I was recently asked about muzzling a cat so as to get at the mats in the cat’s fur. Anyone who has ever attempted to engage in a behavior that is disliked by the cat that you are holding, you know the speed of the cats ability to use its teeth and claws. Any attempts to control the cat’s head will result in cat paw-like speeds approaching the speed of light. Like the wind, you see what remains of your hands and arms without seeing the paws move. These actions will quickly deplete the contents of your first aid kit.
The first rule of grooming a cat is to have someone else do it. There are professionals who do this for a living and the costs associated with performing this function compensates themselves for engaging is a dangerous activity. I have done some dangerous things in my profession, but few are more dangerous than grooming a cat.
I once thought that it would be a great idea to put claw covers on my cat’s nails. This was at a time that I learned that no first aid kit is ever property stocked. There is no greater feeling of success than to see the angry looks of the cat as each paw is showing a separate color. Then after a few days, you begin to see each claw bead falling off one by one until it is time to approach the cat with a towel to attempt the process all over again.
I am constantly reminded about my misadventures in animal welfare each time I look at my first aid kit, that is now large enough to stock a small hospital.