The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Paws The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Paws
Showing posts with label Paws. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paws. Show all posts

Sunday, September 30, 2018

Tips on Trimming Your Cat's Claws


Trimming your cat's nails is the humane answer to declawing. The best time to trim your cat's nails is when your cat is  relaxed or sleepy. Never try to trim your cat’s nails right after a stressful experience or an energetic round of play.

The Humane Society of the United States says, trimming a cat's claws every few weeks is an important part of maintaining your pet's health and protects him, you, your family and visitors as well as the sofa, curtains and other furniture.


The more regularly you clip the claws the less anxious the cat will get. Always reward your cat with a treat when you are finished. Keep a barber's styptic pen or styptic powder handy in case you accidentally cut into the quick. If this should happen, apply the powder to the nail to stop the bleeding.

                 Gently press the cat's toe pads to reveal sharp nails in need of a trim.



                                   Trimming cat's nail diagram showing the quick



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Friday, August 24, 2018

How to Prevent Cat Scratching


Cats were born to scratch, and they have the tools to do it with too. The best first step is to keep your cat's claws trimmed. I do not support declawing cats, but I am a big proponent of good grooming, starting with regular nail trims every few weeks or as needed. Kitties sometimes get their claws stuck in things (including your favorite furniture), so trimming your pet's nails is good for your pet as well.

Provide your cat with a good scratcher, be it a simple cardboard one, a small flat sisal board or a larger kitty tower. Some of the latter are really beautiful these days, coming in furniture-grade wood that will enhance your home's decor while making your cat happy.

Sometimes, however, cats just get in a bad habit. If your cat is set on scratching a certain favorite item, here are some of the latest types of no-scratch products that are available:

Cat-scratch prevention tape with medical-grade adhesive: Prevention tape has been around for a long time, but manufacturers are coming up with improved adhesives that really adhere to furniture and annoy cats. They usually won't harm fabrics and more delicate materials.

Cardboard scratchers combined with mazes: The simple cardboard scratcher, found even in many large grocery stores, has received a makeover. Some manufacturers have added a maze game to the bottom of it, making it doubly satisfying for your cat.

Scratchers in cat-friendly shapes: Some new scratchers are shaped like waves, bridges and even beds, providing your pet with something to climb on, explore and scratch.

Automated cat-deterrents: My favorite new gizmos are automated cat-deterrents, which have motion detectors. Once they detect that your cat is nearby, they automatically spray a harmless, nontoxic spray that most cats abhor. You just set up the device and forget about it until the spray runs out. Refills are then available. These can be used to prevent cats from urinating on carpeting and from doing other unwanted things.

Lastly, buy furniture with your cat in mind. Microfiber and some other materials are not as easy for cats to dig their claws into. And if you often hold your cat, it will no doubt prefer to knead on you. Sometimes needy cats are more kneady on furniture, so give your cat the attention it craves, and better behavior often results.






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Monday, November 13, 2017

Does Your Pet Have an Extra Toe? – It is Called a Dewclaw


I will start off first by identifying the additional toe that your pet has…it is not a toe as I have heard people say, it is call a dewclaw.

What is a Dewclaw?

A dewclaw, commonly referred to as a Dog's thumb, is a vestigial digit  on the foot of many mammals, birds, and reptiles (including some extinct orders, like certain theropods). It commonly grows high on the leg so that in digitigrade species, when the animal is standing, it does not make contact with the ground. Dewclaws are perhaps best known in dogs, and they are often removed in young puppies, though there is debate on whether this is necessary.

I was first told about a dewclaw from my vet when I took my puppy to get shots. I asked him why he had an extra toe. He informed me that it was not a toe….”dogs don’t have toes”, he said. Then he got serious and explained what a dewclaw was and that I had the choice to have it removed. Because my dogs fur covered their dewclaws he told me to always call it to the attention of the groomer.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)  says, don’t forget to trim your dog’s dewclaws as well. Most dogs just have dewclaws on their front legs, but some dogs have one, and sometimes even two, sets of dewclaws on their rear legs. If your dog doesn’t have dewclaws on his front legs, he had them surgically removed earlier in his life.

                                   
What do you if your dogs dewclaw broke and hanging?

Do not pull or cut unless you can see that it is almost not attached. It is preferable to bandage the part of the leg for giving time to it falls by itself.
Veterinarian Chevy Chase, MD



Polydactyl Cats

A polydactyl cat is a cat with a congenital physical anomaly called polydactyly (or polydactylism, also known as hyperdactyly), a type of cat body type genetic mutation that causes the cat to be born with more than the usual number of toes on one or more of its paws. Cats with this genetically inherited trait are most commonly found along the East Coast of North America (in the United States and Canada) and in South West England and Wales.





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Tips on Trimming Your Cat's Claws


Trimming your cat's nails is the humane answer to declawing. The best time to trim your cat's nails is when your cat is  relaxed or sleepy. Never try to trim your cat’s nails right after a stressful experience or an energetic round of play.

The Humane Society of the United States says, trimming a cat's claws every few weeks is an important part of maintaining your pet's health and protects him, you, your family and visitors as well as the sofa, curtains and other furniture.


The more regularly you clip the claws the less anxious the cat will get. Always reward your cat with a treat when you are finished. Keep a barber's styptic pen or styptic powder handy in case you accidentally cut into the quick. If this should happen, apply the powder to the nail to stop the bleeding.

Gently press the cat's toe pads to reveal sharp nails in need of a trim.



                       Trimming cat's nail diagram showing the quick



Videos:





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Thursday, January 15, 2015

New York State May Be First to Outlaw Declawing of All Cats


New York could be the first state to issue a statewide ban on declawing of domestic, exotic and wild cats.

The law is being pushed by Manhattan Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, who's an advocate fighting against the mistreatment of animals.

To read more on this story, click here: New York State May Be First to Outlaw Declawing of All Cats FOLLOW US!
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