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Do you regularly clip their claws?

post #1 of 22
4/18/10 at 9:18am
Thread Starter 
Most of the cat books I read say to regularly clip your cats claws. I haven't done this, and am wondering if I should. We've had Cappy for a month now. He's 1 1/2 years old and doesn't claw the furniture too much. Mostly claws at one of the rugs, which I don't care about - and his scratching post.

If you clip their claws what do you use? Are there special clippers for this? What happens if you don't clip their claws? And if you do, do they grow like fingernails?

Lin
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post #2 of 22
4/18/10 at 9:44am
I trim all my cats claws regularly. Mazy was the only one who needed several years of Paw Work to accept it and I don't do her hind feet, only front, Tolly and Jennie get hind and front done.

Mazy cat's Paw Work was: daily I would hold her and touch her paws, giving her little dots of mayonnaise as treats while I did it. It took time for her to even allow me to touch them long enough to press them and extend the claws. It took over three years to actually get to the point where she would allow me to clip them. At first I could only clip one claw at a time, then gradually she would accept a whole paw at a time (continuing with the mayo treats, she can't bite if she's licking mayonnaise off her mouth) and now I can do both front paws in one session.

I advise you to start getting Cappy used to having his paws handled in the way I did with Mazy. Hold the paw between your thumb and fingers and gently press to extend the claws.

This not only gets him used to it, but gives you a chance to observe his claws. Observe how they grow and where the quick is (the pink part)

When starting, just snip the tips until you develop more confidence and skill. Eventually you should be able to cut them a bit shorter, always avoiding the quick-which is the pink part.

I use these clippers, and replace them yearly, as they do get dull with use.:



.
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post #3 of 22
4/18/10 at 10:33am
I have three kittens and a couple cats that have fussy slap fights, so claws get trimmed around here for everyone's safety.
Though the main reason I've always clipped claws is because my left eye was scratched when I was 6 - had my cat's back claws been trimmed it wouldn't have been so bad.

But some people don't clip. If you're fine with them longer, that's ok. Though I do suggest you clip before vet visits so they're not tempted to do it for you...
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post #4 of 22
4/18/10 at 11:48am
All three of mine get their nails trimmed regularly (every 2 weeks or so). I use the simple black handled feline specific nail trimmers. They have them in the pet section at Walmart, Target, anywhere. They're small enough so I can maneuver easily and clip the nail quickly and painlessly.

All three of mine get the zoomies frequently, running on furniture, me, whatever is in their way. So, if their nails aren't short they catch all the time. If a nail gets caught in something, the cat can struggle and possibly pull the nail too hard doing damage to it. Cats naturally groom their nails and lose the sheaths around them, but IMO human help is still necessary, especially for an indoor only cat that doesn't use their nails as much as an outdoor cat would.
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post #5 of 22
4/18/10 at 11:50am
I've never clipped claws, with the exception of the odd broken or cracked one. Jamie has one claw that grows crookedly, so I clip that every few weeks, but otherwise I figure that as long as cats can deal with their claws themselves, let them be.
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post #6 of 22
4/18/10 at 2:32pm
I trim all of ours on a regular basis, and I do all the cats at the shelter that I can get around to. With the scissors shown above, it can be easy and quick. If you're worried about the hurting the cat, take off just the point. I try to get down far enough that I don't have to do it so often.
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post #7 of 22
4/18/10 at 3:10pm
I trim Storm's regularly, she wears Soft Claws on the front because we rent and I would hate for her to scratch up a door or trim. She also gets her back claws trimmed every month. She's a zoomie spider monkey and she bounces off everything and everyone so if I don't she scratches us and gets her claws caught on things.
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post #8 of 22
4/18/10 at 3:15pm
When we lived in a carpeted apartment I trimmed my cats' claws fairly frequently (or else they'd start to get stuck in the carpet--poor cats!). Now that we have hardwood floors, I must admit I'm more lazy about trimming them than I should be.

As long as your cats have normal claws they don't *need* to be trimmed, assuming they have their own place to scratch. Trimming will make them definitely safer and less pointy (although I have some scars on my arm from a cat whose claws were clipped less than 48 hours prior to the "incident," so no guarantees!), and they'll be less likely to damage themselves or other furniture when speeding around the house (they can get a claw hung up or even ripped off).

Most cats don't love the process, but I've found that most will tolerate it. I like to keep the clippers out next to the couch so if I notice someone's claws are getting a little long I can just clip them a few at a time (plus it helps prevent the "hey, she's got the nail trimmers out--RUN AWAY" if they're only brought out when it's time to clip nails)
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post #9 of 22
4/18/10 at 3:38pm
I clip all mine and check them every week or two. My cats are a very active breed so it's safer for everyone if nails are shorter.

They've had it done from a young age so sit willingly and even purr while I clip.
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post #10 of 22
4/18/10 at 4:26pm
My 2 that are front declawed get clipped if their back ones get too long or sharp. Lola has all of her claws. I check her weekly for claws that are particularly sharp, and clip those. She tends to accidentally get me or get caught on her posts/forts if they get too sharp and pointy.
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post #11 of 22
4/18/10 at 4:28pm
See my post here about why I clip regularly.

