Quinn managed to crack his toenail. In addition to that, which was probably miserable in and of itself, the toe got completely infected. I considered taking him to the vet, but decided to try the peroxide and Neosporin route first.
Insanely enough, we had no peroxide or Neosporin. When I went to the store to buy it, I decided to see if there was anything a little more specialized for cats in the pet department. I saw a small spray bottle that seemed to be for our exact problem. It was eight dollars, so I decided to see what made it twice the price of what I was planning to buy. When I looked at the ingredients it listed peroxide, water, and aloe. I was not impressed. I went back to my original plan and picked up some cat treats too.
If you ever have a cat that you have to deal with medically, I hope for your sake they behave like Quinn. I am constantly telling people what a good boy he is, but I can't really explain the full scope of it properly. When you give Quinn medicine and it's liquid he'll drink it down without complaint and look to you for seconds. He never bites, except for love bites. He never scratches you. He does struggle a little, but I'm dumping peroxide on his foot, it's to be expected. (Try getting a 4 year old to sit still when you apply peroxide. Same deal.)
Courtney's tips for dealing with cat claws
- Swaddle the cat in a thick towel, so that you are only dealing with one paw at a time.
- Work with a partner if you can.
- Work quickly, but keep calm.
- Speak softly and soothingly to the cat.
- Identify the quick PRIOR to trimming anything!
- After you are done, give the cat a treat and spent time petting him so that the cat understands that you aren't angry.
(The peroxide and Neosporin helped almost immediately. The swelling has gone down considerably. Quinn seems much happier which makes me feel better.)
