Claws

I'm noticing my cats claws seem very long. They are 4 years old and I've had them 3 days. They keep getting their claws stuck in things and eventually get free. I bought them a scratcher but they haven't used it yet.

Is this normal? Will they fix them on their own? I REALLY don't want to attempt to clip cat nails when they are still new and afraid, lol

They'll need to be clipped, if they're already that long they won't fix themselves just by scratching. If you don't want to set back their trust in you, how about having the vet or groomer clip their nails? That way they won't associate you with the unpleasantness.

When clipping claws, you are only taking off the tips. You are not really making them shorter. You don't mention if they are indoor or outdoor cats. It sounds a little to me as though they are not used to being indoors & having problems with your furnishings. If so, they will eventually figure out how to use their claws indoors.

You only have one scratch post? My cat is indoor only & I have at least one scratch post in each room, with an extra one near the beds. A cat's claws itch, especially after a nap so they will wake up & scratch on whatever is near!

You might try sprinkling some catnip on the scratcher to entice them to use it. If they've never used one before they may not know what it's for. When I brought Zoe home, she wasn't sure about her scratching posts and boards. I used 'nip and once she tried them, she was like, "ahh, this feels nice!"

Like Biscuity said, you really should have multiple scratching boards and posts. Some cats like to scratch vertically, too, so a post or stand scratcher is a good idea as well as the horizontal board scratchers.

I agree, get a groomer to do it.

I shopped around and $10 for the fronts is the going rate. Ask when dogs usually show up. Usually if you go first thing when they open in the morning, the dogs aren't there, which will scare the cats.

I would recommend getting a groomer to do it the first time and have them show you how. Clipping their claws is not a difficult job once you get them used to having their paws handled. Before I started clipping our cats' nails, I would spend time just holding and handling their paws, not firmly but gently.

Now I can pretty much clip without even holding them.

They are indoor only, that'/s all they've ever been. I put some catnip on the scratcher and now the girl uses it very sightly. But really, they dont scratch anything at all.

When I grabbed Smokey's claw he actually nipped at me. Not out of meaness, just an automatic reaction. I think I'm going to have to find a groomer. But will they work on a cat who might bite?