Conference misery::feline_v1

    When you say "bad claws removed" what does that mean? Are you talking
    about cutting the claws or de-clawing. What did the vet say to do
    with the claws? If it has to do with declawing - I would say be
    extremely cautious - as a cat of that age can have lethal reactions
    to anesthesia. The vet showed me where all the claws are on my cats
    were to ensure that I didn't miss any. I clip by cats' claws and they
    are okay but my mother's cat is a true brat.  Sometimes it takes
    two of us to do the job - one to hold him and one to cut, altho
    it can be done by one person. Wrap him in a towel except for the
    paw you will trim. I have to put him on the countertop in order
    to get a good grip on him ( and his towel). And he has 7 toes in
    front and 5 in back. 
    
    Yes indeed, some cats can be next to impossible to trim but it can
    be done.
                        

    I have a beanbag chair in my living room, and if I tuck a cat under
    my left arm and sit in the chair, the cat can't get any purchase
    to escape.  (For those of you not familiar with beanbag chairs,
    they are very squishy.)  Then various indignities like pill
    administration can be performed.  Fortunately, mine keep their claws
    trimmed themselves on their scratching posts.
    

         What I mean by "bad" claws is this:  most claws grow out from
    the paw so that, when the cat is standing and the claws are extended,
    the claws are vertical, sort of like:
    
                        |   |
                        /   |
                       /    |
                      +     |
                     /| paw |
              claw->| |_____|
    
    In Bigfoot's case with two claws, the claw comes out of the foot
    at a 90�angle, as if someone had taken the claw at the point it
    comes out from the foot and twisted it away from his paw (it's his
    "thumb" claw).  So ... instead of the claw being nice and skinny
    when looking at it from the top, it is fat and misshapen, which
    makes it difficult to cut.  It also seems to grow away from the
    paw for a bit, and then angle back into it so that there is a great
    likelihood of his jumping down on his paws and having that claw
    dig into his foot - ouch!
    
         I really don't like the idea of his going into surgery (I guess
    he's lived with those claws that way all his life), but I don't
    want him getting an infection either.  The vet said it would be
    a good idea to remove the mutant claws, but she didn't really push
    it either.  So I'm not quite sure what to do.
    

         No, I don't think he's had any problems before (we've only
    had him for a few years; the people who had him before never took
    care of him, so if he did get infected, he got over it by himself).
    Also, he's an indoor kitty now, where he used to be indoor/outdoor,
    so the risk should be lower.
      
         The vet that I talked to on Wednesday wasn't Bigfoot's regular
    vet, so she didn't know how old we estimate him to be (even Tufts
    couldn't figure it out!); maybe we should reconsider after all.  I
    know he gets terrified every time we take him to the vet's; I'm
    always worried he'll have a heart attack from the ride or the visit.
    I think I will talk to his regular vet and see what she says.  I
    certainly don't want to lose him on account of a couple of claws!
    
         Thanks for the input - I'll let you know what we finally decide.
    

         Well, Howie and I talked it over this weekend and it looks
    like Bigfoot will stay the way he is.  Howie tried to figure out
    Bigfoot's age again (he was his cat before he was ours)  and, as
    near as we can figure, he's at least 10-11 years old.  This doesn't
    make him too good a candidate for "cosmetic surgery" (my vet said
    around 12 years old is the cut-off point, so Bigfoot's just about
    on it).  She too recommended to let him be unless he started getting
    regular infections; just bring him in each month to be clipped (un-
    less we can get him to behave himself, then we'll do it ourselves)
    and make sure to keep and eye on him - if he limps, check it out.
    So the old guy gets a reprieve (boy was he glad to hear that!)!
    

    Alex-I was also a "bigfoot" with baseball-size mitts in the front!
    His thumbs were so big and out at an angle from the rest of his
    paw that it caused him to stand with both front feet angled out
    to the side, like a ballerina doing one of those steps (I don't
    know the name of it)!
    
    The deformity never cause him any real problems, except that he
    had a cute kind of walk.  I did have to keep the other extra claw
    between his thumb and rest of the paw clipped regularly, or it
    would curl back and start to become ingrown.  As long as you take
    care of this potential problem, I think he can safely live with
    his extra, extra toes!
    
    The extra toes are also very common in Maine Coon cats!

    Argus and Panther are both double pawed, and both had this problem
    with the extra claw growing into the foot pad. I had the extra claw
    removed from Argus (just that one claw between the "thumb" and "fingers"
    on both of his front paws) when Argus was about two years old. Turned
    him from lion to pussycat. I had Panther's extra claw removed when
    he was fixed (about 8 months old). That extra claw can be such a
    problem  in a double pawed cat that I'm surprised that when a double
    pawed cat goes in for "fixing" that vets don't recommend removing
    it at the same time.
    
    Deb

    Dr. Brody suggested that he do that when I have Ivan neutered -
    but I wasn't smart enough to agree - I said that I could trim
    the nail with no problem so, Let's wait! Dumb! Now, Ivan 
    weighs 12 lbs. - his feet are Huge - and it's hard to trim
    the inside nail.  I still can get to it if I do it facing
    him instead of him on his back on my lap (usual trimming
    position).  Hindsight .....
    
    E.T.

    Elaine,
    
    consider having it done now if Ivan isn't too old. Argus was about
    2 when this was done to him, and even though he was knocked out
    for the surgery, he bounced right back, and didn't seem to be in
    any pain, although he was pretty groggy from the surgery. He only
    stayed in the hospital for one day after surgery, and that was just
    precautionary. The vet assured me that it wasn't even remotely as
    traumatic as a full declawing.
    
    Deb
    
    

    Deb, it sounds like a good idea for the summer - 
    he turned a year on 3-1.  I'll probably make the appointment
    on my next visit to Dr. Brody - some of the kids are due
    for their yearly visits.  Some of the younger ones and the
    show kids (they get shots twice a year) also could use a
    dose of "mites-by-mouth", as I call it.  They don't seem
    to have any that I can see, but it can't hurt to treat
    them once a year to keep the whole crew clean and mite-free!
    
    Yup, Ivan old man - that toe is going!
    
    Thanks for the support - I'll tell Ivan what you said tonight!
    
    E.T.