I'd like to thank my cat for making me aware of the cost having no insurance when I went to the ER.

[Are_grits_groceries]

I was going to get up this AM, but apparently not fast enough for Scat. She decided to poke me to remind me that it was time for breakfast. Unfortunately, her sharp little claw went into my right eye.

I contemplated not going, and then I contemplated the fact that her twee little paws went into a litter box. I thought about the fun things that could result from that fact. It also wouldn't stop bleeding.

It turns out I suffered a minor injury that still hurts like hell. I'm sure the bill will make me laugh and cry.

I played it safe because I do not want to use a seeing-eye cat. I didn't think I had a real choice.

[Skink]

1. That's the kind of thing that gets cats declawed.

[Are_grits_groceries]

2. I won't declaw her, but now I have to wear

one of those masks. She doesn't use her claws much except to protect herself from her sister Mouse. Mouse is as crazy as a shithouse mouse.

[Individualist]

12. Try soft claws

They're a flexible plastic form that fits over the claws. I use them on my two cats, and they're great. You can read more about them here - http://www.ehow.com/facts_5152262_soft-claws-cats.html.

[CountAllVotes]

24. those don't work

on a 25 lb. Flamepoint tomcat. No way would he let you put those on his paws, NO WAY IN HELL.

He'd get you and get you good, mark my words. :scared:

:dem:

[Individualist]

27. They work perfectly on my cats.

If you can't apply them, do as I do. I have arthritis in my hands and can't trim and apply the claws, so I take them to my vet to get it done. A groomer could probably also do it.

[CountAllVotes]

30. well I can't get this 25 lb. cat in a cage

he'd have to be heavily sedated or something. This is sad as he really is a nice enough old guy but the trauma of being a rescue case has never left him.

He wouldn't go for having someone cut/trim his very sharp claws which he constantly grooms impeccably for a second, no way. *eek*

[freeplessinseattle]

35. my former ferals are tricky to get to the vet for shots

which your guy will need too at some point-unless you can find a vet who makes housecalls that he is comfortable with.

I have to wrap my wild kits in a towel and then quickly place them into a carrier that is turned upright so that the door is facing upward-put some soft bedding in the bottom and just plop him and gravity and the towel should give you that extra couple seconds to shut the door. heck, can even use some masking tape to help secure the towel, although I know some cats are too wild to do the towel thing with. One cat I have to trick by setting on my lap on top of the towel, then playfully and slowly start covering him while gently rubbing him with it.

Good luck!

[CountAllVotes]

40. thanks for the tip

I did that the last time - put the carrier with the door facing up and I grabbed him by the nape of his HUGE neck and managed to sink him in the cage and slam the door shut quickly.

That worked. He'd been in a fight and had a big sore on him and was moaning away. He was ok - just needed some antibiotics.

I keep him indoors most of the time (99%). He doesn't get shots anymore due to his age. No reason anyway as he is large and clumsy and doesn't like to fight or hunt.

The main problem is size and temperament. It worked before and might work again I can only hope.

There is one house call vet here where I live that has a waiting list a year long. He'd probably run and hide if said vet showed up at the door anyway.

Thanks again! :)

[freeplessinseattle]

50. Sounds like he is a survivor!:)

and owes a lot to you for rescuing him!

My smallest cat is the hardest to get into the carrier, doesn't like to be held at all, and I couldn't imagine wrestling with a 25lb furry eel. It's hard enough carrying their passive cat litter up all these stairs, lol.

There's also this stuff called "rescue remedy" that's for people and animals, an herbal concoction that comes in a spray or dropper, about $10. I've sprayed it on my hand then wiped it on my littler cat's mouth area before, then she was compelled to lick it off. Kind of works, but maybe that intro violation adds to the anxiety and I should wait a little while before trying to imprison her. Those little guys sure can be tricky to try to help, but at least he took his antibiotics, it sounds like. Being confined involuntarily is scary though, I know, poor fella.

