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Cutting nails - impossible!

post #1 of 24
11/13/05 at 7:04pm
Thread Starter 
Well, Tola absolutely REFUSES to be held in order to clip her nails. I have had her for 3 weeks now and haven't clipped her nails because she absolutely will NOT let me. My experienced friend came over and tried to hold her and clip but Tola wasn't having any of it and crazily leaped out of her arms doing a twist in the air to show us how much she was unhappy about it! Then she ran and hid. Are there any tips on how I can make this less traumatizing and for her to let me hold her? Or should I just give up and take her to the groomers across the street?
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post #2 of 24
11/13/05 at 7:17pm
How old is the cat? If she is older it might be difficult. Get her used to you touching her paws and extending the nails. Try to do it when she is cuddly and sleepy. If all else fails, the vet techs can do it for probably a small charge- I think my last vet charged 7 bucks. I had a groomer do it once- I wasn't happy b/c he broke one of his claws on his carrier on the way home... Not sure if it was related or not.
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post #3 of 24
11/13/05 at 7:50pm
Thread Starter 
she's just a year old......i have been trying to handle her paws, but i will make more of an effort for the next week or so. what about holding her though? She always squirms and leaps away - she HATES to be held.....
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post #4 of 24
11/13/05 at 9:27pm
Whenever we cut our cats nails, one person holds him wrapped in a towel or blanket. Then the other person takes one paw out at a time and clips the nails.

However you might want to wait until the cat is more willing to allow holding. Some cats really don't like being held though. Since it has only been a few weeks, give it more time. Don't force it though.
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post #5 of 24
11/13/05 at 11:54pm
Try clipping her nails when she is sleeping. I generally cut the nails when she is in deep sleep, she wouldnt even realize that someone is messing around with her paws... :P
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post #6 of 24
11/14/05 at 12:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by altzarina
Try clipping her nails when she is sleeping. I generally cut the nails when she is in deep sleep, she wouldnt even realize that someone is messing around with her paws... :P
That's what I do too, by the time they wake up and realise what's happening I've already done one paw, then i just wait til they fall asleep again and do the other
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post #7 of 24
11/14/05 at 5:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Purity
That's what I do too, by the time they wake up and realise what's happening I've already done one paw, then i just wait til they fall asleep again and do the other
That's what I've had to do with my new addition, Claire, since she's never had them clipped before. Like the others have said, it also helps to get the cat used to touching his/her paws. I been doing that with Claire and telling her how pretty they are. A lot of praise and a treat afterward helps too.
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post #8 of 24
11/14/05 at 6:18am
i've always wrapped mine up in a blanket with just their head and one paw at a time out, with another person scritching their ears. this way if i get scratched it's by one paw and not four, and they're not very mobile.
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post #9 of 24
11/14/05 at 6:50am
What I do is always have 2 people to cut the cat's nails. One person picks up the cat puts one hand under the back feet one hand cradles under the chest and the cat is secured agains the chest of the person holding it. The second person slightly squeezes the paw to get the claws to extend and clips the point on each claw including the dew claw (mine have dew claws like little needles). Then it's the next cat's turn, you have to do them in succession because one cat with claws has an unfair advantage against the one that was just clipped
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post #10 of 24
11/14/05 at 10:00am
I train my cats to lay on their backs/butts on my lap and do them (whether they want it done or not. For those that hate it, you just wrap them in a towel and have another person to take one foot out at a time and clip them.

Or like one suggested, do a nail or two while asleep. Do NOT let the cat decide when to stop clipping nails. And do a routine - handle and/or clip as needed once or twice a week. Sooner or later you cat will realize he's fighting a loosing battle and will be more cooperative.

I had one Turkish Angora (who had nails done as a kitten) that really hated me clipping his nails. But he knew I was the boss and tho gave me a hard time, I got them done (I'd do two feet one day, other two the next) but, again, I was the one that decided when to release him - not when he decided. He'd threaten to bite me but never did.
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post #11 of 24
11/14/05 at 2:48pm
Don't worry, I have the same problems with Luna also. I've tried catching her in her happy sleepy moment. She was decent when she was young, but now she's over a year old.
Most of the time I keep the nail clippers on hand. When they get really long and she doesn't hold still long enough for me to clip, I just wait until she gets stuck on the couch or the scratching post. I know its probably pure horror to her, but I take the nail clipper to that stuck claw.
This last time though was pretty easy. I had accidentally clipped her nail and the quick. I felt as horrible as she did...so when she saw me coming with the clippers, this time she let me. Hopefully she figured out that all the fusing she does makes it worse on her.
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post #12 of 24
11/14/05 at 2:57pm
Not saying you all should`nt clip their nails...but can I ask "WHY"??? I`ve heard several people on here say they do that, and I`ve always been just curious. My "boys" are just over a year old and I have never done it and they seem fine. Would`nt they just go and resharpen them???
Linda
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post #13 of 24
11/14/05 at 3:31pm
If I were you, I'd keep trying to get him used to you touching his paws and nails. I think the towel thing would be a last resort. You want it to be the least uncomfortable as possible.

I do Cupid's when he's sleeping, but if for some reason (they grow like crazy) there's an emergency clipping needed, I will just hold him and talk firmly but nicely so he gets the point. He doesn't like it, and he'll cry like I'm trying to kill him, but it doesn't hurt him or traumatize him.

