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do you trim your cat's claws? (Original Post) grasswire Jun 2014 OP
Yes, I do. TexasTowelie Jun 2014 #1
I can do one cat's but not the other's. QED Jun 2014 #8
I try. It's kind of a battle; they don't like it. The Velveteen Ocelot Jun 2014 #2
YES! TygrBright Jun 2014 #3
I do my best to do it mockmonkey Jun 2014 #4
frontsies, but not backsies ginnyinWI Jun 2014 #5
Yes. Curmudgeoness Jun 2014 #6
I use cornstarch to stop the bleeding. QED Jun 2014 #7
Probably the same principle. Curmudgeoness Jun 2014 #9
I agree. QED Jun 2014 #11
Mathew-Pufftail is an easy-going Maine-Coon, so no problem doing the front paws. NCarolinawoman Jun 2014 #10
3 of ours tolerate it reasonably... 3catwoman3 Jul 2014 #12
Yes and one of the main reasons is because they spend a lot of time outdoors. Voice for Peace Jul 2014 #13

TexasTowelie

(111,319 posts)
1. Yes, I do.
Fri Jun 27, 2014, 02:54 AM
Jun 2014

One of my friends didn't trim the claws on his cat. At one point the poor cat start limping around, but my friend didn't know what was the problem. He took the cat into the vet who trimmed the claws and the issue was resolved.

Moral of the story, cats do need to have their claws trimmed, but be careful not to trim into the quick of their claws. There is actually a tool that files the claws instead of cutting them that can be purchased at the pet store for less than $20.

QED

(2,730 posts)
8. I can do one cat's but not the other's.
Fri Jun 27, 2014, 09:53 PM
Jun 2014

My little boy cat doesn't like it but he tolerates it. The little girl can be vicious. I had to give her liquid antibiotics a while back and she bit me numerous times. My arm had bright red welts - and I ended up on two antibiotics. The vet gave her an antibiotic shot that is time released for 7 days.

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,280 posts)
2. I try. It's kind of a battle; they don't like it.
Fri Jun 27, 2014, 10:07 AM
Jun 2014

I usually can manage only a couple of claws at a time before the indignant cat squirms away from me. It helps to sneak up on them when they're sleeping.

TygrBright

(20,733 posts)
3. YES!
Fri Jun 27, 2014, 10:09 AM
Jun 2014

Cats groom themselves up to a point. But they can't really do so to the extent needed to compensate for the lives they lead as domestic companions, rather than feral hunters.

So not only do I brush my medium-hair cat, I clean inside his ears, trim his claws, and brush his teeth, weekly. We call it his "torture and humiliation session," but because it's done with LOTS of treats, when the grooming box comes out of the cupboard he hops right up on the ottoman to get started.

If your cat isn't used to being groomed you may have to habituate her to it slowly, doing a little bit at a time. Always include some lovely brushing, which is like extra-good petting!

With the Feline Overlord, I brush him, give him a treat, do the teeth, give him a treat, brush a little more, then the claws, then a treat, then a little more brushing, then the ears, then a treat, then a little more brushing, then a wipe-bath with anti-dander wipes, then a treat, then a little more brushing, then finally the UBER-TREAT, about an inch of hairball remedy jelly on my finger.

This takes a while because I can't do it fast or abrupt or rough, and the kitty needs "cool down" times so he doesn't get too over-stimulated during the process.

For claws, I pick him up and set him on my lap with his back against my tummy, and take one paw at a time, gently pushing one toe express the claw, and check the state of it. If it's too sharp or grown too far out from the quick, a fast clip is indicated. Never down to the quick. I just take the tips off, basically, but since I do it weekly, that works fine.

Not easy when he decides he DOESN'T want to do this now! Sometimes an extra treat or two is indicated. He squirms just to let me know that he's REALLY in charge. The back ones are a little trickier, but again, the main thing is to just nip the tips, not near the quick. I sort of angle the clip back a little, which makes for a blunter end.