[arikara]

63. Wow, thanks for the tip

I will try that. We have a skittish rescue who impossible to get into the carrier. The last time i tried, I picked him up while he was calm and sleeping, went to put him in the carrier and my timid little guy turned into a ninja. Finally shoved him in, closed the door and stood up to staunch the blood gushing from my arms and he somehow busted through the door and took off. I couldn't get near him for 2 days and by then the situation I was concerned about resolved itself.

[freeplessinseattle]

70. glad I could help-just learned it a couple years ago

sorry you got so beat up by your kitty, they sure have weapons of mouse (and human) destruction!

My little cat was so crazy to get out of her carrier that she managed to squeeze out the top corner while I was still trying to secure the bottom one (flimsy plastic carrier, last time I used that). I tried to stop her, but she was determined, thought it must have been uncomfortable and I didn't have time to unlatch the bottom again to let her have a safer exit. I was afraid she'd injured herself and she was probably a little sore but when they want to be free they have a one track mind!

[Sebastian Doyle]

43. Well, if you were a CAT named "Mouse" you would be crazy too!

Can you imagine how the other kittehs must tease her because of that name? Hell, the mice probably mock her too. :evilfrown:

[roguevalley]

59. I am glad you went. You can lose your eye to infection. Take care,

honey. That smarts, there are so many nears in the eye.

[AnArmyVeteran]

64. DECLAWING is VICIOUSLY CRUEL!!!

It's like you having your fingers cut off at your knuckles. Declawing is cruel. You can't adopt a pet at any reputable adoption service if you tell them you are going to declaw the cat. Imagine having someone lopping off your fingers at their base. How would you like that?

It's easy to trim a cat's claws. Most get used to it fairly quick. And it lasts about a month. I have five cats and wouldn't even think about declawing them. If you don't like claws, get a goldfish.

[Arugula Latte]

75. Skink -- Why don't you hack off your own fingers at the knuckles?

Tell us how it feels, okay?

[ladywnch]

3. that's no reason to mutilate a cat.

declawing a cat removes the entire first joint of their toes! It can cause arthritis, litter box problems, aggression (since they don't have their claws as a first line of defense they resort to biting), and other things...Not to mention the pain.

[SPedigrees]

11. +10000. It should be illegal. It is in nearly every other civilized country. nt

[revolution breeze]

46. Actually most of my friends and family in Europe

have their cats declawed. They actually found it barbaric that my three have their claws and were even more amazed I actually trimmed them once a month.

[CountAllVotes]

17. agree

it is brutal and inhumane. Lazy people that don't spend enough time with their cats find behaviors can appear that are untoward. They don't bother to take the time to try to fix the behavior problem. That is because they are lazy.

People that de-claw cats have no business having the privilege of having one.

:dem:

[grace0418]

41. One of my cats was mentally disabled. Seriously.

He couldn't seem to figure out how NOT to injure himself and others, even with freshly trimmed claws. He injured his leg twice because he got stuck on something, freaked out, and had a complete fit until he broke free. Once I didn't see it happening until it was too late and the second time I tried to help him and he just freaked out more (and scratched the hell out of me in the process). Declawing him was the best thing I ever did for him. He healed within days, never got aggressive or started biting, and best of all he never injured himself again.

He lived several years longer than any vet expected him to live, and all them told me it's because he got so much loving attention and care.

So long story short, drop the sweeping judgment about whether someone like me has any business having a cat. He was one of the best pets ever and was loved more than words can describe.

[AnArmyVeteran]

65. So if you find yourself scratching an itch too much, have your doctors remove your fingers.

That will 'solve' the problem. Your pet didn't live longer because you had his claws lopped off. A cat can have pain for the rest of their lives from declawing. It's like phantom limb syndrome. Ask any amputee about it, or look it up. Would you like to experience that yourself? Then why force a vulnerable animal to suffer through such carnage. Yes, my post is a sweeping generalization.

[grace0418]

69. Not just a sweeping generalization but a completely ridiculous analogy. I can do something

about it if I were to "finding myself scratching an itch too much". I can go to a doctor, take allergy medication, put on some cortaid, perhaps see a psychologist about compulsive behavior. A cat can do none of those things, and my cat in particular posed a danger to himself because he injured himself twice. The first time it happened I was about to leave for the day. Had I left a few minutes earlier and not heard him howling in pain, he may have further injured himself. Perhaps even injured himself to the point that he would have pain for the rest of his life. Or even caused an infection that could have killed him. So yes, I believe my cat did live a much longer life because I kept him from seriously injuring himself after two incidents.

