When it comes to convincing a kitty that something's good to do, it's all in how you phrase it.

Take, for example, Stanley. He is turning into the biggest attention sponge I've ever seen in my life. When he wants doting, he will stand in front of you, arch his back, and do the "pet me!" dance, where he kind of crab-walks around until you notice him and give him a skritch.

Mark would look down in amusement and, while skritching Stanley, tell him, "You just want AT-TENNN-TIONNNN". So then I started telling Stanley that, too, in the same tone of voice. "I see a kitty looking for AT-TENNN-TIONNNN, yes I do...", etc, and all the while I'd actually be paying him at-tennn-tionnnn. Um, I mean "attention". ;o)

Last night, Stanley really, *really* needed his claws trimmed. So I waited until he was napping. Then I took the claw trimmer, scooped him into my lap, and told him, "Look at the good boy getting lots of AT-TENNN-TIONNNN, everybody wants to pay him some AT-TENNN-TIONNNN, yes they do..." as I stealthily went snip, snip, snip and trimmed his claws.

It took less than two minutes to get it all done, and he never griped once. Why should he? He was getting AT-TENNN-TIONNNN, his favorite thing in the whole wide world. :o)

Stanley doesn't like getting his claws trimmed, but he loves doting more than anything. So all I had to do was tell him he was getting attention, and he was fine. Like I said, it's all in how you phrase it. :o)