Tag Archives: scratching

Diary of a Cat Care B&B: I’m Not a Scratching Post (But I Play One on TV)

Maybe the heat is making our guests at the cats-only boarding facility a little cranky. Whatever the reason, I’ve been playing the role of scratching post at work lately! I won’t post pictures of my injuries, but just to tally them up: I have an inch-long bite mark on my left wrist, a three inch claw mark on my left forearm, two half-inch claw marks on the inside of my right forearm, three scratches on my chest, a two inch claw mark on the front of my left shoulder and a few more scrapes on the back of my left … Continue reading →

Diary of a Cat Care B&B: Not-So-Accidental Injuries

Accidental injuries, I’m relatively all right with. Wrong place, wrong time, nobody’s fault. Those not-so-accidental injuries? Those, I feel bad about. My right side seems to have taken the brunt of the lessons in cat behavior. My first scratch and bite combo came from a cat named Chuck who wasn’t very happy when I put him down on the scale. The scratch went from knuckles to elbow, and it looks like the part on the back of my hand will be a lingering scar. This was most definitely an intentional wounding. But it was also a case of me not … Continue reading →

To Declaw or Not to Declaw, That is the Question

My husband and I have been spoiled. Mr. Meow, who we found at our apartment complex after he’d been abandoned almost eight years ago, came to us declawed. (His front claws at least. He still has his back ones.) Now we’ve got Tabby. Not only did she come to us pregnant, she came intact with all her claws, front and back. It’s been somewhat of an adjustment. When Mr. Meow “makes biscuits” (kneads) our bellies, it’s a pleasant feeling. When Tabby does it…ouch! When she got spayed, they trimmed her nails. That was nice! But that was over a month … Continue reading →

How To Stop A Cat From Scratching People

A cat scratch or bite can turn into a serious injury, so the best thing you can do as a responsible cat owner is prevent a scratch from happening! Cats aren’t known for being easy to train, but it isn’t impossible. The first thing you should try to do is figure out why your cat is scratching people (or other cats). If she is doing it out of fear or pain, that’s a very different story! If she is being forced to do something she doesn’t want to do or something that hurts, you can expect a scratch — that’s … Continue reading →

How To Stop A Cat From Scratching Furniture

We’ve got a discussion going on over in the Pets Forum about a cat who is scratching the furniture. A lot of cat owners and cat lovers have come forward with different suggestions — including declawing. While we could debate the positives and negatives of declawing an indoor cat all day… there are plenty of other options to consider. Cats scratch. From the tamest house cat to the wild cheetah, all cats scratch. It is just part of their instinctive, natural behavior. Scratching does three things for a cat — it marks their territory, it keeps nails in shape, and … Continue reading →