Medic!!!

When I first bought my house, my sister-in-law gave me a supremely practical gift, especially given that I was going to be doing renovation work on my own--a fully stocked first aid kit and a large bottle of hydrogen peroxide for cleaning out the cuts and scrapes I was likely to earn along the way.  When it came to the renovation work though, it didn't need to be pulled out very often.  I'm actually quite adept with both hand and power tools.  However, that bottle of peroxide has come seriously in handy, since I got Sunny.

I'll start by saying that I just don't believe in de-clawing.  Look at your hands.  Imagine amputating every finger at the knuckle at the tip just behind your nails.  That's what de-clawing does to a cat.  I just could never do that to an animal I love and I am absolutely willing to live with the consequences of that decision.

The most frequent use of the peroxide bottle is when I do need to trim his claws.  While Sunny will purr as I clean his ears or sit stoically still while I get the goopies out of the corner of his eyes, he does NOT like to have his claws trimmed.  He will generally let me get one or two done before he decides he's had enough and takes a swipe at me.  If I'm lucky, I remember to do it in the middle of the day when he's just woken up from a nap.  Then he's usually kind of groggy so I can get a whole paw in one shot and sometimes even a claw or two on another.  Still, it frequently ends with me heading to the bathroom to wash with antibacterial soap and flushing with peroxide.

Sometimes things happen that are complete accidents.  Having him in my arms when some loud sound from outside startles him has led to ruined shirts and scratches in places that make it look like I should have been having a lot more fun than I did.  The best (hmmm, not sure of that word choice) was part of one of his mousing adventures.  He had caught one in the dining room and we were engaging in the ritual of me, oh so sweetly, saying, "Good boy!!  Now put it down so I can get rid of it and there will be lots of treats."  He knows the T-word and he actually obeyed.  I was reaching with tissues to grab it.  Unfortunately for me, it was still quite alive and kicking...and it moved.  We were both grabbing for it at the same time and his paw was above my hand.  I managed to grab the mouse's tail, but yowza I had a serious scratch on the back of my hand.  Mousie got tossed out into the bushes to die in nature and I came back in to tend my wound.

I couldn't really be upset with Sunny.  He gave me this pitiful look when it happened.  It was kind of an "I'm really sorry, but it MOVED!" look.  What could I do?  How do you yell at an animal for responding to its most basic primal instinct?  He still got his treats and licked my hand in apology.  I'm not sure that soap and peroxide were even necessary given how much that one bled.  The band-aids came out and the antibacterial goop was applied.  Since it was my right hand, there were some serious twinges before it started healing since I am right handed.  Mousing is his job though, so I really couldn't complain.

So, I have faint red lines on the backs of my hands, and always will.  Who cares?  It's a small price to pay for the purrs and the head butts and the ridiculous cuteness that is my boy.

I will need a new bottle of peroxide soon though.