We give Watson a bath and trim his nails approximately every three weeks or so. It’s a necessary evil that he hates with a fiery red hot passion. His claws have to be kept short to cut down on the number of angry hand wounds CK and I can stand. I seriously wonder if people are going to start thinking that I’m a cutter. No worries though! I just own a very playful and sometimes rowdy kitten.
I bathe Watson frequently because of my allergies. I’m actually very allergic to cats. These allergies worsen exponentially as the length of the cat’s fur increases. So my cousin’s short haired tabby “Baby” doesn’t bother me at all, while CK’s Aunt and Uncle’s gorgeous Rag Doll cat “Paris” makes me sneeze my brains out. That doesn’t stop me from picking her up and giving her a big friendly squeeze though. I just always make sure I have a supply of Claritin on hand.
For the most part Watson doesn’t bother my allergies but every few weeks there inevitably comes a day when I start to feel my eyes getting watery and my nose itches and I know that it’s time for Mr. Kitty Pants to have a spa day. This month’s bath was especially traumatic and he glared and hid from CK and I for a good hour after we washed him. A handful of treats eventually brought him around and now I’m happy to report that he’s back to his fluffy and squeaky clean self.
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I love his last photo there–all the innocence and playfulness of a kitten packed into one tiny little face. I had no idea you were allergic! Also had no idea that bathing him would help–good to know.
Do you think he’ll ever get used to it?
Ok. Just way to cute. What do you use to clip his nails? I’ve been busting out the PetiPaws whirlygig on my little guy but haven’t tried yet.
Awww he is too adorable. He does look mad at first but very cute after he is calmed down in his box. You may want to try the nail caps for cats called soft paws. They will save your skin and furniture. They are these very soft rubber tips that you fill with special glue, you just put them on his claws they last about a month or so then they just fall off at the nail grows out. They even come in assorted colors. You can get them at Petco or other pet stores I am sure, they cost around $20 but you get a few months of tips. I have used them on Delilah and they work.
I haven’t ever given my cat a bath. Is that weird? I brush her a lot though to try to keep the fur down. I am really allergic to some cats, but luckily not Lucy.
I also really love that last picture.
O poor Watson…:)
I hate clipping the cats nails. Mine get all weird whenever the clipper comes out and while they get older their nails seem to grow much faster. Probably because they sleep most of the day, so the things don’t get used so much anymore… Love that last photo of Watson. Just the cutest!
I just read about using something like Pet Calm before trying to clip nails. We’ll try that next time! Also may be useful before the bath…
I’m not sure if Watson will ever be chill about the whole bath and nail trimming thing but I certainly hope so. It’s really not any fun holding down a squirming kitten while he cries and bites you. It makes me want to cry a little myself actually 🙁
We actually just have small set of nail trimmers from the pet store. They look sort of like pliers. The vet recommended them to us and then showed us how to do it properly. Unfortunately it takes CK and I an eternity to clip Watson’s nails while it took the vet all of maybe 30 seconds. Maybe I should just pay the $15 fee at the vet and have them clip them monthly for me and avoid a little trauma for both of us?
I don’t want to sound like a know-it-all, but do you have a scratching post? We have two for our little kitty-siblings Jack and Lily. The love getting their scratch on there and they leave our furniture alone. They don’t even scratch us and their claws aren’t pointy anymore. Maybe that would be enough for Watson, too?
Lisa, Thanks for your comment. Yes, Watson does has a scratching post which has absolutely saved our furniture. He’s still a pretty playful and rambunctious kitten right now so it’s our own faults re: the hand scratches etc…