Nail trimming tips

[PinotAndOpal]

Looking for tips on trimming baby girl's nails. I have a complacent 4 month old baby boy who just let's me clip them when he is laying down and sleepy but Opal is.....less than cooperative. I've tried the burrito technique and it worked only once successfully. Now she has figured out how to wiggle backwards or she will pull her paw back from me aggressively. I don't want to hurt her so when she starts pulling I'm afraid to hold on to clip. Any tips? She has razor talons.

[fjm]

As a general rule it is better not to trim cats' claws - they use them when jumping and balancing and blunting them can lead to accidents. Elderly cats that can no longer strop them properly may need help, but most cats take good care of this important asset themselves. Better to train away from inappropriate use and leave the nail care to her - less risk all round!

[Ruth B]

I have to agree that most of the time a young cat is more than capable of looking after their own claws as long as a good range of scratchers are available, horizontal, vertical, boards, and posts of differing material to find out what she likes best.

However I do believe that it is worth getting her used to having her paws handled in case you have have to do when she gets older. Just holding her and handling her paws, spreading them as if you were going to clip the claws but then letting go. if you really feel one needs clipping then just do that one and leave the rest, just clipping one claw can be a lot less stressful than trying to do a paw full.

Why do you feel she needs her claws clipping, is she scratching at furniture, or even at people. Cats have claws to help them with grip and balance so removing the tips will make her feel less secure when she is moving. If you are scared of her scratching you, then playing with her with wand toys so your hand is never close to the toy and never becomes associated with a toy could help. If she does scratch you, then a quiet No, and turning away from her will give her a clear message that she over stepped the mark, and hopefully she will then learn where the boundaries of play are, and keep her claws in.

[Mollycat]

Have to agree with fjm and Ruth, and add from experience two notes -
Firstly an 8 year old adoptee who wasn't used to doing his claws himself and so the half-soft tissue used to build up under his dew claw which I had to scratch out on a regular basis, otherwise this can lead to ingrowing and is often missed by owners. My ex's cat had one grow all the way round one and a half full turns before it was spotted.
Secondly my girl last year when the vet trimmed hers while she was having her dental, without my permission, who was then paranoid and lashed out a lot while they grew back to their natural state.

When they "sharpen" their claws they are keeping them stripped of the outside layer that falls off but also keeping all the tendons and ligaments that retract them in perfect condition. If they claw the furniture make sure they have plenty of scratch posts and then if there is a problem we can help you get to the bottom of where to put them and how to make them more attractive than a sofa. Absolutely important to get them used to everything including feet being handled, but better to make that a fun and pleasant and rewarding experience early on. Your girl's reluctance now is only going to develop into real problems if you try and force the issue.

[PinotAndOpal]

I have to agree that most of the time a young cat is more than capable of looking after their own claws as long as a good range of scratchers are available, horizontal, vertical, boards, and posts of differing material to find out what she likes best.

However I do believe that it is worth getting her used to having her paws handled in case you have have to do when she gets older. Just holding her and handling her paws, spreading them as if you were going to clip the claws but then letting go. if you really feel one needs clipping then just do that one and leave the rest, just clipping one claw can be a lot less stressful than trying to do a paw full.

Why do you feel she needs her claws clipping, is she scratching at furniture, or even at people. Cats have claws to help them with grip and balance so removing the tips will make her feel less secure when she is moving. If you are scared of her scratching you, then playing with her with wand toys so your hand is never close to the toy and never becomes associated with a toy could help. If she does scratch you, then a quiet No, and turning away from her will give her a clear message that she over stepped the mark, and hopefully she will then learn where the boundaries of play are, and keep her claws in.

Her nails especially on her right paw are extremely sharp so she accidentally scratches people jumping and moving around plus she is getting her dew claw and first claw hung up on fabrics frequently. They have 3 different scratching posts and a scratching mat they use regularly but as they are indoor cats only their claws are still quite long. My vet recommended trimming every 3 or 4 weeks if they are getting long. They don't really mind me touching their paws much but as soon as it's clear to Opal I'm going to cut them she gets squirelly.

[Mollycat]

Understood - but as a young kitten she needs to learn to fully retract them, it takes time, and it's much better for her if she has them intact to do that. Trimmed claws can get away with slack retracting gear!

As for length, a cat's claws are not like our nails that keep getting longer and they don't wear down like a dog's, so being an indoor cat has absolutely nothing to do with the length of the claws. The claws should fully retract into paddy-paws no matter how long they are, and that's the job of the tendons and ligaments which will work at their optimum if claws are left alone for the cat to exercise.

If she really does need to have the tips trimmed fair enough, clearly it's a job she hates and all I can suggest is to get her used to lots of happy nice touches on her feet and handling with rewards, and hope she learns to accept it eventually.

[Ruth B]

Four months old is still pretty young and she is probably still learning how to handle her claws. I would suggest some old throws and that around if she catches her claws in fabrics to protect your good things and leave her to learn how to retract them properly. If she has them out when jumping or walking on you then q quick reprimand can help her learn she shouldn't, but claws are there to help with balance so she is always likely to use them if she land badly or feels unstable.

If you do have to clip her claws, then just do one at a time and give her lots of praise afterwards. Keep the clippers close at hand somewhere where she will come and sit on your knee and then when she is there and relaxed just clip the one offending claw, and give her lots of fuss, and possibly a treat afterwards, so she starts to accept her claws being clipped with nice things. It can be worth using the fuss and treat reward to get her happy to get to the point where she thinks you are going to clip a claw, but you don't actually do it. Stop and give her the reward just before she starts to react to you thinking of clippign a claw.

We used to have a cat who we adopted when he was 3 years old, and he hated to have his claws done. We asked the vet to do them one time when he was having his annual boosters and check up. The vet almost managed to do one paw before he had to give up due to the stress that it was causing. Blue, our cat, was a Ragdoll and normally so laid back he was horizontal, but when the vet tried to do his claws it sounded like he was being mutilated, one of the nurses in the practice actually came into the room to see what was happening it sounded so bad. In the end we learnt to do his one claw at a time, a dew claw here another claw there, work out in advance which claw was the issue and just go for that one without handling any other, and leave it at that. By the time he was in his teens and needed more work doing on his claws we could do two or three at once, but the moment he started to get worked up, we stopped, knowing we could always try again tomorrow.