But feel free to make more of your fascinating analogies. I'd like to know more about how my cat could've solved his problems the exact same way a human might. I'm sure it would've been incredibly effective to sit him down and explain to him that he didn't need to freak out and injure himself when his claws got stuck somewhere. That all he needed to do was carefully extract himself or, barring that, call 911 and have them come out and help him. That's what cell phones are for after all. Maybe I should've suggested therapy for his obvious anxiety about getting caught. I mean his reaction was really over the top given the situation, and he really needed to learn to think things through more. It's almost as if he didn't understand that panicked thrashing, twisting and even biting at his own leg was just going to make the situation worse. I blame myself for not making him more self-reliant.

[kestrel91316]

33. Research has shown that a properly performed declaw does NONE

of those things. That said, it's an inappropriate response to an accident.

Cat claw clippers, biweekly. Snip the needles off.

[Gormy Cuss]

39. Clippers, biweekly, followed by a treat works like a charm with my cat.

It took a couple of months for him to get used to it but now he sits still and bears with it because he knows there's a treat at the end of it. :D

[Roon]

56. Awww, so cute

I don't clip my kitties nails. I can't bear to put them through that.

[shellgame26]

71. wait till he's asleep

[Individualist]

34. Agree

When I got my two cats from an animal rescue organization, the contract I signed specified that the cats would not be declawed. I told the woman from animal rescue that I agreed wholeheartedly with that requirement.

[slackmaster]

4. Did they put you on antibiotic eye drops?

Sorry about your eye. I hope it heals promptly.

[Are_grits_groceries]

8. Yes

I didn't think I could afford not to have it looked at ASAP.

I also had to go to the ER several years ago when a bug crawled in my ear. I could hear it dancing and munching whatever as a snack. Getting that little bastid out hurt more than anything I've ever experienced. If I had known what was going to happen when the nurse approached me with a nozzle to stick in my ear, I might have taken my chances on the bug. She blew it out my other ear I am sure.

[SPedigrees]

19. Same thing happened to my hubby years ago. He just about lost it on the trip to the ER.

Looking back we probably should have tried a soak in peroxide. If it didn't flush out the bug, it might at least have drowned it and made the horrid buzzing stop, resulting in a calmer trip to the hospital.

Glad your eye injury is treated, and hope it heals quickly.

[Are_grits_groceries]

22. It is a very loud noise.

They put a bubbly solution in the ear to begin with. I heard the bastid singing as it took a bath. Then came Safir-Simpson 5.

[SPedigrees]

31. LOL. At least the ordeal didn't rob you of your sense of humor! nt

[enlightenment]

5. Ouch.

My sympathies - both for the claw in the eye and the ER bill.

I've taken a morning claw to the lip and nostril, but never the eye. Poor you!

[lunatica]

6. That you would have to weigh the options at all is horrible

I hope your eye heals completely and safely. If you let out a good yelp and jumped up in pain hopefully she'll stay away from you when your sleeping since you 'get crazy' over such minor things!

My dog gave me a good hard scrape just under my eye the other day when she waved her paws at me while playing. It would have been very bad if she had scraped my eye.

[MadMaddie]

38. Have you ever been hit dead in the eye with a serious wagger?

That will "F%^* you up", I swear I thought :wtf: Jeebus it felt like a hot poker in my eye.

[elleng]

7. What a tail! !!!

Good luck!

[Diclotican]

9. Are_grits_groceries

Are_grits_groceries

Sorry for your Eye, and for the bill.. But yes i rembember when I had a cat, that she wanted to go out, it was early in the morning, but it was light outside.. And she was sitting on the bed, and stire into my face as to say "Im wake, I wil out, wake up". When i woke, the first I saw was a cat who was looking at me, or stiring at me is maybe a better word... I allmoust shit on my self becouse of it...

