss.

As for the nose--perhaps kitty has Herpes, have you asked the vet about it? Both of mine do--they get L-Lysine in their water to keep it under control.

Leslie
 

catsknowme

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Welcome to TCS!!! As for clipping the nails, if you have someone gently jiggle the base of the ears while you expose the claws, the cat often doesn't realize what's going on. It works for injections at the vet's, too
 

hwc

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I've had cats for forty years and never clipped a nail. Why do ya'll clip their nails? Is there something I should know?
 

forensic

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Because they get sharp and can catch on fabric, carpet, the dog...


Hennessy uses his scratch pad, but that just makes them sharper.
 

laureen227

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Java gets the dark boogies, too. when i first found her, i thought that was the natural pigment of her nose! but no - her nose is supposed to be all pink.
i also have one that doesn't care for clipping - Firefox. Cable [who gave me MAJOR problems as a kitten] is the best behaved of the 3 i clip. Java's kinda in the middle - doesn't fight me, but has a tendency to stick her head in my way, like she needs to watch

 

mrblanche

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The funny thing about clipping their claws is that you can never predict who will have a problem with it, and who won't. Punkin, one of the calmest cats in the world, absolutely hates it. Sterling, who is 9/10ths hypercat, doesn't mind at all. And Ella, who I really worried about, doesn't put up too much fuss.
 

shanynne

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What I did when my boys were kittens, is I made sure to always gently rub, touch, and feel their paws as part of the petting to get them used to the feeling of me touching their feet


Then I started clipping their nails when they would be sleeping or very relaxed. Now they let me do it without blinking, but it took a long time to get them to that point.

Now Samson, he just l-o-v-e-s when I give him a gentle foot rub and especially between his toes, he will spread them out nice and wide so I can gently rub around them with my pinky
 

lsanders

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Originally Posted by hwc

I've had cats for forty years and never clipped a nail. Why do ya'll clip their nails? Is there something I should know?
Plus, even if they're not being intentionally destructive, they can accidentally scratch you very badly.

A friend at the shelter told us about her co-worker who had a couple of cats who were like their children for her and her husband. One day, one of the cats was on the husband's lap and got startled by a noise and sprung off his lap. He was wearing shorts and the cat's back claws, which they never thought to clip, scratched his leg pretty badly. He cleaned it off with soap and hot water. The next day, his leg was really swollen and red. He knew not to mess around with cat scratches if they get that bad, so he went to the ER.

Turns out, the germs from the cat's claws went straight into his blood stream and were causing a massive infection. He was in the hospital for 2 weeks and had to have surgery, during which they considered amputating his leg because so much tissue was destroyed and the antibiotics were hardly doing anything. He got to keep his leg, but they had to re-home the cats because his immune system will be compromised for the rest of his life and he can't risk another scratch. They're totally heartbroken over it, but what else could they do?

These were indoor-only cats, so there were no extra germs they would have picked up outside.

Albus is indoor-only as well, and I now clip his back claws. Not as short as the front claws, in case he ever did get outside and needed them, but enough to take the points off.

ETA: Shanynne, that's a really good suggestion that I forgot about, playing with their paws to get them used to it!
 

meowers

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Well, kittens are kinda dirty things
They sniff everything possible, and are prone to colds. Holly herslf is growing out of all that. When in doubt, go see a vet.

I wait til they are sleepy and relaxed to trim nails. I olayed with kittys paws so much as a kitten that she loves a good paw rub. Dont give up, just find the right place and time. Be very calm and speak sweetly.
 
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