Our New Family Member "Sushi"

[peti1212]

We do have a few forms of scratchers, one is laying flat on the carpet, the other one is standing by her tree, and even her tree is made out of scratchers. I'll look into the curved ones as well, maybe she'll like that one. I've seen her scrach once or twice, but not much.

 

[shadowsrescue]

 
Is it true that cutting cat's nails can be very bad for the cats? I remember seeing this documentary about anti-clipping, and how so many people were against vets doing the nails of the cats, because over time they could develop ingrown nails, and that could cause more harm to the cat, lots of pain, and even surgery. They might end up limping or having an awkward walk. Or does this happen only with larger cats like lions and leopards?

I have never heard this.  It is dangerous to have the claws so long where they could get it caught on the carpet and rip the nail off trying to free themselves.  Learning how to properly cut the nail is important.  You can have a vet show you or there are lots of videos available to help.  Also you can look into soft paws.

 

[peti1212]

Thank you for your post. I looked into it further and realized that the documentary wasn't made against trimming of the nails, but against declawing cats.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/09/130911-declawing-cats-paw-project-vets-pets/

 

[mani]

 
Thank you for your post. I looked into it further and realized that the documentary wasn't made against trimming of the nails, but against declawing cats.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/09/130911-declawing-cats-paw-project-vets-pets/

  That makes a lot more sense!

 

[peti1212]

Just checking in with Sushi's status. We were gone for a week on a business trip, but I had my dad come and visit Sushi every day for a half an hour. During this time he gave her food, cleaned the litter box, replaced the water, and played with Sushi. When we came home she was way more confident, and daring to come up to us. She's still scared when we make fast movements or when she's on the ground and we walk in, but if we're laying on the bed, and we start tossing some toys around, it will really grab her attention and she'll even jump up to us on the bed. The funniest part is when she's laying on the ground, and I just reach out to her to show that I want to pet her, but she's still about 2-3 feet away. She'll start rolling around on her back, and stretch towards me. Then she'll start pulling herself closer to my hand by dragging her whole body on the ground. It's very cute.

She has become so playful since we have gotten her that in all honesty, I'm afraid to let her out of the room. I feel like the moment I would let her into the kitchen area, she would start tossing things off the table, counter tops, and try biting and paying with anything she finds. Two things I'm worried about. One is furniture, and the other is wine glasses and things on tables. I know I might have to baby proof everything in the house, but that's also somewhat of an inconvenience. How can we train sushi to not destroy things? hahaha Maybe an impossible task when she's young, but I know that over time she'll mellow down.

She's also awake all night, and plays with some toys. Her favorite is the mouse that chirps like a mouse when she moves it around. It's quite annoying to sleep with that noise in the background all night, but I am happy to know that she's having fun and playing around. I'm glad that she's way more confident, and more comfortable with us now. 

 

[peti1212]

On another note, she has received her booster shots, and deworming medicine. Apparently she still had some worms in her that needed to be taken care of. We got her some flea medication, and a pedicure as well. The nurse at the animal hospital claimed she was a cutie pie and let herself be medicated without any issues. Also she showed my girlfriend how to do pedicures, and Sushi didn't even mind her nails being clipped. I feel like sushi will become one of the most loving kitties when she gets 100% comfortable with us. Can't wait.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Such a great update!!  She is doing so well.  Keep us updated on her progress.

 

[calicosrspecial]

Awesome!! Thanks for the update, love the progress.

Baby proofing is best if possible. Also, cat trees, scratching posts, etc will help.

Also, try playing with her a lot, tire her out. Then feed or give treats.

Also, when a house is more baby proofed a cat can then find a nice sleeping/playing place away from the bedroom. So it makes sleeping a bit easier. Territory builds confidence and cats love a lot of territory so it would be best if possible to let her own the whole place. Then by using beds, cat trees etc you can encourage her to spend time in certain places (with no place of limits though some places might not have much interest).

We can fill you in on a lot of areas so please feel free to ask anything. For example, I don't have cats going on counters etc because there is nothing of interest for them there. A cat tree by a window will be of much more interest. A warm snuggly bed is more interesting. A scratching post is more interesting than most furniture. Etc.

She is doing great, just keeping building her confidence (play, food, up high in the world, love). Great job with her. 

 

[peti1212]

It's been a while since my last update. Sushi's personality has changed quite a bit, for the good. She is very playful, and loves coming to us. Especially when my girlfriend and I are relaxing on the bed. She'll jump up to us and lay there or want our attention to pet her. haha

On the other hand, she has one bad habit that I'd like to change, but I'm not sure how to do it. At dawn, she will wake up and start hunting, but she'll hunt my knee and toes through the blanket. It doesn't hurt per say, but I feel the stingy bites, and she'll just keep biting and pulling the blanket all over the place. It's quite annoying when you're trying to get a good night sleep and you have a little cat fighting your knee and toes. The more you move around the more she finds it fun to attack. How could I stop her from doing this. Right now we've just been waking up quickly to kind of scare her away, and she'll jump down the bed, but she'll come back a few minutes later to hunt again.

 

[calicosrspecial]

Great she is doing so well, you are doing a great job.

I guess the only thing I can think of is to tell her "no" in a firm voice. I have had cats respond to "no" and to "ouch". I have found that they sense they might have hurt you and they back off. Also, never play (not saying you do) with your hands or feet under the blanket especially in the bed.

Hopefully someone else has more insight. I hope it helps, I think it should.