ot...cat question

[here757]

i have this cat.. tonkinese! hes declawed , strictly housecat.
no flames he came declawed.

anyhow today he scratched my daughters face pretty bad. thought she might have needed stitches.

i remember seeing at the pet store these colorful caps that can be put over his back claws. they are glued on..

anyhow.. anyone have any experience with them. i really do not want to get rid of the cat. but i cant let him claw my children.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Sorry, but the only time I have ever had a problem with a cat that is declawed in front was if I was doing something very terrible to the cat and it was trying to get away. These included trying to wash a paw under running water after I had the cat "sign" a greeting card using stamp pad in, or was carrying the cat in a way that was very uncomfortable for the cat or something similar.

 

[marlynnp]

I've heard they don't stay on long.

And it sounds more like a child problem than a cat problem. What was your daughter doing to the cat??? I can't imagine any normal scenario that would have a cat scratching someone's face with a rear paw or paws.

 

[Hannathy]

What was she doing that his back claws were near her face?

That is pretty hard to have happen. Was she holding him and he wanted down?

I would say don't get your face near his back feet. Sorry but I have had cats for 50 yrs and the only time I have been scratched by back claws if if I was holding them and they wanted down, like going to the vets or giving a pill to.

 

[si-am]

I agree it sounds like a child problem. No need to think about getting rid of the cat over it.

 

[ZehnJahren]

(Edited since we know it was the cat crazies that was occurring, not any child behavior issue)

As for the cat claw tips, they do work. Depending on your skill in applying them, they may only last a week, or they may last 2 months. I would suggest calling your vet's office; I know around here a vet's office will be willing to put them on for you, making them last longer.

 

[englishteacha]

I hate to agree with the other posters here, but I can't see any situation in which the cat would voluntarily have himself in a position that would allow him to scratch a child's face with his hind claws. Unless it was an accident and the child's face were near the cat's hind end, and the cat got startled or something, I see no reason for the cat's back paws to be by the child's face, unless the child were holding him that way. I got scratched by our cat's back claws only once, when I was trying to hold her so DH could check her paw, as she was limping. She jerked her back paw away from him and got my arm in the process.

 

[here757]

woah.. kinda suprised yall chose to blame the child instead of asking..
to answer the question.
the child was standingin the den infront of the baby gate facing into the kitchen, she had been in the den for about 20 minutes before the episode.
the cat came running like a bat out of hell from upstairs and attempted to jump the gate and enter the den. the child was just unfortunate enough to be standing there..

before its asked... there was noone upstairs. my other children were in the den sitting on the sofa watching tv.

 

[Hannathy]

the child was just unfortunate enough to be standing there..

I think you just summed it up beautifully!!! It was an unfortunate accident. It was no ones fault and certainly not the cats.

I wouldn't rush to do anything like the clips, chances are the accident that happened will never happen again in the cats lifetime.

When you have a cat accidental scratches are going to happen. I.m sorry you child got hurt but in this case it really wasn't on purpose by the cat.

 

[dakcp2001]

Did you witness this event or is this what your daughter told you?

 

[here757]

Did you witness this event or is this what your daughter told you?

my husband. my 9 year old and myself witnessed it,
the child is only 2.5, she was too busy cryin to tell any stories

 

[pigletto]

How likely is that to happen again? I mean is she normally that skittish? Because honestly it seems like a case of wrong place at the wrong time and not something that is likely to happen more than once.

 

[dakcp2001]

She must then have the worst luck ever! Freak accident. It is pretty hard to get scratched 1. by a declawed cat and 2. from the hind feet

I think the odds are against this ever happening again. Something must have spooked the kitty.

 

[SaraJayne]

If you want to keep the cats back claws trimmed, you can purchase a pair of cat clippers and trim the back nails.

That is what we do to our cats back claws when they get too long and sharp and she starts to scratch our legs when she gets off our laps.

We got our clippers at the vet for $7 or $8, but I'm sure you could find them at Petco or someplace similar. Only cut a small amount off, to allow the blood vessels to recede back in the claws.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

If you want to keep the cats back claws trimmed, you can purchase a pair of cat clippers and trim the back nails.

That is what we do to our cats back claws when they get too long and sharp and she starts to scratch our legs when she gets off our laps.

We got our clippers at the vet for $7 or $8, but I'm sure you could find them at Petco or someplace similar. Only cut a small amount off, to allow the blood vessels to recede back in the claws.

This would be my suggestion.

Some high energy cats have what the comic writer of Get Fuzzy describes as "nightly freakouts". Our Maine Coon cat has always had these and still does at the ripe old age of 12. You can get scratched just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time when he's tearing through the house, bouncing off of things.

Trim the claws and/or stock up on hydrogen peroxide and antibiotic cream.

 

[SaraJayne]

This would be my suggestion.

Some high energy cats have what the comic writer of Get Fuzzy describes as "nightly freakouts". Our Maine Coon cat has always had these and still does at the ripe old age of 12. You can get scratched just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time when he's tearing through the house, bouncing off of things.

Trim the claws and/or stock up on hydrogen peroxide and antibiotic cream.

Yup, our kitty has a nightly freakout. My Mom said the kitty that lives in the apartment above her does, too.

 

[jmunutt]

We call it an attack of the stupids and all of my cats have it at one time or another.

OP, I'm sorry your daughter was scratched on the face. I hope you can find a solution that works for your family to keep an accident like this happening again.

BTW, I have used the soft paws before, but only on the front paws. Most all of my cats don't like to be touched on the paws, especially the back ones.

 

[ZehnJahren]

Yep, our cat has what I affectionately call the "cat crazies." Can strike at any time of the day or night. He'll just be sitting and relaxing, and suddenly he tears out of the room and up the stairs. Or he'll be sleeping soundly on his cat tree upstairs and suddenly leap into the air and haul butt downstairs to hide behind the washer and dryer.

We get a great laugh out of it; his scratching your baby was definitely a freak accident. I've had my cat for over 12 years now and have been in the way for many of his cat crazies, but never been scratched. I never trim my cat's claws as I would completely freak him out and possibly hurt him as well since I'm bad at it, but if he was a scratcher (and he's not), I'd get the nail caps for him. If you're going to try it at home, wrap the kitten in a towel to protect yourself from him if he's skittish; otherwise, try the vet.

 

[cluvsdisney]

My cat gets the cat crazies a few times a week that I get to witness. she caught me with her hind claws a few times as she leaps from one piece of furniture to another in a single bound.

OP, I am sorry your aughter was scratched and hope she is doing ok now. I think you are looking for Soft Paws. They are caps you can put on the cats nails which would reduce the damage caused by their claws. Good luck!!!

 

[MomToOne]

I have used Soft Paws on our cat. The biggest issue is that you have to be able to handle your cats claws for them to work - I've had some cats where this would have been impossible, but our current cat is fine with it. You need to trim the claw first, then you just basically super-glue them on. When the nail naturally sheds, the cover will come off with the nail and you will have to put on a new one - usually they last 4-6 weeks on my cat.