Other times, she just was going up in my bed and up to the window, and by going around me head she somehow was telling me to go up, and to get her out... Then she was happy as a cat could be, and came home hours later, starving and happy about what she had been doing.. And I allways wondered, what have you been doing lately your little scam.. She just looked at me, as cats can do and more or less say "hey, my business, is my business"..

Two year ago, i had 3 small kitten in my home, and they had the ability to "breake in" to my bedrom even tho I tried hard to not let them in.. And they tended to bite me in the toe or in the nose if they was thinking that I was not early enough up.. Their mother, who was on the other side of the door, was commanding the troops.. I swear she was helping and telling the dam mob what to do, to wake me up, så they could get out and do their business... SHe was a good mother to the kitten... In the enving she had a "night out for her self" and I had to babysit tree member of the local mafia; (aka the kitten) who was doing more or less as they wanted, free from the eye of their mother... When she was coming in, they was togheter before anyone could know it... One time the kitten was out when she was coming in, late.. And he just "mjau" some, and then tre kitten was there, before I even know it standing in line.. I was amazed by it:P. i was never able to comand the kitten the same way..

Diclotican

[Hekate]

10. Schizzy-cat always reminds us to get her claws clipped by jumping off Mr H's lap and leaving marks

He yells when she does that. :eyes: We take her sister Fluffy Killer in at the same time. Fluffy's not nearly as careless, but might as well take care of them both at once. The technician at the vet gets the job done lickety-split.

Keep up with the prescribed treatment -- you were absolutely right to head for the ER. I hope it stops hurting soon.

Hekate

[Roon]

13. My elderly kitty wakes me up by clawing me in my closed eye

Apparently one of her former owners only fed her in the mornings so now she wakes me up some mornings. She only does it when she is in bed with me, which is not often. So I live with it.

[Ikonoklast]

14. You have two eyes.

Next time, get out of bed quicker to feed your kitties, and no one gets hurt.













:hide:

[Are_grits_groceries]

16. Heh.

Meh Kitteh thought that was funny.

[CountAllVotes]

15. bad habit

that is a bad habit your cat has some how learned. Not good.

One of my cats likes to give you a bump on the forehead with her head. Then the routine is to give you a gentle little nibble on the end of your nose. She doesn't bite, just nibbles.

She was a biter when I first got her. With time and patience, I've pretty much been able to stop the biting behavior by correcting her every time she does it and by saying NO BITING.

I am trying to break her of clawing the new bed in the other room. Yesterday, I removed her from the room after she did it. She has not repeated that behavior that she KNOWS I DO NOT LIKE IT since yesterday. I yell at her, NO! NO CLAWING when she claws something that she should not claw and I have those cardboard scratching pads in abundance in the house for her to use.

Maybe you can try to correct her and change this behavior as no one would care to adopt her if something were to happen to you and they found out about this incident. I would remove her from the room if she does this again and do it every single time she does it with loud yelling and saying NO CLAWING!! It might work.

I hope you are better soon and please, keep a close watch on your eye. :hug:

[SPedigrees]

26. Training cats is sort of like trying to train the tides or the winds.

Cats paw or claw at their owners to communicate a need. Better to understand cat language than to modify behavior. Cats are not social animals like dogs and horses and they are not motivated to follow a leader.

It would be more efficient and kinder to lock kitty out of the bedroom if necessary than to waste one's vocal chords yelling. I suspect though that the claw in the eye was a freak accident unlikely to ever happen again in the lifetime of cat or owner, akin to walking into a tree branch. I've slept with many generations of kitties in my 60 yrs and never gotten a claw in the eye. It could happen, but so could a slip in the bathtub or slicing my finger while dicing onions.

[CountAllVotes]

28. I do not agree with that at all

cats can be trained. I have three of them and they all know what the word NO means. They also no what NO CLAWING means.

The biting habit was a difficult one to break but she knows what NO BITING means.

It works on some cats, not all of them as they are creatures of their own making but it is possible to get them to do some things. Take away that food bowl and they learn pretty fast what the word NO means. :)

[Roon]

57. I used to know a lady that would whistle for her outdoor cats

she would whistle like she is calling dogs and her cats would come running...so cute..

