Need to cut my cats nails

virtuoso

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Hello,

so my cats nails are getting a bit too long and I need to cut them but I don't want to hurt him. Can anyone give me instructions, and maybe some reference to what kind of nail cutting device I can use, to cut his nails without to much discomfort.
 

gailuvscats

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I cut my guys nails all the time. I use a heavy human nail clipper (a big one). I hold them on my lap, under my arm. with that hand I pick up a paw and push out a nail. with the other hand, I clip the nail. I clip the tip and a little more, do not cut into, or get too close to the Pink you can see inside the nail. If your cat is not used to this, you amy have to just do one or two, and then try again later. You cannot do it with a struggling cat. A little squirming is ok, but once they want down, let them down, or you won't get another chance. My guys put up with it, I do one foot, than the other. Rarely must I leave one down before I am finished. The so called "cat nail clippers" the ones that are a circle and you have to get the nail in it and then squeeze are a waste of money. human nail clipper are the best. Only the big ones, the little ones are too hard to manipulate.
 

cococat

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Grab some treats to reward good kitty behavior, a cat nail clipper, get in an area that has a lot of light, wrap kitty up safe and sound in a towel, and cut the nails. You should be able to see the quick, don't cut that part.
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by gailuvscats

human nail clipper are the best. Only the big ones, the little ones are too hard to manipulate.
Actually the small finger nail clippers are ok for front claws, one might have problems with thicker back claws.

Another suggestion is to wait until your cat is sleepy.

If he normally allows you to touch or play with his feet you'll probably have less problems, letting your cat sniff and scent mark the clippers before you use them can help too - cats tend to be less afraid of things they are used to (and smells like them).
 

cattiew

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one other trick is to be quick!!! when you cut it more quickly they will soon be ok with it
...
 

gailuvscats

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Actually the small finger nail clippers are ok for front claws, one might have problems with thicker back claws.
It is not necessary to cut the back claws, and the big nailclipper is much easier to handle than the small one.
the suggestions of waiting until they are sleepy and wrapping in a towel are good ones.
 

jandm

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Before I ever cut them I would extend them and touch their paws a bit while they were sleepy. Once they got used to that and didn't object I knew I could give the clipping a try. The first few times I did the very tips, cause I was nervous. Eventually they got used to it and I got used to it (and used to getting special treats afterwards!)and there is never much of a fight, I could cut more. Also, if you can only do i paw, or a couple nails at a time, it's ok...do the rest later instead of having a power struggle with your kitty.
Good luck!
 

purrrrfect

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I get hold of 1 of my cats and tuck them under my arm holding a paw in my left hand and placing my thumb on the pad of the paw i press down to expose the claws. I clip each claw in turn paying perticula attention to the due claws. I then move on to the next paw untill all claws are cut. I do use a small pair of cat claw clippers. I have used them for a number of years and find them easy to use. With 1 or 2 of the cats it takes hubby to hold 1 and me to cut the claws.
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by gailuvscats

It is not necessary to cut the back claws, and the big nailclipper is much easier to handle than the small one.
DH and I have both been scratched by our cats back claws - it's never the front ones. Sho, so some reason, grows out two huge claws on each back foot... I call them talons
If left too long he can also crack/split them.
As for the clipper size, that's probably more dependent on what's easier for the person to hold.

Truly, the best advice is start trimming a cat's claws as early as you can. When you wait till they're already 5-6 months or older they're more likely to fuss and you'll need to resort to tricks and treat bribes.
 

yosemite

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Originally Posted by strange_wings

DH and I have both been scratched by our cats back claws - it's never the front ones. Sho, so some reason, grows out two huge claws on each back foot... I call them talons
If left too long he can also crack/split them.
As for the clipper size, that's probably more dependent on what's easier for the person to hold.

Truly, the best advice is start trimming a cat's claws as early as you can. When you wait till they're already 5-6 months or older they're more likely to fuss and you'll need to resort to tricks and treat bribes.
I agree. We clip the back claws about every couple months. When your cats are young play with their paws and get them used to having their paws handled. I don't even have to hold Bijou anymore. If he's just laying on the table I can lift each paw and clip and he will not move. If we put our finger on the bottom of Mika's paw pad, she extends her claws and it's an easy clip.

We also use human nail clippers and I agree, whatever ones feel the most comfortable to the clipper (small or large ones).
 

deljo

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Good time for this thread. I just did my kitties this afternoon. Rather I held them and my daughter used the clippers. Just regular nail clippers. Sweetie is easy I hold her and my daughter clips. Juno is a different story. First we need to catch her. She hides under beds or the couch. She hides everytime my daughter comes over cuz she's afraid we're going to clip her nails. This time she was upstairs on the landing. I shut both bedroom doors and my daughter started up the stairs. Juno had no place to go to except the bathroom where I was waiting to catch her. Even lifting her is hard. She's about 16#. I held her and my daughter clipped both front and back. She's such a good kittie while this is being done. She puts her ears down and tries to hide her head under my arms. She was a feral and has always been afraid of anyone but me. She has never had a bad experience being clipped she's just afraid. We should do her more often, but when I hear her nails catching in the furniture I know its time. She recovered nicely especially when I gave her a treat and now she'll feel better.
 

goldenkitty45

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Instead of waiting a long time between cuttings (and the cat is giving you a hard time every time), try checking and clipping nails once a week. (1) the cat gets used to it faster and you won't have a battle every time (2) keeps the nails trimmed so that NO sharp point develops and (3) if you have more then one cat, they won't hurt each other accidently.
 

ldg

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The way we got our cats used to clipping claws was to wait UNTIL they were asleep and then we'd do one claw. Really quick. With a treat ready. We did one claw every night. And just kept going 'round.

The only one that gets sharp back claws is Ming Loy, and we clip her back claws about once a month.

But as to the front paws, each kitty "came around" at a different rate, but we progressed from one claw to two or three. We finally got to the place with all of them that I can just hold them in my lap and do both front paws - though for most of them, it was just one paw at first, so we did a paw a week, which when we got to being able to do both paws at the same time, we now do it every two weeks.

But having treats ready to go was was critical at first!

Laurie
 
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