Wanna see what an awful morning looks like?

Shelli’s been getting caught on EVERYTHING lately, and it freaks her out when she can’t get her claws free.  Honestly, I’ve been pretty lax in the “claw clipping” department because I’m terrified of upsetting her and having her pee on something because she’s stressed.  However, I can’t sit by and let her hurt herself and tear up the furniture simultaneously, so it was time for the dreaded “claw clipping.” 

We use regular nail clippers; they work just as well, if not better, than the special ones that you pay a lot for at the pet store.  The problem?  Shelli HATES it.  She did okay for a long time…until Joey clipped them one day and quickked her.  She bled and bled and bled, and he had to use a styptic pencil to stop the bleeding (which probably burned her too).  Now, she knows psychically when you’re thinking of trimming her nails and starts this cat-and-mouse game of running away just as you get near.  I have to confess, we broke out the laser pointer to lure her.  Cruel, I know.

So, I clipped her front and back claws (I do the back half as often because she doesn’t use them as much and she hates to have them touched more than the fronts).  She was PISSED….she kept squirming and contorting into strange, amoeba-like shapes that are not possible in any human or animal realm that I’m aware of.  I find myself making funny noises as I’m clipping them so she’ll get distracted or not think it’s so bad, and I kiss her on the head after each nail.  By the time we were through, she was off my lap like a light!  Joey played with her with the laser pointer a little to make her feel better.

This is going to be a pretty laid-back New Year’s Eve for us at work, and I’m really grateful for that.  Our fiscal year ends tomorrow, and we’re actually pretty far over our goal, so everyone is really happy about what we’ve accomplished and what we’ll be able to do in the new year.  Usually we’re scrambling and trying to work into the night to get as much done as we can before midnight:).

I’m looking forward to a quiet New Year; this year, it’ll be me, Joey, and Shannon, having dinner and chatting, maybe playing a game, and then watching the ball drop.

What a boring post…I’ll try to have something better tomorrow!