[Mike K]

18. You are the victim of your own gentle nature.

A cat's claws are weapons as well as tools and they are well aware of that. A cat should be taught early on that using its weapons or its tools to motivate its human is not permitted and the way to impart that lesson is exactly as its mother cat would do it -- by thumping.

Anyone who has ever kept and observed a litter of kittens has seen the mother quite naturally discipline her brood by thumping those who misbehave, and the soundness of the thumping occurs in proportion to the severity of the offense. Your cats should have learned long ago that you do not tolerate the use of their claws on you for any reason. I have two big, healthy male cats, a Maine Coon and a Tuxedo, neither of whom ever use their claws in the house except on their scratching posts. They know better.

Failure to impart that lesson could have cost you your eye -- or worse.

[CountAllVotes]

21. how does a human "thump" a fully grown cat?

I have another cat, a rescue case, and he is not very friendly and he will bite you if you try to pick him up and put him in a cat carrier. He has been this way since day #1.

Otherwise, he is amiable enough and doesn't bite or claw in the house.

It is his personality, or lack thereof I should say.

Frankly, he frightens me as he weighs close to 25 lbs. I can't "thump" him whatever that entails. (??)

Let me know how you go about doing this with a fully grown tomcat that is about 10 years old. God knows I dread the day that I have to take him to a veterinarian. :(

[Mike K]

49. It is possible for the thumping technique to be used -

- with some mature cats but only after the cat has been conditioned to regard and accept your authority as representing its source of nourishment, comfort, protection and affection. While that awareness is easy to establish with a kitten it can take much longer with a mature cat and might never take effect. It really depends on the cat.

I recently watched an Animal Planet documentary of a shelter where Sumatran and Siberian tigers are raised from cubs. The tigers' caretakers are seen thumping them on their noses when they misbehave, from the tiniest cubs to fully grown animals when they get too rough during play. It is absolutely amazing to see these 500 - 600 pound cats respond like scolded kittens. But the key factor is these tigers have been raised from newborn cubs by these caretakers whom they regard as their parent authorities and to whom they are instinctually subordinate.

Your cat obviously regards the carrier as a source of either punishment or some other bad experience. I suggest that you alter that fixation by placing his food and other treats in there. If he refuses at first to go in there don't give in to him. When he gets hungry enough he will go in. Just keep putting fresh food in there so he can smell it and be tempted. If he's amenable he eventually will come to regard the carrier as a source of pleasure rather than whatever other impression he's formed over time.

As far as thumping him is concerned, a thump is not necessarily painful nor does it need to be. It is a signal, a message in cat language that something is not tolerable. It can start as a simple tap on the nose area delivered with a stern verbal warning and graduating in intensity until the desired effect is achieved. In the case of your big fellow, once he bonds with you his instincts should dictate his response to your authority.

Another technique you can try is scruffing. Some people think that lifting a cat by the scruff of its neck is cruel when in fact it is not and is the method used by a mother cat to move her kittens from one place to another. So when you lift a cat by the scruff of its neck you'll notice it goes limp because an instinctual mechanism operates to trigger that effect. It might not work with your 25 pounder but it's worth a try: Gather the loose skin at the back of his neck (scruff), experimentally lift and observe his reaction to it.

[Berry Cool]

53. I would NEVER pick up a cat by the scruff of the neck.

It IS cruel. Yes, mother cats carry their kittens that way, but how the hell else can they carry them? They also know how to do it without hurting them. People do not. Not to mention which, a grown cat is way heavier than a kitten.

Cats should always be lifted with proper support around the body and at the bottom. "Scruffing" is a complete NEVER. A 25-pound cat? Please!

[Mike K]

73. Scruffing is effective because it evokes an -

-instinctual response of total submission. While it might be uncomfortable for an adult cat I have never seen an indication that it is painful. Of course I'm not recommending that you pick up a cat by the scruff and swing it around.

I have a fourteen pound tuxedo cat (he used to weigh sixteen pounds but he's on a diet). He tends to misbehave now and then by harrassing his companion Maine Coon who is a sedate older fellow. At such times I pick him up by the scruff and he goes totally limp. I scold him and when I put him down he always runs to the cellar and hides for hours, apparently in shame.