Once she gets used to it and realized that the petting and treats go with the torture, Zelda may decide it's mostly okay for you to be helping her with her claws, too!

optimistically,
Bright

mockmonkey

(2,778 posts)
4. I do my best to do it
Fri Jun 27, 2014, 10:26 AM
Jun 2014

I don't have the best vision so I have extra powerful glasses for that little issue. One of the cats is near feral so there is no way for me to clip her nails but my Ex visits once a month so he does those.

I have 8 cats and it's a bit of a chore and they can be very fidgety. If nothing else I just trim them enough so they aren't very sharp and can't hurt the other cats or get caught on things.

Most of the time I trim them while they are laying down and I get a paw or two before they start to be annoyed. My Ex would just pick them up plop them down in his lap and trim their nails, he really had command of them.

One cat named Harvey let me trim his nails one time and it went great and then something changed and he wouldn't let me do it anymore. He will be on my lap and if I reach for my glasses or for the trimmers he runs away all scared.

Now I have a cat that I need to give eye drops to...ugh.

ginnyinWI

(17,276 posts)
5. frontsies, but not backsies
Fri Jun 27, 2014, 10:37 AM
Jun 2014

My cats chew at their own back feet claws to keep them down. I could clip them if I could get them to hold still (takes two people really). They are good (pretty much) about having the front claws clipped. Those claws aren't as thick, for one thing.

Best thing I ever did regarding claws, was to give them sisal rope scratching posts on a cat tree. Since getting them they have not touched the furniture or the woodwork.

We had a cat once who, if her claws weren't clipped, would stick to the looped nylon carpet as she walked. Same concept as velcro.

Curmudgeoness

(18,219 posts)
6. Yes.
Fri Jun 27, 2014, 08:03 PM
Jun 2014

I always have a cup of flour right there in case I clip too short and it bleeds (that only happened on time in all my years). Pack flour into the claw to stop the flow of blood. But it is easy to avoid cutting too short if you have a good kitty who will sit still. I have had both fighters and tolerant kitties. They fighters had to be done one of two nails at a time. One even had to be done at the vet's office because he was too much for me. If you have a fighter, try for the nails that you think are catching on things first.

And I will second that comment about the sisal scratching post...all my cats have loved only sisal and ignored the ones that were just carpet.

Curmudgeoness

(18,219 posts)
9. Probably the same principle.
Fri Jun 27, 2014, 10:08 PM
Jun 2014

Let's not scare grasswire with all this talk of bleeding though.....it really is rare to have that happen.

NCarolinawoman

(2,825 posts)
10. Mathew-Pufftail is an easy-going Maine-Coon, so no problem doing the front paws.
Sat Jun 28, 2014, 07:54 PM
Jun 2014

Every couple of months, I ride down the road (my vet is close-by) and have the professionals do both front and back feet.

He seems so happy and carefree afterwords. He runs around the house more.

He also has a big piece of wood on the deck that he enjoys scratching on.

3catwoman3

(23,820 posts)
12. 3 of ours tolerate it reasonably...
Fri Jul 4, 2014, 11:09 PM
Jul 2014

...one is 50/50, and one totally HATES it. If I am lucky, I get 3 claws before he becomes unmanageable. My vet has given me travel tranquilizers to use, but it doen't help a whole lot. He is our only long-haired cat, and atho he looks like a ragdoll, he definitely does not have the easy-going ragdoll personality.

He will scratch on anything except a scratching post.

 

Voice for Peace

(13,141 posts)
13. Yes and one of the main reasons is because they spend a lot of time outdoors.
Sun Jul 6, 2014, 10:48 PM
Jul 2014

It is very hard to catch a bird if you have clipped claws.

They'll swat, but the claw won't grab and hold, the way sharp claws do.

In general they are fairly cooperative, I hold them very tightly
so they can't escape and I scratch their faces and chins, then
we do this little piggy, one nail at a time, scratchy chin chin,
where is pointer?? here I am, scratchy scratching cheeks and
ears, where is thumbkin? and so on.. more often successful
than not.



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