Cat Pedicure

MarkAnthony

Our beloved furry baby has recently moved from a tiny 1 bed apartment to a three bedroom house and now has free run of the back garden, where as before he was strictly an in door cat. We've microchipped etc but he doesn't wander far (at the moment). He has a habit of heading over to our neighbours who both have dogs. He's a scardy cat and will leg it at great speed at the first sound he's not familiar with so we've let him wander a bit. The problem is I've always trimmed his claws for him as he never got the opportunity to wear them down.

He's obviously just got a fright and ripped out two of his back claws and badly roughed up a few of the front ones. I don't think he needs to go to the vet but I'll watch him over night and if it looks any way infected I'll of course take him. Any suggestions for the future though? I don't really want to keep trimming him in case he needs them to escape/defend himself outside. Should I keep trimming? Should I keep him in doors as he's been in doors for 5 years? He really seems to like going outside and it's doing his fatness levels some good! (I know, I know but the wife feeds him despite my protests).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

EDIT: anything I should do now? I was thinking of rubbing in some germaline but he'll probably lick it off!

Maxs mum

I don't know whether Germoline is safe for cats but if it is I think you are right about him licking it off. I think you would be best going to the vet, he might need an antibiotic or even a painkiller - its got to hurt if he'd ripped out two claws. Something similar happened to a cat of mine years ago - I think she was chased up a tree by dogs (at least thats where I found her, up a tree in a neighbours garden). She was quite overweight I think that increased the burden on the claws as she scrambled up. The only other thing you might want to consider, some claw injurys can be the result of a road accident. Have you checked for other injuries?

MarkAnthony

Thankfully he doesn't go near the road. The local kids chase him (trying to cuddle him!) so he stays in the gardens. I gave him a good check over, just the claws, he doesn't seem to be in too much pain, he's himself but I'll definitely keep an eye on him. I'll give the vets a call tomorrow and see if they think I should bring him in.

Thanks very much for the reply!

MarkAnthony

He doesn't seem to bothered but now I'm going to have to change the bed! :pac:

https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/734153/363509.jpg

Maxs mum

That is a big cat though I'm sure the camera angle is adding to it LOL! Cats heal quickly so hopefully his claws will mend on their own. I have 4 cats and the only one whose claws I have to trim is the oldest and that's because she prefers to stay in most of the time so she doesn't wear them down. Now that he is going out and about you probably won't need to cut them very often at all. He looks like he can definitely look after himself alright.

MarkAnthony

Maxs mum wrote: »

That is a big cat though I'm sure the camera angle is adding to it LOL! Cats heal quickly so hopefully his claws will mend on their own. I have 4 cats and the only one whose claws I have to trim is the oldest and that's because she prefers to stay in most of the time so she doesn't wear them down. Now that he is going out and about you probably won't need to cut them very often at all. He looks like he can definitely look after himself alright.

He's such a softy!

Maxs mum

That's what they want us to believe. They've got dual personalities, did you ever watch Gremlins? That is your basic domestic feline, sort of. One minute cuddly and genuinely sweet and the next you come home from and there's rabbit fur, two back legs and an eyeball left in the kitchen. They have this hidden wild nature.

FelineOverLord

MarkAnthony wrote: »

He doesn't seem to bothered but now I'm going to have to change the bed! :pac:

https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/734153/363509.jpg

Jesus:eek: For a second there I honestly thought I was looking at our cat Felix. No Joke.

mymo

Maxs mum wrote: »

That's what they want us to believe. They've got dual personalities, did you ever watch Gremlins? That is your basic domestic feline, sort of. One minute cuddly and genuinely sweet and the next you come home from and there's rabbit fur, two back legs and an eyeball left in the kitchen. They have this hidden wild nature.

My kitchen last weekend!

Why do they always leave a small red wobbly bit, and what is it? They eat damn near everything else.
I buy my worm tablets in bulk now!

Maxs mum

Seems to be rat season here at the moment. I've just got in and there's a big dead rat in the living room. They got another smaller one this morning before I left for work and one on Saturday. The small red wobbly bit you they leave could be the stomach maybe. They usually leave this sack filled with greeny black digested yuck, sometimes its contained and sometimes I have to get the 1001 carpet cleaner on it because spilled over the hearth rug. I also buy monthly wormers - thank God for milbemax. It was only after one of them vomited up a tapeworm that I realized 3 monthly wasn't enough.