While I'm quite sure that cats would rather not be scruffed I disagree that it's cruel. If the cat is particularly heavy it's not necessary to lift its full weight off the floor. Just lift its forelegs until its rear legs are nearly off the floor. Raise it until it goes limp, then scold it. You'll achieve the same effect.

[Diclotican]

55. Mike K

Mike K

YES I KNOW, the scruffing thing.. Had an big ugly, crancy old cat, who I herritaged from a nabour becouse he moved, and I could not just let the the old cat go out in the wintertime. He was big, and rather undfriendly of him, and it was allways a fight of who was the boss.. But when I first deared to scruffing him, and talkt to him in a stern voice, he just got limb, and the big boss of the world, was a little kitten again.. He could try to fight me as he dosen't liked it a all, but he had no shoice when I first got my hand around his neck.. And after a couple of times he got the idea when to fight, and when to give up and live with the indignety..

For the most part he was out anyway, but sometimes, when it was to cold outside, he wanted in for the night, and then he got some food, and got to bed in the living rom, where he slept true the night, and when I awake he got some food, and then he wanted out, and was out to when he got in again.. And he could be out for weeks at a time, specially in the summertime...

Dam, I miss both him, and the other cats I have had, even tho its 2 year since I have had any animal in my home - allergy did that
:( But if It is positle I would have a cat again... They are lovely animals, who also is amazing animals, if you just get to know a cat, they can be so gently and kind to you... And they know WELL to play you, to get a good life... All my cats over the years have know that well... Some of them little to well:evilgrin: And some of them is also smart ones... Really smart ones, scary smart ones

Diclotican

[freeplessinseattle]

37. ever heard of a spray bottle of water? n/t

[Mike K]

51. Spraying a cat with water -

- will be effective to some extent but it remains an external signal, as opposed to an internal (imbedded instinct) signal. As such the cat will not retentively associate the water spray with the offensive behavior as readily as it will respond to being thumped -- because that's how it's mama laid the law down.

In other words, talk to the cat in cat language. They understand (and accept) it much more readily than the human language of sprayed water.

[Are_grits_groceries]

20. Poking her paw at me isn't a habit of hers.

I was extremely surprised as was she when she saw my reaction. She didn't realize that I could curse that long and not repeat anything.

[wroberts189]

47. I do not think she will ever do anything like that again...

If she knew she screwed up bad she will know better. Yelling will send them a message.

It all depends on the cat. But they do know the difference between paw and claw. They just make mistakes in their use. I have one that will take out one single claw and jab me just enough to wake me up.

[Diclotican]

54. wroberts189

wroberts189

Or they just bite you, gently at the noose... or like one of my kittns did attac the dam toe who was realy interesting - and the most easy thing to get to after coming up in the bed...

I still miss them, all tre kitten of them.. And if I could, I would have had them, all 4 of them mother and the kittens, who by now is 2 year old.. and grown up.. but life is not what you want now and then... :-(

Diclotican

[wroberts189]

61. kittens are the worst in the morning.. they see you as a matriarch...

The one that puts food in the dish.

I can connect the dots... I wish you the best and always know that things can change.

I always tell people there are actually three constants not two ... death, taxes, ..and change. And it it not always the bad type of change.

Hollow words perhaps, but I still believe one can go up as easily as down. It is just a matter of figuring out the damn puzzle that traps you in the box.

There is a way out of the box. But it is up to you to "think out of the box" ... God speed.


On edit ... you will have more kitties :) I can sense it.

[Diclotican]

74. wroberts189

wroberts189

Yes I know, and I had the pleasure of being with them, from the day they was born, In fact they was born on my sofa, thankfully I is an sofa easy to clean.. Vesla (tiny one as she was known) was just blomping out 3 living kitten, and to dead ones who I buried under a tree in the yard, and I had the pleasure to have them right up to the day I had to give them away because they was big enough, and my allergy was more or less killing me.. It was amazing to se how they was growing up, and they trusted me as "one of them".. Even their mother trusted my 100 percent I believe. She was always out in the evening when the kitten was little older, to do what she wanted to do some hour.. And in the time between I had to protect and to be there for them... And usually they made a mess with doing that they wanted to do, and not even thinking of listing to what I had to say about what they did:P.. I called them the local MOB because of it.. But they also was kind and gentle, and when they tired they tend to go up in the sofa, and curl around me, when I was looking at the TV... So I guess I was trustworthy after all... Then she often got home, and had a mouse or something that they could play with.. Poor little mouse I say... But its learning by doing I guess for the cats...

