I tend to put off trimming the claws of the ones who will allow it. I can totally understand why so many of my friends who have cats as pets never try to trim the nails. I can distract Panther and Angelina Stripe and they will not fight me. But they squirm allot. Tabby and Scrufty are so fussy about holding them and headstrong that I have never even tried it with them. With Tiger Lily, if my husband gets a towel around her legs tightly I can get some of hers clipped. But she pushes with all of her might. (Previously I actually tried to do it casually while she was resting - no way would she allow it). It's such a nightmare that I am constantly procrastinating this task. But I keep an eye on them - would not want them to get ingrown - none of them get outside to reap the benefits of concrete, macadam and stone.
I often find Tiger Lily biting off the tips of her nails. She is the only one who does this. I would be interested to learn if anyone knows if this practice is good or bad for her. I did a little research and could not find anything on this. Please leave me a comment or two if you know anything about this.
Here are some links - two videos and an article - on the practice of clipping cat claws. Just click on the words to get there. In the videos it looks like the cat subjects are very compliant. I can only imagine what a delight that must be!
Maybe some of you have thought about it or used to do it and could use a refresher on the how-to of cat claw trimming. And for many this might be a first time operation. I hope this helps some of you who are interested.
Debby at
Homeless Cat Care
9 comments:
I always love showing new adoptive parents how to clip nails. Especially those that have talked about declawing - show them how easy it is and you can change their mind.
Most of my crew is pretty good. Spud is just hard to catch. But then there is Ivy...that girl is just bad. She howls and screams and tries to bite. I have to give her a sedative just to attempt it - and the last time she peed on me. Even the vet knows she is a challenge. I have to recruit help with experience for her...I have a couple of friends that I will owe for a VERY long time due to her. :)
I love to have my claws clipped, I just purr and purr. My sister Zoe is the difficult one, not because she hates it, but her feet are so darn furry!
I have two hunks of wood lying on the floor by the fireplace that the cats use to scratch. It tends to keep the claws shorter. I don't have a problem cutting nails except for Ed and my daughter holds him while I do them very quickly. I have found in the past that if a cat is really stressed by it I do one paw one day and the other the next day. Hugs, Deb=^..^=x5
A couple of big logs, placed in favoured places will do a lot of the work for you. Ones with bark are good to get the cats going on, they seem to find it really satisfying tugging at bark and wood together.
Is Tiger Lily gnawing at her claws or getting a good old grip on one and pulling to get the old sheath off? I've never heard of a cat biting just the tips of the claws off before, I wonder if she finds the sensation good on her front teeth and gums? Just a thought there.
There are Cat Bags for safe restraining. Where you can unleash one leg of a cat at a time. The hugging sensation of the main body of the bag (they should fit snug but not tight) is thought to be reassuring. Getting an annoyed cat into one might be as wild as the quick towel restraint lol.
Whicky looks indignant when his are clipped but stays still.
Gerry is a wriggly worm, but if we give him a moment or two between paws,he's ok (he has horned paw pads too so the toe pads have to be clipped now and again - I'm still a novice at doing that for him)
Oliver grizzles but can be held ok (he's all mouth and trousers really)
They all go outside daily, so we just tip the ends every few weeks to keep them in practice.
George Online Cat's Mum might know about biting off the ends of claws?
Love the Dr Schelling video she's a great pro-claw advocate and the pictures on the Uni link are so clear. Thanks for sharing those Deb:)
We don't know about this! Sammy-Joe, unfortunately, was declawed when he was a young cat... not Mama's decision, but it was because he was a really scratchy kitty and his scratches made our Mama get sick. So now he has no front claws.
:( Mama is plagued with guilt about this... but it wasn't her choice! Anyway trimming kitty claws sounds like a dangerous job!
When we don't cooperate to have our nails clipped, our sneaky human will try in a few hours' time or the next. Sometimes we get cheated as we get some of our nails clipped while being stroked.
i am such a chicken when it comes to trimming cats' claws. instead i buy cat trees and scratching posts and useless no-scratch spray.. and complain when my furniture gets scratched up anyway. i've tried waiting till they fall asleep to clip their claws.. but they always know when something's up and refuse to snooze deeply.
Thankfully, my four cats are fairly easy going about 'clippy claws'. Theo and Nahum can get impatient and wiggle, but taking breaks with lots of treats seems to make it easier for them. It's definitely a two person operation and for Nahum who sometimes shows his displeasure by using his teeth, I wear leather gauntlets. Willow goes to her happy place and is very docile.
Its hard to cut our nails - not one of us like it. Troo is easier to get at as he can be trimmed while he snores away. MOL
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