Cat juggling
July 3, 2009 at 5:35 am | Posted in Uncategorized | 4 CommentsWow, a year away from surgery has done bad things to my stamina. More mentally than physically, but both still need work. Yesterday was only a twelve hour day, and yet by the end I could hardly think straight. I’ll have to build it back up again, and quickly.
It was partly my sleep schedule, which had gotten way off kilter such that I woke up at 1am and couldn’t get back to sleep. But even so, I shouldn’t have been that tired. I think the real problem is that my cat thinks I’m a large toy when I’m asleep, and likes to pounce on my face and torso, claws extended, at random times throughout the night. Which isn’t great for sleep quality.
I may have to kick her out of the room at night. Or have her declawed so that I don’t have to be so hypervigilant about an accidental claw to the eye while I’m sleeping. Declawing is probably the more humane option in this particular situation. But God, from the reaction of the shelter people to the idea of declawing, it’s like you’re threatening to murder small children. I mean, come on! What’s crueler in the end, nightly isolation from her human in addition to all the hours I’m away in the day, or a one-time procedure under anesthesia to amputate the front claws of an entirely indoor cat?
Yes, I said amputate. I know you people use the word as an emotional appeal, to evoke images of a barbaric and painful procedure. But I’m a surgeon; I know exactly what it involves, and it’s no more barbaric than spaying when done correctly under anesthesia. And make no mistake, we spay and neuter primarily for our benefit, to control the number of cats who become feral, and ensure that the population doesn’t exceed our ability to care for them.
Declawing is no different, in that it enables me to give her a better quality of life without jeopardizing my health and safety. In any event, I don’t see a better solution at this time.
(Note: Actual cat juggling is wrong. Also not funny, unlike Steve Martin’s stand up routine about it.)
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Hurricane Jill 
i totally hear your frustration as a cat owner. couple of things…
1) declawed cats often become more aggressive in other ways because they lost their primary defensive option
2) my cat used to do this to me and my vet suggested feeding him 75% of his food at night and just a little bit in the morning. you aren’t home all day so the hungry cat will not bother you and at night he will sleep better. worked like a charm.
good luck!
Comment by xan— July 3, 2009 #
An excellent suggestion. I’ll try that.
Regarding your first point, I’ve heard that before, but haven’t found it to be true. My last cat was declawed, and never had any problems with aggression or negative attention-seeking behavior.
I think it depends a great deal on the cat’s living situation. In a household with multiple cats and/or small children, the cat might be called to defend herself at play, or fend off unwanted attention, and does need some defensive capability short of biting. But in a household like mine, where she is never attacked or threatened, she would only be losing an offensive weapon.
Comment by hurricanejill— July 3, 2009 #
I was going to leave you a comment, just so you know I cared, but I’ve had two glasses of wine and that’s just not happening. Sorry. But it’s the thought that counts, right?
OH, did you see the cat yodeling on my site? Pretty cool.
Comment by melissaz— July 14, 2009 #
[…] hurricanejill placed an observative post today on Cat juggling « Hurricane JillHere’s a quick excerptDeclawing is no different, in that it enables me to give her a better quality of life without jeopardizing my health and safety. In any event, I don’t see a better solution at this time. (Note: Actual cat juggling is wrong. … […]
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