The only time they don't do that, was when my nabours dog wanted to se what happened inside and he was coming in as a whirlwind.. But he was faster out than in, because "mom" was there and she doesn't want a big dog in the vicinity of her kitten.. She blow up to a hairball - with a lot of teath, and the poor dog was out the door faster than he got in, he almost was flying out the door.. And it was an German Shepard so it was not a little one either:) And even today the poor dog is suspicious when coming inside, because he remember well when he had to fly out because of the cat:P

Yes I know about the tree constants.. You is born, you pay taxes you die... And also change.. Hopefully I can have an animal in the future, but for the moment I'm better off without an animal I guess.. It is always a way out of the box, it is not always easy to find the dam way out of the box then.. But it there and I have just to find it some how..

Well you might be right, I some what enjoy to be "father" to the Small bastards who made my life so much richer because they was there, and because they did so many "stupid" things.. Like climb up my bar legs to get to my home office, to play with the mouse and so on.. And one of them was really, really interesting in what I did also.. Even the shy one, who was an beautifully cat by the way, was climbing up to se even that he often just was lying between the keyboard and the PC monitor to be near some.. He was a gentle cat, but rather shy compared to the two sisters, who was really hooligans in and out of home... An nabour, who HATED the cats often got a visitation from the kitten, who then was given him a little "thanks for loving us" in the flower bed:P.. yes I know I should have stooped it, but he was an ass with my dam cat so I cind of "Looked the other way" when they did it:P And the mother was the one who showed it to them anyway.. She could do her tricks to folks who she doesn't liked:P

Diclotican

[Tumbulu]

23. I am so sorry about your eye

this happened to me 30 years ago and my eye was damaged. I have a high risk of blindness in that eye, to the point that I am advised against running or jumping or doing anything that might jar it. Please take care of yourself and please consider keeping the cats out of your bedroom at night.

I am glad that you got medical help, even though it will cost so much.

[CountAllVotes]

25. wow, that is intense

and yes, I agree with you now - keep that cat out of the bedroom at night! Yikes.

I had no idea it could be so very serious! :(

[dionysus]

42. LOL "keep that cat out of the bedroom at night" works in theory, not in practice.

unless, of course, you can sleep through constant scratching\meowing at the door.
:rofl:

[davsand]

52. "...keep that cat out of the bedroom at night..."? Good LUCK with that.

Let me know how that works out for you. You planning on giving up sleep or something?

:eyes:


Bwaa-haaaa!



Laura

[Diclotican]

76. davsand

davsand

My grown up accepted to a limit a no go zone in the bed, even tho i suspected they was in the bed when I was not home.. But they was smarter to move out when I was coming than I was to discover them - But not the male I had once, he was old when I "got him" and he just could not care less if I was standing there to tell him to get out... And he as BIG too so not easy to just shoo out of bed if he was not in the mood to leave:P But when I got the hang of it, I managed to get him out of bed mostly. I had just to trick him out.... Usaly some treat was enough for him... He was allways thinking with his

The femal cats I had - they for some reason was coming to me as an "Second home" when some of my nabours dosen't had the door up when they was going to bed, was smarter. They liked to be there when I was going to bed - and really dosent want me to read in bed as I often do, its is one of my few places where I can read withouth someone, something to disturb me.. And then they was lying there, ti i got to sleep, and then they tend to go out in the living room, to sleep there the rest of the night.. In the morning they ws up, at 6AM and wake me up, to take them out.. Then they oftjen was out, or going home to their own homes for the day, and then come back to me when they was looked out again:P...

