Get those claws out of my body!

Hi everyone,

Some of you know me from a thread started by Eilcon when she was trapping some ferals and rescued two male kittens who I subsequently adopted. Their names are Douglas and Deacon and I have a question. Douglas has decided to sleep next to me, which is just fine, however before he goes to sleep he must knead for awhile. The problem is, he does not retract his claws and he kind of crawls all over, down my back, up my legs, on my face and neck, with his claws out. I keep putting my hand under his claws to try to teach him to keep them retracted, but so far, have not had much luck. I usually just give up and grit my teeth and bear it until he goes to sleep, which is usually just a few minutes, but is kind of painful.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

Helene

I'd suggest taking him to the vet to get his claws trimmed, or that you learn to do it yourself. My oldest cat kneads on me all of the time but her claws are clipped and it doesn't hurt at all.

There is also something called "Soft claws" that you can glue on each nail so that the claws are covered with soft rubber/plastic.

Agree with the above! Kneading does not hurt at all if the claws are clipped, all you feel is the little soft paw pads of love Trimming claws should not be a problem if you start young and introduce it into their routine, although you may want to get your vet or groomer to show you how to do it if you haven't done it before! I would also advise that you buy clippers from the vet, the ones I got from a pet store were awful and didn't cut cleanly.

I was going to suggest clipping Douglas' claws too, Helene. I did it when I was fostering him and, while he wasn't thrilled about it, he let me do it. The key is starting when the cat is young and getting him used to it. It also helps to get the cat used to having his paws touched by doing just that very gently. A lot of praise and some treats after you clip their claws doesn't hurt either.

I've never tried Soft Claws, but others on the site have and swear by them.