A Note from Kelly:

I’ve been writing articles, testing products and caring for cats at Cat Claws since 1993. I can answer questions about our products (and sometimes products we don’t sell), questions about cat behavior and training, questions about caring for your cat, questions about living with cats and cat breeds in general, but I AM NOT a veterinarian.  If you have a medical question, I can answer it quite simply with “Ask your vet.”   If you sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter, you’ll get cat care tips, new product updates and reviews, and exclusive coupons and bonus offers,  and not a whiff of spam.  So if you have a cat question, go ahead and ask me. I’m just an e-mail away.

Yesterday my husband found laying on top of a stool, what looks to be a full claw from one of our cats (we have 2). They are brother littermates and they are 16 months old. We are new cat parents, these two are our first, so my question is, is it normal for a cat to lose an entire claw? And does it hurt them, do they need special attention or vet care for the paw that lost the claw? I appreciate any information you can give me.

Sincerely, Pam

Yep, that's perfectly normal and nothing to worry about. Cats shed the outer covering of their claws about every 4-6 weeks. That's one of the reasons cats scratch, to help them remove the shedding claws. Sometimes they will come off nearly whole, as your husband found, and sometimes they will come off in bits and pieces. Sometimes the cats will even chew or pull them off with their teeth, especially on the back feet. It doesn't hurt them, to them it is just a normal bodily function.

Thanks, Kelly

HI KELLY, I HAVE A MALE CAT WHO WILL NOT LET ME CUT HIS NAILS, AND HE NEEDS IT, SCRATCHING MY FURNITURE. HE IS ALSO VERY STRONG, ANY IDEAS? THANK YOU, JEAN

Since you say he is scratching you furniture, I just want to make sure that you have an appropriate scratcher that he uses. If you have a scratcher and he doesn't use it, I encourage you to read our Scratching Success page here http://www.catclaws.com/scratching-pad-success.php

If he will sleep in your lap, an easy way to trim his nails is to let him fall asleep in your lap, then start gently rubbing his paws. As you do so, trim a nail or two. Keep your movements slow and gentle. He will probably only let you cut one or two before he has enough and decides to leave, but if you are persistent and keep at it, within a couple of days you will have trimmed all of his nails.

Thanks for writing,

Kelly

Do you know what the recommendation is for kittens (5 months old) when they have diarrhea? Please let me know if you do.

Sincerely,

Wendy

A trip to the veterinarian.

Thanks,

Kelly

Greetings- I would like to ask a question about one of your products. It's the "magic furball" hair remover for laundry. Have you ever personally used this item? I am interested in it but am worried that it will become so covered in hair so quickly that it will only work once or twice. Does hair come off of it easily; is it easy to clean for re-use? Or, does it take a long time to remove the collected hair or does the collected hair/lint not really come off easily? Thanks

Mary Kate

Hi Mary Kate,

I have a Magic Furball at home that I use all the time. It's very easy to use - just toss it in the dryer - and it should last quite a long time. Really only the long hairs & fibers will stick to it; the others just get brushed off and fed into your lint trap. It's just like a ball-shaped lint brush. And you can easily pull off any hair & fibers that adhere to it. I BOUGHT mine, it wasn't a free sample, if that tells you anything.

Thanks,

Kelly

Hi, Kelly.

I have purchased some scratching pads from Cat Claws, and our cat, Snowball, just loves them.  We have one on the back porch for her and one in our bed room, as well.  (We're trying to keep her from damaging our throw rugs and carpets.  So far, so good.)

Anyway, this is the reason why I am really writing to you.  In your CATalog, you have pictures of many cats using the different scratching pads that you use.  If I sent you pictures of Snowball on one of the scratch pads, would you be able to use it in one of your CATalogs?  Please let me know when you get a chance.  Thank you very much.

Lynn

Chicago, IL

Hi Lynn,

The cats in our catalog are our office cats, of whom there are about 35. They model and test our products for us, and if they don't like it, we don't sell it. I would love to see a picture of Snowball, but I can't promise inclusion in our catalog. That decision would be up to our catalog designers, and would depend on image quality and whether the image could be reproduced in hi-resolution. But if you would like to send me a photo, I'll be glad to give it to our designers to look at. Who knows, Snowball could be the next Cat Claws Star!

Thanks,

Kelly

Hi Kelly

Not sure if you have something that will help but I'm getting desperate. My big cat Inky just had major surgery and is recovering nicely. The problem I'm having is with my other cat Velcro. She hisses and growls every time Inky comes in the room and attacks her. I have a total of 3 cats, all sisters from the same litter. Things were perfect before, all three would cuddle with me in the chair now its a war. Toots, kitty number 3 is fine she will interact with both. Thanks in advance for any insights you may have, I very much enjoy the newsletters and love the new web design.

Vicky C

Ohio

Hi Vicky

Most likely, Inky smells different than she did before, and Velcro is having trouble adjusting. She's not quite sure what's different about Inky. It's fairly common; when cats spend any amount of time at the vet, they start to smell like the vet clinic. And if she has any stitches, dressing, medication, bedding, etc. from the clinic, that strange scent will continue to linger. A cat's sense of smell is a lot stronger than ours, and some cats are a lot more sensitive to change than others. I think that Velcro will adjust in a short while, but to help the situation along, pay lots of attention to her when she is around Inky. Launder any bedding that Inky has been using so it smells more familiar to Velcro, and if it's possible to give Inky a sponge-bath without hurting her, that might help too. Anything to make her smell more like her old self. I think Velcro will come around.

Good luck,

Kelly

Hi Kelly,  

I don't have an issue with my cat, my roommate does. Jingles is an incessant talker, and it drives my roommate crazy. She says the cat doesn't talk when I'm not home but as soon as I walk in the door, he starts meowing. I find it endearing and would not want to change him for all the tea in China. Are there any suggestions you may have for quieting my talker.  He is male cat, I think he is about 4-6 years old. We adopted him. I will not get rid of him, cut his voice box or put him in the garage all night. (Her suggestions).  I would welcome any suggestions you may have.  

Thanks,   Susie

Dear Susie,

Jingles has learned that when he talks, he gets what he wants from you, whether it's food, attention or affection. You can train him to be quieter, but it will take real commitment on your part.  Are you ready?  Start off by establishing a daily playtime shortly after you get home.  An interactive toy like the Da Bird or the Cat Charmer will bring out his hunting instincts.  Cats are silent hunters, so this will encourage silence.  The next step is a little tougher.  You must completely ignore his vocalizations. Only give him food or attention when he is being QUIET. Reinforce his good behavior by giving him treats, praise, or affection when he is not talking.  The training will probably be harder for you than for him, but hang in there.  Cats are VERY smart, so Jingles should catch on in no time.

Good luck,

Kelly

Kelly, I just want to ask a question about catnip.  Does catnip ever lose its strength or scent. The reason I asked was because I have bought catnip in the pet stores before and there is alot of sticks or hard pieces and it doesn't seem to do anything for my cats, and I have bought it before from your company and they seem to love it, of course, I haven't gotten it in  a long time so I thought I would try a bigger bag this time. What is the shelf-life or strength of catnip? Gloria

Dear Gloria, 

Catnip is an herb, just like basil or oregano or parsley, so it will lose its fragrance and potency over time. Storing it in a cool dark place will keep it fresh longest. Our catnip is generally good for about a year.  If it seems a little stale, you can crush it gently between your fingers to release more of the fragrant oil in it.  Unfortunately, much of the catnip you buy in stores contains a lot of "fillers" that don't have any fragrance, but our catnip is 100% certified organic catnip containing only the catnip leaves and flowers.

Thanks for asking,

Kelly