Do you trim cats nails?

I use large regular nail clippers and clip all their nails, it is very easy to see the quick, so going into it should not be a problem. I don't try to make them real short, just take off the razor sharp tips. We have several scratching posts too. One does not exclude the other.

Scratching post sharpen claws, not dull them, by giving the cat a surface to remove the old dull outer sheaths on claws.

It's not difficult to trim claws, it just takes a little practice and getting the cat used to it.

We trim ours. Two of them are easy, without much struggling. Punkin resists, but I can do them by myself by holding him between my knees.

A few times through will teach you how to do it without hitting the quick. You'll probably also learn what happens when you hit the quick accidentally; it happens to everyone, eventually.

I also use a regular human nail clippers. It is MUCH easier to use that way, IMO, than the special "cat" clippers I used to have that looked like weird scissors.

I've had the best luck with cat-sized guillotine clippers, but I seem to have lost mine somewhere.

Yup, gotta trim! I use the scissors-type that you can get at any pet supply store. They are made specifically to fit a cat's small claws. If the claws are white, it is easy to see the quick. Even if you can't see it, you sort of learn to cut where the "hook" is....you can almost "grab" the hook with the scissor and then cut...hard to describe....

I hope your friend gets his Odessa kitty!!!!

LOL, long story to tell but I "learned" to trim them "hard way".
I'm sure your friend can do it, too.

First few months - I got bitten, scratched, hissed(and then either bitten or scratched after that)...you name it, Ku Ku did anything and EVERYTHING to me to avoid it.
Then, I learned a couple of tricks for "happy medium" for both of us

1) Start "one at a time" when cat is in either sleepy or relaxing mode.
Try trimming 1, 2 or just as many without scaring him/her off. If she/he resists it or freaks out, stop immediately.

2)Do not even try when he/she is fully awake & alert, or in a playing mode - the chance is...ouch...

3)Although, I don't know if this works for every cats, I always give Ku Ku a little "treat" ONLY IF she lets me trim them(that is, without resisting or biting). I also praise her for being "a good girl" before giving any treat.

Besides trimmers, I've 3 different scratching posts - 2 verticals & 1 horizontal(to lay on a floor), which she uses whenever she feels like it.
There's several different kind of trimmers to try, too. My sister used regular nail-clippers(for human beings) for our family cats. I use scissor type trimmer for Ku Ku as she "resists more" than our family cats.

I also purchased a pedipaws, hoping it'd work as the TV commercial claimed it would, but Ku Ku never got used to it. She got scared off everytime I took it out and turned it on
I got 2 friends of mine who purchased it, too, but they both said the product did not work the way it advertised either.

Sorry for changing the subject but just FYI.
Good luck

Mine all get trimmed, but they also need scratching posts - it's not one or the other.

I trim all of mine plus all of the kitties at the shelter once a week. I use the smallest scissor-type clippers because they're the easiest for me to handle. They do tend to leave sharp edges on the claws so I also smooth them over with an emery board afterward. The hardest part is that the kitties want to play with the emery board.

I've never had problems with any of them except one semi-feral at the shelter. I had to do hers two or three claws at time and spread them out over several days.

I trim Blossom's occasionally while she's sleepy. She's not a cat to enjoy grooming at all.

able to trim Beeba's claws. He is very skittish. I just started playing with his paws when he was laying on my lap. Exposing each claw now and then. Then I kept a pair of regular fingernail clippers in my hand and let him smell them and play with them. Clicked them so the sound would not scare him. Rubbed them on his feet. Then the time came to actually cut a nail. Absolutely no problem. Like previous poster, I just "tip" them. You have to do it more often, but if you acclimate your cat to it, it's not a prob. Good luck! ps. I think I read that the dew claw needs to be clipped side to side, not front to back, due to the thickness of it.

I only trim jagged or crooked claws. Unless cats are ill, very overweight or old, they manage to keep their claws in good shape themselves, given scratching posts, boards, etc.. "Inappropriate scratching" is usually what induces people to clip claws, but why bother if the cat isn't wrecking things?

If a cat has "white" claws, you can avoid cutting too much and into the quick by shining a small flashlight from the side of the claw.

Even with the scratching post and cat tree, Bijou's claws get very long and since he loves to knead my neck at night, I definitely need to cut his claws. I also find that if they get too long they get caught in fabrics and mats/carpeting. He does a good job himself of getting the shedding parts off though - I often see him "biting his nails".

Personally I don't know how some of you can stand to have sharp nails on your cats!

once a week

Your cats are indoor cats, though. Jamie goes out for a long walk on a leash every day, and his predecessors were allowed out alone. They need long claws for protection if they're outside. We have hard floors and leather/wood furniture, so I don't worry much about scratching or claws getting caught.

I used to figure with the dogs that if I had to cut their nails, they weren't getting enough exercise, as they'd walk on asphalt, cement, etc., as well as grass and dirt, and that kept their nails short. I guess that got me in the habit of only cutting when necessary.

