So, that happened.

[cupcake_goth]

Last night, in the process of trimming Ruthven's back claws, one of them was cut to the quick. That was a LOT of blood, which freaked me and the Stroppy One out. Plus, y'know, feeling like THE WORST CAT MOM EVER. After much Googling, we put some cornstarch on the cut, and that helped stop the bleeding. But between the freaking out and the crying (see previous, WORST CAT MOM EVER), I figured working from home today was a good plan. Which, it was. I'm being productive, AND I can keep an eye on Ruthven. Who, it should be noted, is frisking and scampering around just like always, thank goodness.

So yeah, crying hangover. Ugh. Plus other cryptic, nebulous stuff that is going on. Which means I'm going to try and concentrate on good things now, in an attempt to reboot my mood.

- julzerator gave me a paperweight with a tiny brown bat encased in it! He is the cutest thing ever, and his name is George.

- My dress for the Vampire Ball is DONE! (Except for the buttons.) And it is AWESOME. The Infamous BlueJay outdid herself, once again.

- The Infamous BlueJay also brought over homemade chocolate-hazelnut shortbread cookies. So, so tasty!

- The Vampire Ball is on SATURDAY! Fancy event! People in pretty clothes! Seeing friends! Oh, I can't wait.

... okay, that's what I've got so far. What good things are going on with you peoples?

Comments

[blutsauger.livejournal.com]

Yes, I heard about declawing and in my eyes it's one of the most despicable things humans can do to a cat. (Comparable to people having their dog's vocal cords removed! *shudder*) I'm not only thinking about not being able to defend themselves, but more about not being able to scratch themselves when they're itching. o_O Did you ever wear a cast? Well, I did and it really starts to itch after a time. Now imagine that on your whole body. >_<

True, claws grow back, if they are only clipped. I didn't mean to go berserk on people clipping their cat's claws, I just never saw any sense in it because I grew up with cats in full claw glory. ;) Including real bad scratches on my skin and my mother's colonial style couch and arm chair. Oh how she got mad... Nevertheless, we love our home tigers and there are worse things than clipping claws. By the way, we did that on our guinea pig and rabbit, and we also missed the spot when to stop in some cases of wriggly rodents.

Thanks for discussing this topic with me! I really appreciate it. :)

[jayorin.livejournal.com]

You're welcome, and I don't think that you were going berserk, just that you were really passionate about your kitties. And yeah, there is no reason for de-clawing a cat. A clipping (or as you point out, a stern talking to) will do in all cases. There is no need to make a cat an invalid just so you can keep your couch pristine. They make tapes and sprays if you absolutely cannot have your cat chew or scratch an object (or, you know, if you have a cat, don't get expensive furniture. And vise-versa. Especially if you are going to freak out about it getting a scratch) . And anyone who removes a dog's vocal chords or "trim" the dog's ears should have the same thing done to them. Without anesthesia. Oh heck, let throw in the people who de-claw the cats, too.

The nails might not be as sharp, but I didn't think that she would be unable to scratch herself. I could be wrong on that though. I also tend not to clip the back ones as much (as they grow a lot slower and more dull). I just get the really sharp ones as those tend to do the most damage. I also refuse to use the pet clippers and go for the human clippers (I only had to use the cat clippers once to realize that it was a dull guillotine that crushes claws as opposed to clipping them. I felt horrible when her claw were crushed to ribbons and from then on I used my nail clippers, which gave me better control, and kept the claws looking like claws).

I am guessing that your cats are indoor outdoor cats, which is cool. I wish I could give my Ginny a house to play in, and a yard. However, we found her when I was living in an apartment (she was a kitten, and she followed my ex-roommate home). So she is an indoor cat, with the spirit of an outdoor cat.:)

Aren't fur children wonderful?

[jayorin.livejournal.com]

By the way, I never told you how much I love the icon.:)

[blutsauger.livejournal.com]

Um, the Joker? Thanks! :)

[blutsauger.livejournal.com]

Well, at first my mum planned not to let the cats into our living room where the expensive furniture is. But then she couldn't resist their charme (like in Shrek, Puss in Boots, oh yes we know that look...) any longer and they were allowed. And did what cats do to mark their territory. Yes she got mad, she literally threw them out and let them back in as soon as she calmed down a bit. Now they get a Very Stern Look as soon as they lift a paw. It works. :)
And yes, I absolutely agree on doing the same to humans they do to their animals. Wasn't ripping out fingernails a form of torture once?

With not being able to scratch themselves I meant to refer to declawing, not clipping (sorry if that didn't become clear enough, I'm no native speaker and sometimes struggle with the grammar). I cannot imagine how they could do that if declawed... "Declawing is actually an amputation of the last joint of your cat's "toes"." (source: declawing.com) Considering this, I don't think they'd be able to scratch themselves properly. Even humans use their nails to scratch when itching, when I'd have to use my knuckles or finger joints I'd not have a satisfying experience.

Yes, you guessed right, our cats are indoor cats with access to a garden and a nearby forest, though the male one called Moritz actually stays near the house, lounging on the grass and watching the birds whilst sunbathing, whereas we have to call for hours at times for the female Maxi (I named Moritz and my mum named Maxi, so we have a Wilhelm Busch experience here ;D).
Cats adapt very well to living indoors only, and I'm sure you give your Ginny all the love and care she needs to be happy. :)

Fur childen are the most wonderful thing and irreplaceable!

[jayorin.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, in the declawing, I think that they would have to resort to rubbing themselves against objects with corners. Not very pleasant at all. And I think that your grammar is very good. I think it was the way I read it. I tend to read really fast. Usually, I am more accurate than that. ;)

[blutsauger.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, it could easily have been my fault. I always feel very insecure when speaking/writing English to native speakers. That's why I forgot most of French and Spanish, I lack practice. One problem is that once I get something right e.g. the Spanish start to babble so fast I don't understand anymore, which makes me feel kind of stupid and as if I tricked them into believing they could converse with me in their mother tongue...
But even my German isn't always comprehensible, I once got scolded by a teacher because I built a sentence that filled half a DIN A4 page... Well, I thought it to be fine and artful, my teacher didn't quite share that opinion! *lol*