Huck and Holden, the 14- and 15-pound tomcats of Roseholme Cottage, continue to romp and wrestle during their dawn and dusk playtimes. Lacking any prey larger than the occasional spider, the Broad Ripple Miniature Biting Tiger and the Floof Lion of SoBro fight pretty rough -- so far, neither has been cut or scratched, and while Huck is more than willing to bite an ear, he has refrained from biting through.
Nevertheless, they are wery well armed and I try to keep their front claws trimmed. (Back claws are more difficult.) They don't enjoy it; Holden is minded to bite, though he can be jollied out of it, and Huck complains quite piteously. The trick is to get the subject fairly relaxed, then start in and get the claws trimmed before they quite figure out what's going on.
Treats follow a successful nail-trimming, and the more often the cats have a manicure, the more likely they are to remember that. Maybe someday, I'll even get them to not minding a rear-feet claw trim.
Update
17 hours ago
2 comments:
Our house-tigers usually require two people, and a bath towel.
Except when they are really loving Big Cat(Carolyn), and then they just whine a bit while she holds them and does the clipping.
She bought some new style of clipper that's faster, easier, and obviously more expensive. Worth it, I guess.
We cheat. The local pet salon charges $5 to do the deed and there are no hard feelings afterward; at least not directed at my favorite wife & I.
Actually I suspect the old bugger doesn't really care that much but feels the need for a pro forma objection. He didn't even complain when my favorite wife took him in for a bath.
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