Something Happened To My Cat

What would happen if I cut one of my cat's whiskers?

Cutting one whisker probably wouldn't do anything, especially if all of the other whiskers are intact.Cats lose whiskers. My cat has lost a few as weather has warmed up. We have found them on our sofa. He can still walk fine and jump from the couch to the top of the bookshelf without trouble. He can walk straight, just like he always as.Why would you ever want to cut those whiskers?When a cat doesn't have its whiskers, that's a problem.That's when cats will have problems with mobility. They need those whiskers to tell them about their surroundings; Can I fit in that box? Under the table? Between the sofa and the wall?Cutting them can be distressing for a cat. Just don't do it. Most cats don't even like you touching their whiskers, let alone cutting them. Don't cut any of them.Cutting one likely won't do much, as long as they have all of their other whiskers, but just don't cut any of them. They need them to get around.

What happens when a cat dies in a home?

You can pay for their ashes or you could bury it in the garden. If none of these are an option in the United Kingdom the local authorities like the council will come and pick your animals up and dispose of them.

What happens to a cat’s claws if they never scratch on anything?

This:The claws will keep growing, and eventually dig into the poor cat’s pads, or back into the claw itself.This is a crippling situation, and if infections start, it can cause amputations or death.This is why you always keep your cat’s claws inspected, and clipped or clipped and capped with little plastic caps (those fall off eventually, so you still need to keep a sharp eye on your cat’s feet.)You might think that declawing is the answer for this.Declawing has been banned in many European countries because it is not merely getting rid of the claw—it is amputation of the first joint of the toe.

How do I make sure that my cat is taken care of in case something happens to me and I don’t make it home from work? I work 5 days a week. I worry about this everyday.

Ask a neighbor, friend, or relative to be your “back up” and carry a card in your wallet.Ask someone reliable. If they own pets, that’s even better. Give them a key to your house, too, so they can get in if necessary.You can write instructions and keep them with the cat food. That way, your back up person doesn’t have to keep track of instructions.Make a bold, wallet-sized card that says MY CAT IS ALONE. CALL JANE DOE 555–555–5555. Put it in a conspicuous place in your wallet. If you have two clear ID spots, you could use one of those. Otherwise, you could put it in front of your ID.If you are also concerned about what might happen if you die, you can write a will. My will takes care of my cats. Actually, it says that they go to person one if she can take them, and if not, they go to person two. That way, if my first choice ends up in a limited-pets apartment or moves across the country, my cats still have a home.

How should one reprimand a cat that has done something wrong before you saw it happen, so you don't know when it happened?

Don't.  It's pointless and harmful to even try.  Cats will only associate a correction with something they've just done (or are currently doing) if it's immediate. Once the cat's attention has turned to some other activity, any correction will be associated with that activity and will only confuse and alienate the cat by appearing to be random hostility.If you can't give an immediate correction (and give it almost every single time the cat engages in the undesired behaviour — consistency is everything and inconsistent correction can perversely reinforce the behaviour), remove the temptation for the behaviour if that's practicable. If the cat repeatedly pees on something that is lying on the floor, remove it (and check the litter box; the problem is likely to be there).  If it persistently digs in a plant pot, cover the plant pot or move the plant to a cat-inaccessible location.