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Do You Know How To
Trim Your Cats Claws?
"Trimming your cat's claws can
help prevent a lot of problems."
When You Trim Your Cats Claws: The Benefits
The benefits you and your cat gain when you trim your cats claws far outweigh the dangers of having your cat's claws surgically removed. Trimming is a safe and humane alternative to surgery.
It's also a good way to keep your cat healthy, protect your furniture, and protect you and your family from getting scratched.
How Soon Should You Begin to Trim Your Cat's Claws?
Ideally, you should start trimming when your cat is a kitten. This will help your cat to get used to the procedure and make it less traumatic for your cat and for you.
Kittens are generally easier to train in most cat-human interactions. Giving your kitten a treat after you trim her nails will make the process even more enjoyable for her.
Older cats can be trained to allow you to trim their claws, also. A treat for your cat comes in particularly handy if you are trying to teach an old cat new tricks.
How Often Should You Trim Your Cats Claws?
To keep your cat's claws from becoming too sharp, you should trim his claws about every two weeks. This is just a general guideline.
How often you trim will depend, in part, on how short you cut your cats claws.
Until you get the hang of trimming your cat's nails, you may only want to cut off the very tip of the nails.
Depending on your cat’s temperament and how used to claw-trimming she is, she may only allow you to clip a couple of nails a day. Some older cats have had bad experiences with nail clipping in the past and may not adjust very well. Don't force your cat if she is having a particularly rough time of it.
Remember to give treats and talk soothingly.
Best Time to Trim Your Cats Claws
It's best to trim your cats claws when she's in a mellow mood. After a nap is a good time.
After a play session is not a good time. But you could follow up the nail trimming with a play session so your cat associates having her claws clipped with a fun experience.
Tools to Clip Your Cat's Claws
In addition to a firm hand, you'll need a clipper especially made to trim cat's claws. These special clippers are designed to cut your cat's claws at the correctangle to prevent splitting your cat's nails and causing them to bleed.
There are essentially two types of clippers. One type is a nail clipper similar to a pair of scissors and the other is a mini guillotine-type.
With the mini guillotine-type nail trimmer, you put your cat’s claw into the opening and then squeeze the handle of the clippers. This is the type of clippers I prefer because it seems to help hold the nail in place.
Whatever type of nail clipper you choose, be sure that the blades are sharp. Dull blades can split your cat's claws and cause pain and bleeding.
Clippers made from surgical steel are more expensive but they last longer and stay sharper longer.
Accidents Happen
For the possible accident (cutting the quick of your cat's claw), it's a good idea to also have some styptic powder or styptic gel around to help stop the bleeding.
Accidentally cutting your cat's quick will probably cause some pain to your cat and some bleeding. Don't panic. Using a little styptic powder will help the bleeding to stop if it doesn't stop on its own.
How To Trim Your Cats Claws
Long before you begin to trim your cats claws, you can frequently stroke her paws so she gets used to having them touched.
When you are ready to trim her claws, having another person help can be useful, but it's not necessary. If you have two people, one person can hold the cat while the other trims the claws.
When trimming your cat's claws, hold her firmly, but not too tightly. Take a paw in your hand and press on the joint right above the claw to make the claw stick out. Using a nail clipper made especially for trimming cat's claws, snip off the tip of your cat's nail. Be careful not to clip to closely to the quick.
It's best to do the clipping in a well-lit area so you can see the pink quick through the nail.
Be sure to talk soothingly to your cat while you are clipping his nails and reward him with a treat and some play-time afterwards. This will help your cat associate having his claws trimmed with a positive experience.
If your cat is too restless to let you trim all of his claws, let him go and try again later or the next day.
It's better to only do a couple of nails at a time rather than forcing your cat to have all of his nails trimmed at one time.
Remember to give rewards!
Asking Your Veterinarian for Help
If you are unsure about how to clip your cat's claws or how short to clip them, ask your veterinarian to demonstrate for you.
Most good veterinarians make trimming your cat's claws a part of their regular annual check-up, so you can at least watch then.
Related Topics:
Cat Grooming Techniques
Tips on grooming your cat
Declawing Alternatives Information about declawing your cat
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