Cat jumping on bed and causing injury due to sharp claws!
by Clara
(London)
Michael (Admin) added this nice pic of two cats on a bed. one (the big one) on top of the other! Photo by ex.libris
My cat is nearly 18 and due to not seeing very well, when she jumps up on me in the night, she digs her claws firmly in to stop falling off, often getting them caught in my skin, like the back of my neck, legs etc.
I know she doesn't realise what she is doing, but having your cat land on your bare skin with their extremely sharp claws sinking in is not a pleasant way to be woken and it's only a matter of time before she lands on my face / eyes causing irreversible damage!
I am getting her claws clipped tomorrow at the vet as I think they are too long, but I just don't know what to do in the long term.. I don't want to stress her as she is a tortoiseshell rescue cat and gets upset easily and I adore her beyond all possible reason, but I don't want her to blind me with her claws or rip my face to pieces!
Can anyone help..? I would be extremely grateful if there are any suggestions! Thank you very much!
Clara
Hi Clara.... thanks for visiting and asking. I think it is quite a tricky question but a regular visitor might find it easy! This is a kind of "reverse cat health problem" as it concerns our health!
As I see it, the problem is that your cat jumps up at the point where you are. That is the root of the problem (not that she has claws).
My cat jumps up on my bed but it is quite a large bed so there are plenty of places to jump up to, to avoid me.
And, as I said, this is the key, I think. A nice flat area of bed is preferable as a landing place for a cat than you, as you present an uneven surface, which has to grabbed more firmly (by extended claws). This implies that there are few options for your cat to select a flat surface.
Is there a way of making room for a landing area on your bed; an area that you do not occupy? Or to make a little platform adjacent to the bed (a foot stool that is a bit lower than the bed for example) that your cat can jump onto first and then an easy jump onto your bed that would not require claws out?
If we look at an absolute answer (one that is not constrained by finance or space) we would suggest a king sized bed and you would occupy the centre position. Under those ideal circumstances there would be no possibility of being clawed by your cat as she jumped up, as you would not be near any point where she would land on the bed.
If you can find an answer like that but more realistic I think you will solve the problem.
Interestingly, it is the kind of problem that might easily lead to declawing in some households in the USA! That wouldn't happen here in the UK...
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