Even tho I know my allergy is not good when having cat - my last cat was given away becouse of it.. I still want a cat, or an animal to have hime... But time wil show.. Not its spring, with all the "pleasure" that is giving us who have allergy so I guess its not to be this year anyway

Diclotican

[NNN0LHI]

29. Sorry to hear about your accident grits

I hope your eye starts feeling better soon. I know an injured eye can hurt real bad.

Take it easy.

Don

[kestrel91316]

32. Get ahold of some cat claw clippers and keep those tips blunted

every couple of weeks so they aren't NEEDLES, lol.

[NNN0LHI]

67. I got an old puddy cat here with nails sharp as a fishing hook and ...

... I think he would rather die than scratch me. Even accidentally. He is about 14 now and he has never scratched or bit me even one time. I give him baths and everything. He is just gentle as he can be.

Best puddy I have ever owned. Purrs me, my wife and the dogs to sleep every night. He loves dogs. He always did. After our first two dogs passed away we had raised with him he went into an obvious deep depression. Crying all the time. Looking everywhere for his dogs. He wouldn't even sleep. It was really sad.

Until we got him two more dogs and everything has been great for him since. Just like before.

Don

[MadMaddie]

36. A seeing eye cat would probably "screw" with you to let you

know who rules the roost.

Glad you are okay.

[Cleita]

44. Be grateful she didn't bite you.

I'm just healing from a trip to the ER after mine bit me. My arm swelled up like a balloon from the infection. I've had to take a course of antibiotics and topical treatment to get the wound to drain. I hope your eye gets better and maybe you need to keep Scat shut out of the bedroom until you get up so that there isn't a recurrence. Cats seem to go for the same area when their paws are looking for your attention.

[sfpcjock]

45. Wow sorry.

I felt like a stupe getting an ambulance ride for 3 blocks from the RV park to Barton Hospital while vacationing in South Lake Tahoe. Turns out even in '07 BEFORE Anthem picked up Blue Cross of California at the Wall St. stock Bazaar, they don't pay for them. It's all BS. Make sure you let people know how screwed up we are today. This is frankly ridiculous, to quote Newtie.

I hope you are well now. If it's any consolation, I would have gone too.

BTW, a year ago I lost my best friend at 27 because his insurance would not cover a very rare Wilson's Disease condition. His life was tossed on the ash heap of some CEO 14th gated Summer home. More here, you are interested:

http://MichaelWieser.blogspot.com

We do not need profit-making insurance companies who add 25% to the cost of health care. Medicare does it for 3%.

[KathieG]

48. Ouch. I know how you feel...my cat tore the conjunctival membrane out of my eye when he was a kitten

...I was laying on the sofa and he tried to jump up and snagged the corner of my eye. Painful. I had to do the whole antibiotic thing and I had to wear an eye patch for a week Arrgh.

[applegrove]

58. A window closed on my cat once. I rescued him and he repaid

me by biting the hell out of my thumb.It got so infected it hurt terribly. You did the right thing.

[raccoon]

60. I'm glad it turned out to be just a minor injury. Sorry that happened to you.

:hug:


I think you made the right choice.

[laylah]

62. If your hospital is a non-profit,

you might qualify for forgiveness of the debt or a drastic reduction. My hospital er did that for the s.o. (over $4k), and for me a couple of times. It would be worth checking into. Get well soon :hug:

[gmoney]

66. Ouch!

that sucks... hope you're OK now.

[Contrary1]

68. While on the subject of kitty claws and eyes...

A couple of years ago, my left eye felt like something was in it. I figured it would resolve itself. It didn't. After a couple days, I called my ophthalmologist, and he saw me right away.

Evidently, the last time I had clipped my cats' claws, a tiny nail fragment flew into my eye. I never felt a thing, until it got lodged under my eyelid. It had scratched the cornea.

So be careful. Them kitties are dangerous, I tell ya. :)

[nadinbrzezinski]

72. I hope that both of you will do fine

and that is one advantage as to parrots sleeping habits. Since they are in cage, they just screech.

When tuky was around he used to do things like that though... and cookie did that to my hubby, sans sending him to the ER. Mr Houdini (Parrot) got out of cage, and wondered to room, climbed and started nibbling on ear until he woke up, and then made his ahem... escape... to a closed cage.