I trim my cat's nails once every two or three weeks, when I start to see or feel them getting sharp again. I trim his claws because he gets very rough during playtime and is a kitty that likes to chase and ambush feet! I don't mind the cat scratches but once or twice he's actually gotten a claw stuck in mine or my fiance's skin and then proceeded to struggle to rip it out. Not a pleasant feeling! But he's a good kitty, just a little rough.

I use the scissor type trimmers and have found that to be the easiest for me and Bean.

The first time I trimmed his claws Cody held him for me while I did both front paws. He struggled and fussed a bit but after that he's calmed down and I now can do all ten toes alone. I find that his back claws needed the most trimming as they grew exceedingly more than his front claws. The only praise I give is a "Good boy Bean!" and some loving pets before letting him walk off.

It's so cute when I trim his claws, I'll go pick him up from wherever he is and sit on the carpet with him, flop him to one side to do his front and back leg, then roll him over like a little ham and do the other side. rofl!

As far as the quick, I've never hit it (Knock on wood) as you can clearly see it on most cats. I've never seen a cat with black claws.



Also...don't recommend pedipaws. I attempted to use it on my cat one time. The smell alone is enough to turn anyone away from it, and not only was my cat frightened of it, it actually caught his nail and sucked it in and wrenched his whole toe around!!! I'm very lucky that he didn't break his toe or anything. It's a horrible device and not even worth the money they ask for it.

If the cat is supervised outside or you have him on a harness/leash, there is no reason not to trim the nails. Our barn cats had nails cut every so often - never stopped them from hunting, killing or climbing or defending themselves.

Yes I clip all my cats' nails regularly, whenever they feel sharp. They like to knead me so if I don't clip them they start to hurt. It is usually pretty easy to avoid the quick because cats generally have white/clear nails.

Has anybody tried teaching their cats not to extend their claws when kneading? If Jamie forgets, which rarely happens, just the word "claws" reminds him. We pushed him away any time he used his claws while kneading as a kitten, or stopped whatever game we were playing with him, and said "Ow, claws!". It doesn't work at the vets', though.

We taught Sho to watch his claws when he's kneading, but if they're not trimmed regularly he'll accidentally catch us with them. Tomas has never learned despite knowing very well he should watch his claws (he loves to knead my neck). So it's just easier to make sure everyone is clipped regularly.


That's because front claws are only used for gripping and don't need to be extra sharp, teeth (or sheer terror for some poor mouse) are used to kill. In fights, or bluffing, the front claws are some deterrent (though usually just the swatting action is enough in some cats) and not actually used for much aside from, again, gripping. The usually duller back claws and teeth do the damage. ...You gain a bit of insight into how cats fight when you've been attack like another cat would be.

I haven't tried to teach my cats not to use their claws when kneading. I never thought of that... Anyway I don't mind the claws as long as they are trimmed, it doesn't hurt. Actually kneading is often how I know when one of them needs a trim, because if it starts to hurt when they knead me I know it's time to get out the nail clippers!

I know how cats use their claws and feet - but still doesn't mean you don't trim them when they get too sharp and long!

Nails need to be clipped. Since Autumn is much too frisky, I take her to a groomer 5 minutes away and she does them for me, she charges me $10. When I go to the vet's, she also does them for me but normally I only go to the vet's once a year for an annual checkup so going to the groomer takes care of her nails inbetween.

Sounds like you have your solution to nail trimming. I think it's a matter of what works for each of us individually. No one method is best for everyone.

Like everyone else on here - I trim. It's an absolute necessity. My fosters run the gamut from Archie -who view it as getting attention and purrs through the whole thing - to Prowler who fights like the Devil is trying to take him. I gotta do him one or two at a time.

True. It never occurred to me to trim a cat's claws unless the cat had trouble attending to them herself/himself, and "too sharp" isn't an expression I'd use for them.

This is an interesting discussion. I grew up with cats whose claws were never trimmed. We taught them to be gentle with their paws just like with their teeth.

It never occurred to me to try cutting a cat's claws until I adopted a retired breeding cat. She'd had her nails trimmed weekly from kittenhood. It quickly became obvious that I would have to keep that up, because she had NO idea how to manage her claws. She snagged them on things, was too rough on human skin, and it took her a long time to learn that I didn't like having her grab my hand with claws out when she wanted petting. They also didn't seem to shed properly without help.
It took several years of gradually lengthening the time between trims, but she has learned (mostly) and her claws shed normally now. She no longer needs them cut.

So my opinion is that a healthy cat only "needs" claw clipping for the owner's convenience. Whether it is convenient depends on the person. I find it much easier to do a few months of kitten training than a lifetime of clipping - JMO.

Again, no one method is better than another - each has it's merits. I have found that as I've gotten older my skin is much thinner and I get scratched, cut and bleed more quickly. I clip claws because it is best for me. Bijou is very gentle but accidents do happen so clipping makes both our lives easier.