Hi everyone!
So almost two months ago I adopted a five year old cat Jojoba from the shelter. When we went to a vet for a checkup, we found out that her ears are VERY dirty (thankfully, no mites). She also has a tiny bit dental plaque. I was advised to clean her ears and brush her teeth.
However, my cat will not accept being picked up and will kick and bite until she escapes. The vet saw the way she behaved and advised to wrap her up in a towel to clean her ears and use treats for dental hygiene (even if it's less effective than brushing). Jojoba also has very sharp claws, so ideally I would want to trim those as well.
I have been wrapping her up in a towel to clean her ears, but every time I still end up with my hands all scratched. It gets so bad, that after the we're done she will avoid me for a day or two afterwards.
I know how to properly get cat used to grooming: you need to slowly get them used to you touching them, give them treats, encourage them. And only once they let you close, try to groom. The problem is - it can take weeks. But her ears were SO bad and were bothering her so much, I didn't have a choice but to start right away.
I try to talk to her gently throughout the procedure, give her treats. She doesn't care for any of that, her only goal in the moment is to escape.
This whole thing makes me so sad, because she is such a tactile and lovely cat. She loves being pet and loves laying on me. But as soon as you touch her ears, paws, teeth, etc. she runs away (she was this way ever since I got her).
I dread having to clean her ears every week, because she will avoid me afterwards, and I'm scared that I'm harming our relationship by trying to make her ears feel better. We also haven't even started trying to trim her claws or brushing her teeth, she just won't let me!
I would be happy with any advice, this whole thing is stressing both of us out
cat tax
So almost two months ago I adopted a five year old cat Jojoba from the shelter. When we went to a vet for a checkup, we found out that her ears are VERY dirty (thankfully, no mites). She also has a tiny bit dental plaque. I was advised to clean her ears and brush her teeth.
However, my cat will not accept being picked up and will kick and bite until she escapes. The vet saw the way she behaved and advised to wrap her up in a towel to clean her ears and use treats for dental hygiene (even if it's less effective than brushing). Jojoba also has very sharp claws, so ideally I would want to trim those as well.
I have been wrapping her up in a towel to clean her ears, but every time I still end up with my hands all scratched. It gets so bad, that after the we're done she will avoid me for a day or two afterwards.
I know how to properly get cat used to grooming: you need to slowly get them used to you touching them, give them treats, encourage them. And only once they let you close, try to groom. The problem is - it can take weeks. But her ears were SO bad and were bothering her so much, I didn't have a choice but to start right away.
I try to talk to her gently throughout the procedure, give her treats. She doesn't care for any of that, her only goal in the moment is to escape.
This whole thing makes me so sad, because she is such a tactile and lovely cat. She loves being pet and loves laying on me. But as soon as you touch her ears, paws, teeth, etc. she runs away (she was this way ever since I got her).
I dread having to clean her ears every week, because she will avoid me afterwards, and I'm scared that I'm harming our relationship by trying to make her ears feel better. We also haven't even started trying to trim her claws or brushing her teeth, she just won't let me!
I would be happy with any advice, this whole thing is stressing both of us out
cat tax
Although maybe I'll be able to invite a vet/groomer to our apartment. Hopefully it'll be at least a little bit less stressful
From the looks of your pic she's a tortie and they have what we refer to as tortitude.
Our last cat was a tortie/tabby mix, (torbie), and she was a feisty gal but very attached to me nonetheless. Our present persian cat came from a bad hoarding situation so like your Jojaba he's a lover but does not like to be messed with either. Even though I tried my best to groom him and get mats out before they got too bad we eventually had to take him to a groomer who also cleans his ears and clips his nails. Luckily I can usually clean his ears without a problem when he's sleepy but it's really tough to trim his nails. Sometimes I bring him to the vet and one of the techs does it but even they have a not so pleasant time. For that reason they suggested giving him a low dose of gabapentin several hours prior to bringing him in. It really did help!
