My poor kitteh.

[Laffy Kat]

She is a strange one. She has always been bitey and scratchy and is the first cat I've been unable to trim claws on and I've had cats all my life. So I've been taking her to the vet and having Soft Paws applied. Today she wasn't having it. She is a seven-pound kitteh and the entire staff wasn't able to manage her. So the vet called to see if they could sedate her because she thought it would be more humane than just holding her down. I told her to do whatever they had to do because she is dangerous to my visitors (and to me). They did it and now she has beautiful, soft, pink talons. The vet said they were able to cut the claws short and put the sheaths on all the way down to the base of the cuticle since she was asleep. This way the Soft Paws will stay on a long time.

Unfortunately, now that she's home she feels terrible. She is staggering around and falling down and vomiting. I feel so horrible for putting her through it. Today costs $70 and it will need to be done every six weeks or so. I don't mind the money, it's the trauma. Anyone have any ideas? I do not believe in declawing so that is not on the table. Thanks.

[Warpy]

1. They always look pathetic when they're coming out of sedation

Mine used to stagger around and give an occasional pathetic meeyowl and then fall asleep in an inconvenient place, like right in front of the toilet or the center of the hall. When they woke up they were fine. Your scrappy kitty will be, also.

Sedating her sounds a lot less traumatic than having 4 people hold her down while her paws are manipulated. Cats hate having us touch their paws even when they're mellow and half asleep. If she snoozes during the whole thing, it's a lot kinder.

[Laffy Kat]

2. The vet asked me if I wanted her to use a reversal to help wake her up.

I said no, but next time I think I'll do it. I didn't realize she was going to be this disoriented and nauseated.

[Warpy]

3. Since your kitty reacts that way, it's probably a good idea

The vet can also give her a little Pepcid for nausea, it works well that way in cats.

My cats only had the staggers and pathetic little yowls. When they finally gave up and slept it off, they were fine.

[Laffy Kat]

10. Thanks, I'll talk to the vet about that.

The only other time she's had any sort of anesthesia was during her spay when she was six months old. They operated in the early morning and then kept her all day, so I didn't witness any side-effects. Obviously, she has a strong reaction and I know that now.

It's been a few hours since I first posted and she does seem a little better. She ate a bite and kept it down so far. I'm sure she's a little dehydrated too. Hopefully by tomorrow she'll be back to her little pissy self. LOL.

[MFM008]

4. Heck

I almost did the same thing after my last endoscopy......

[shenmue]

5. Scratching post?

[Laffy Kat]

6. Oh, she has scratching posts and kitty climbers all over the place.

It's people she scratches and bites! I don't know why. I got her when she was six weeks old off Craigslist. She was bottle-fed by a nice young woman because he mamma rejected her. She was fine for about a year and then started biting and scratching people. I've had her thoroughly examined and vet says there's nothing wrong with her physically. She's never been mistreated; I treat my pets with kindness and love. She's just "not right." She's my responsibility and I do love her, she's just aggressive.

[shenmue]

7. Sorry

Hope things improve.

[area51]

16. Have you tried

using a squirt water bottle (not a water gun) when the cat scratches and bites? It's good way to punish a cat without hurting them.

[Laffy Kat]

19. I know her well enough to know that won't help.

It will just further sour her on humans, unfortunately.

[blogslut]

8. No cat restraint at the Vet?

They're basically bags with little zippered openings for each paw. There are also ones that suspend the animal from a hammock-like device. Maybe they don't work?

[Laffy Kat]

9. I'll ask about that.

One of the techs told me that Zooey (my cat) was going in to full-attack mode if any of them even got close to her cage.

[blogslut]

11. Maybe you could buy one for yourself

This one is a bestseller, according to Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Cat-Grooming-Bag-restraint-Downtown/dp/B0098AOY0K/ref=pd_lpo_199_bs_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=1FFHHMTBFQHA51AJH2M4

[Laffy Kat]

12. Thanks for the link!

Always wondered why there wasn't such a thing. My only concern is that it looks like she could still bite, and believe me, SHE WILL!


On edit: I didn't realize there was a muzzle included. This may be worth a shot. It sure beats giving her drugs.

[blogslut]

13. Here's a video

I am the servant to the meanest cat in the world. Fortunately, I am a hermit so she only attacks me. I have 18 years worth of scars but I love her.

[Laffy Kat]

14. Looks like a solution to me. This is why I love DU.

Can't believe it's under $20 to boot. Beats $70/mo. and the risks of anesthesia. Thanks so much for the information. I'll let you know how it goes the first time I use it. (Boy, is that ever gonna piss her off, though!)

[Fla Dem]

17. Please do let us know.

I generally clip my girls nails as well, but it's always a struggle. I generally roll her up in a beach towel, but even then I'm lucky to get her 2 front paws done at once. Sometimes the hardest part is just catching her.

[Generic Brad]

15. My dentist needs one of those for me

[Kimchijeon]

18. thanks for posting this

I was thinking about the same thing- I just used a towel for past kitties who were stubborn strugglers.
Make a kitty burrito and just be calm, firm and reassuring with the kitty. Ours get daily interaction and grooming since kittenhood (persians) so they are pretty used to being handled and docile. I certainly do recall the joys of getting kitty kicked in the chest and squirmy protesting, good times good times! lol

But like this video shows... if you are calm and make a kitty burrito this is a good tactic to employ:

Apparently the cat in that video was a former feral who wasn't used to their paws being handled.