Hnn...

[the_kaizer]

I have a bit of a dilemmia on my hands. Zhen hurt Tabby's eye and now it's all swollen and closed. It seems to be getting better, but I'm keeping an eye on it. If it gets worse, I'll take her to the vet even though she'll -hate- me for it. But I'm hoping it won't come down to it, anyone know if there's anything I can do to help her? Like... clean

Comments

[alliemon]

You'd definately want to clean Tabby's eye otherwise it'll definately get infected.

And if Zhen tries to hurt Tabby again, then it's time for the declawing. Or if you're up to it now, then you should do it now.

Your poor kitty. (T^T)

[the_kaizer]

How do you clean it? With water and a cotton swab or... I'm not too sure. Even though she's 15, I've never had to deal with anything like this before. ^^;;;

Thanks for the advice though. I'll look into the declawing since it will probably be for the best.

*pokes icon* Cuteness!

[alliemon]

Cotton swab and water should work. If it gets too bad, then you might want to take her to the vet to have it looked at.

[iceraptoress]

Declawing is extremely painful and traumatic for a cat, and should only be done as a last resort and only if the cat is strictly an indoor cat. Clipping kitty claws is much easier, and will be better for both Tabby and you when you play with Zhen. You don't need anything special, just a pair of regular human fingernail clippers will do. Depending on how squirmy Zhen is, it might be a two person job (it is with both my cats). Simply hold him in your lap sitting on his rear as if he were a child sitting on your lap. Hold his paw and gently press the center of it to get him to spread his toes and claws. Use the fingernail clipper to snip off just the tip of the claw. Only the tip! If you look closely at a cat's claw, you will be able to see a pinkish core at the center of it. That's called the quick. If you cut into that, a cat can bleed very heavily from there and it's difficult to get it to stop. That's why it's better to just cut the very tip of the claw and stay away from the quick altogether

[wild_huntress]

Poor kitties. :( I agree with whoever said that declawing should only be a last resort. They say it can alter the cat's personality and make them really resent you, or make them have trouble walking later. It's even been made illegal in a lot of European countries as they find it so cruel, and vets who do it can even lose their licenses. I'd really, really recommend trying to trim his nails or investing in Soft Paws.

*hopes things work out*