Always give treats afterwards!
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post #14 of 24
11/14/05 at 4:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by stampit3d
Not saying you all should`nt clip their nails...but can I ask "WHY"??? I`ve heard several people on here say they do that, and I`ve always been just curious. My "boys" are just over a year old and I have never done it and they seem fine. Would`nt they just go and resharpen them???
Linda

I have the same problem. Why do you clip your cat's nails ???? I have had cats all my life, but have never clipped nails....
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post #15 of 24
11/14/05 at 5:05pm
Thread Starter 
Because they get really sharp at the ends and need to be blunted in order to not hurt kitty, furniture and me! at least, that's my reason!
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post #16 of 24
11/14/05 at 5:16pm
They grow too long and start to curl. If you are not careful (especially with the "thumb" nail, it can grow into the skin!

You have less clawing on furniture if you clip nails. They won't get caught on the chair, rugs, curtain, or your clothes.

One of the main reasons I do 3 week old kittens (and older) is that when I had my Russian blue kittens, one of them almost lost an eye when wrestling with his brother. They were swatting at each other and the one's nail (sharp tiny point) went into the eyeball. The kitten had to have his eye stitched up (after surgery). The vet said that had the claw been a bit closer, he'd have damaged the cornea and the kitten would have been blind.

After that, I clip ALL nails on ALL cats! Big or little.
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post #17 of 24
11/14/05 at 5:37pm
Instead of actually holding the cat, I usually do the cat in the following situations. If he happens to be on the couch next to me, I reach toward the front and pick up his foot firmly w/one hand and clip with the other, so my arms are around him so he can't escape easily. Or, I wait until he is on top of a waist high condo and do the same thing. This eliminates the unclipped claws digging into you. I clip b/c sharp claws really hurt!
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post #18 of 24
11/17/05 at 8:56am
luckily i've worked with my cat River since he was a small kitten and now i can just hold him like a baby and clip his nails myself! with no problems what-so-ever!! haha. its also easier if they are kinda sleepy..my friend never cuts her kittens claws and they get so needle sharp that i have to just man handle the cat and clip her nails once in a while! lmao
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post #19 of 24
11/17/05 at 10:39pm
Wait till she is asleep, then quietly "ambush" her. You should be able to clip at least one or two nails before she realizes what is going on. Repeat this a few times and the job will be done. It will take a few days to do all of her nails but that's not a big deal.
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post #20 of 24
11/18/05 at 5:54am
if possible, the task of clipping ur cat's claw shud b done by the owner rather than a groomer. shud u r having this problem whereby ur cat retaliate or bite etc, juz imagine what ur cat wud do to the groomer, in an alien environment.

juz wrap ur cat with a towel n also a friend to help controlling the cat. it is best to let the person whereby the cat familiar with to trim the cat's claw rather than a stranger... if ur cat really struggles hard, dun force him/her. release the cat n give him a treat. after the cat had calm down, repeat the whole process... yes, the task might be tedious n u might not get all the claws trimmed in 1 go but at least it is a start... today maybe 2 claws got trimmed, then continue do it tmrw n day after....
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post #21 of 24
11/18/05 at 6:02am
This may be a dumb question, but can you use people clippers or are there special ones for cats? New mom here
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post #22 of 24
11/20/05 at 5:28pm
I usually take my two girls to the vet and let him do it. He charges a small fee to do it. Cleo, the oldest, hates to have her claws clipped. She growls and hisses. Josie tolerates it. I usually always use my vet. I tried taking them to the groomers a few times, but because of Cleo's fussy nature, I stopped. They said if the cat were to bite, they would have to have her quarentined and I couldn't guarentee that Cleo wouldn't bite. My vet will muzzle her, if she looks like she doesn't want to cooperate. I hate to see that too. That really makes her angry. Lately, I've been doing them myself....trying to save a few $$ and the hassle of getting them into the carriers. I'll do a paw or two at a time, then stop and do the others later....especially with Cleo. She still doesn't like to have it done, but she hasn't tried to bite. She just likes to makes a fuss.
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post #23 of 24
11/20/05 at 5:45pm
i use special kitty clippers, sammy and peaches both cooperate with me clipping their nails. Before Sam would give me and mom a very hard time about claw clipping but now that he's older he's probably knows, the more he cooperates, the quicker it'll be over.
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post #24 of 24
11/20/05 at 6:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shiraz21
This may be a dumb question, but can you use people clippers or are there special ones for cats? New mom here
We are actually more comfortable using people clippers. The only suggestion I would make is to hold the clippers sideways on the tips of the claws so you don't get splitting.

We start when our kitties are young and get them used to us just touching/holding their paws and stroking them. Sometimes I wait until they are sleeping and just gently stroke and clip. Other times I hold Bijou against my chest (in my lap) on his back and hold him under the front legs. He isn't crazy about it but he's used to it now. I usually give a treat afterwards as well and croon to him what a good boy he is.

It takes a little practice but is really easy once you get the hang of it.

As for why we clip - Bijou likes to suckle my neck before sleep and in the process tends to knead my face while he's doing it. Those claws are very sharp on my tender face skin if I don't clip.
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