It's a seven pound cat...

Little Izzy was sitting on her favorite fleecy blanket that was on top of pillows on the couch...

It pretty much reminded me of the Princess and the Pea.

Joan chose this morning for "the clipping of the nails."  For some reason, this is a BIG deal to Izzy - she DOES NOT like having her nails clipped.  She goes from a sweet little 7 pound cat to a rabid sounding flurry of claws.

This has always been a two-person task with Izzy (our other cats didn't seem to mind this bit of grooming).  I prefer to be the holder, not the clipper - I am concerned that I will clip the nails too short.  While you may think the person at the business end of the claws has the tough part, I can assure you the holder has the most physical part of this job.  We have gone to wrapping her in a towel to keep from getting scratched... not that she is attacking, she is fighting and kicking to get away.  And, you cannot believe the strength this 7 pound cat possesses!

Today, the towel wasn't working - she was kicking her way out of it.  Joan resorted to the blanket in the photo above.  As the holder, I have to say I was fine with something thicker between me and the claws.

You may have seen something in the news recently about a family who was afraid of their cat - the cat had them "trapped" in their bedroom.  That was a 22 pound cat... yes, 3 times the size of Izzy.  Izzy doesn't have a mean bone in her body, but she doesn't take any crap, either.  She will stand her ground when approached by bigger animals.  I am certainly no lightweight, but it takes all the strength I can muster to hold this cat still so Joan can clip.  In spite of how luxurious Izzy looks, under all that fur is a skinny cat; she still has the build of ferret, with long, powerful legs.  When all 4 legs are kicking, and that skinny body is writhing, it is a handful.  To add to the drama, he sweet little "Meow" turns to a guttural growl, building to a roar... her ancestral link to a mountain lion comes out when she feels threatened.

In the end, two full-grown humans, with the aid of a thick blanket are able to trim the nails of the sweet, adorable little kitty.  It wasn't easy, though... and I'm concerned someone's pillow is going to get adorned with a surprise later.