If you're looking for a good way to do it, see my post here.
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post #12 of 22
4/18/10 at 5:12pm
I clip every one to two weeks with a human toenail clipper.
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post #13 of 22
4/18/10 at 5:23pm
I just clip the very tip of the nail off about twice a month. No problem, Bella is so laid back I can do it in a couple minutes. If I don't then I have scratches on the inside of my legs from her jumping off and on to my lap!!
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post #14 of 22
4/18/10 at 6:06pm
I keep my cats' nails trimmed all the time. I just use regular human fingernail clippers. I keep them trimmed for several reasons. One is because it prevents damage if they do decide to scratch furniture (they generally don't). Another reason is they like to knead me and it can be really painful if the nails are long, also sometimes they run across or jump off people's laps and if their nails are long we'd end up with claw marks. They also sometimes have scuffles or play-fight so short nails also protect them from scratching each other.
Sometimes if I miss trimming a nail, when I do go to trim them I'll find a piece of carpet or fabric stuck into the long nail which seems to be painful to them.
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post #15 of 22
4/18/10 at 6:51pm
the 3 that have claws, yes. i use the scissors-type of clipper - i prefer it to the guillotine one. Cable is very good [i didn't think she was going to be - used to be a real pain], Java is so-so [she tends to want to 'watch' me & her head gets in the way] & Firefox is a major pain - growls at me the whole time, tries to get away.
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post #16 of 22
4/19/10 at 4:44am
I've never clipped a cats claws. Madison has my new furniture (it was free, so it phases me very little) and his scratcher, his nails haven't gotten noticebly long, and if there were a problem with it I'd certainly bother to do it.

I clipped my ferrets nails frequently, but they grew at an insane rate and if left un done would no doubt have grown into his feet.

Maybelle was declawed when I got her (not that she knows it, she still pretends to scratch) so no worries with her.

in fact, until I started frequenting pet forums I never even knew anyone trimmed cats claws.
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post #17 of 22
4/19/10 at 7:27am
I'm a Newbie, never had a cat before, until end of January 2010 when I adopted Ritz, a newly socialized, formally feral, juvenile cat. Not knowing any better, when I petted her head and neck, I also petted her paws. She was fine with that; maybe she associated the good feelings of getting her head stroked with the feelings of getting her paws stroked.
But it took me two (2) MONTHS to get up the nerve to clip her claws. She likes to 'paw' me on my face and arms, but it HURT and drew blood. Plus she was getting her claws caught on the mesh screen and her favorite toys. I researched a lot on this Forum (theoretical) but learned a lot more this weekend (practical). Ritz was very patient with me in my bumbling attempts to extricate her nails from her paws--not as easy as it seems, but practice will make perfect--this was the hardest part of the exercise. I used the human type clippers because they seemed the least complicated. Word to the wise/Newbie: do it fast and assertive. Next time, I'll aim the clippers closer to the quick but not too close; her nails are still too sharp & long for my comfort zone. And next time, maybe I'll try the back claws, too.
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post #18 of 22
4/20/10 at 3:12pm
I clip some of my cats' claws, and not others. Those that like to sit on my lap and knead---definitely! I keep their claws nice and dull. The ferals and semi-ferals I don't bother with because even if their claws are sharp it doesn't bother anyone. Plus I don't want to be maimed....LOL. Some of mine sit very well (Scotty and Scrappy are best) for having their nails clipped. Others are a bit more difficult.
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post #19 of 22
4/20/10 at 9:39pm
I mostly let Attitude and Nuts deal with their own claws but I will sometimes trim the sharp points off if I check and they are sharp(I keep the clippers on the coffee table next to the couch so I can just grab them and trim as needed) and Paul will clip them short if he notices. They have been getting trims since I brought them inside. I started by handling their paws daily and clipping about weekly and they got used to it. They still squirm but they are kittens and no kitten likes to be held for long but they let me do it without a fuss. I'd love to trim some of the outside cats claws, especially Runt, he loves to jump in my lap and it hurts and Goldie Jr thinks my pants are a scratching post. I won't clip them because, obviously, they live outside and need their claws. Not to mention I don't feel like getting killed by a PO'd cat. I let them deal with their own claws since they have plenty of ways to deal with them themselves. They love the railroad ties on the side of the driveway and the big tree that we share with Mitzi.

Taryn
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post #20 of 22
4/20/10 at 10:51pm
Yes I do.
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post #21 of 22
4/21/10 at 8:31am
Fatman and GiGi are my scratcher fanatics so I dont mess with their nails. Even though they are sharp they are still quite short. Hercules has 2 nails on each paw that if left alone will grow into his pad. He actually has bumps on the pads of his feet from them being unattended for so long. I check his nails once a week and use a human nail clipper and just go to town he loves it because its mine and his alone time and he gets tons of snuggles and scritches afterwards.
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post #22 of 22
4/21/10 at 9:10am
I clip them regularly for my safety as well as each others safety. I notice they don't like to wrestle and play as much with each other when their claws are longer. ReeRee gets over zealous and ends up knicking one of the other two. Rocko likes to knead my chest and it hurts if his claws have a point to them.

Also, their nails can grow into their paw if you don't ever clip them. My sisters cat had this happen and it got infected. Could have saved the cat some pain and them some money if they just kept up with it. All cats are different also at the rate their nails grow and one nail can grow in faster than another, so look at all of them. Its good to get them used to being handled also.

I give my cats treats after they endure their brushing and clipping. It makes them handle it better knowing treats are waiting. They actually wait for all 3 cats to be done and then start walking towards the kitchen cabinet where I keep the treats.
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