At My Wits End!

[pi-pi]

So great that the samples are working. Long may it continue!

I can't answer your question though - I've neve clipped a cat's claws.

Are your cats outside? I've been told its best to cut an indoor cat's claws and Pi's are so long I think they're starting to bother him.

 

[Columbine]

Nope - Asha and Shadow (and Cali when he was with us) are indoor only. We've resigned ourselves to claws getting caught from time to time...but they're pretty good about not scratching furniture etc (apart from some dining chairs we've long since give up on As the table now belongs to Shadow the issue is moot anyway :lol3: )

Growing up, our cats were indoor/outdoor. We're on a busy road now though, and don't want to take any chances.

 

[stewball]

This seems to be working! I have one sample of the carpet on the porch where he spends his days and another in the kitchen in the area where his things are kept. He has to go first through the kitchen then the dining room to get to the porch. So having a scratching pad which he likes on either side of the dining room seems to keep him from stopping there to scratch while walking through. Hooray hope it continues. I still have carpet saver covering most of the dining room rug. That's fine when I don't have company.

Question: do cats scratch less after having their nails trimmed? Someone told me they can actually scratch more. I hope not. After the July 4th holiday I have sworn to myself that I will somehow get him into his carrier and to the vet for an exam and to get the nails clipped.

No. Clipping the claws neither makes them scratch more nor less.
The particular part of the carpet where he's been having his fun will have his smell. Try and remove it. Somehow.

 

[pi-pi]

Nope - Asha and Shadow (and Cali when he was with us) are indoor only. We've resigned ourselves to claws getting caught from time to time...but they're pretty good about not scratching furniture etc (apart from some dining chairs we've long since give up on As the table now belongs to Shadow the issue is moot anyway :lol3: )

Growing up, our cats were indoor/outdoor. We're on a busy road now though, and don't want to take any chances.

I totally understand. I'm on a very busy road myself.

 

[cat nap]

This seems to be working! I have one sample of the carpet on the porch where he spends his days and another in the kitchen in the area where his things are kept. He has to go first through the kitchen then the dining room to get to the porch. So having a scratching pad which he likes on either side of the dining room seems to keep him from stopping there to scratch while walking through. Hooray hope it continues. I still have carpet saver covering most of the dining room rug. That's fine when I don't have company.

Question: do cats scratch less after having their nails trimmed? Someone told me they can actually scratch more. I hope not. After the July 4th holiday I have sworn to myself that I will somehow get him into his carrier and to the vet for an exam and to get the nails clipped.

....

No. Clipping the claws neither makes them scratch more nor less.
The particular part of the carpet where he's been having his fun will have his smell. Try and remove it. Somehow.

I do agree with Stewball, I don't think I noticed them scratching less, or more, after getting their nails clipped.  I think my cat does it because it feels good, and I really didn't know about the 'scent marking under their paws'....I just thought he preferred the old couch, and certain carpets and runners. 

On a previous thread, I had mentioned some things about clipping claws so I'll just repeat some things here, and hope it helps:

 I use the plier-type nail trimmer, because I find them easier to use, have a good grip, and very sturdy.  I would NOT recommend the guillotine or regular clippers, because they seemed to 'crush' the nail, as opposed to getting a clean cut. These are similar to mine:  http://www.amazon.com/Safari-Professional-Large-Nail-Trimmer/dp/B0002ARQV4
  There are some excellent Youtube videos, if you do a google search, but a lot of the cats in them seem to be the most docile, easy going cats, that I have ever seen.  My cat hates to have his nails trimmed.  He growls and rumbles.  The younger cat was better, and I read from an advisor (used to be MServant),  that if you start them younger, with just patting their paws, and getting them used to touching, gently pressing on the top of the paws, that cats are more likely to not mind the trimming later. 

(I now just try to remain calm, do it when they are sleepy, and give treats later.  And if they growl or complain, I stop, and trim another day.  Sometimes, I manage only the front paws, and back paws on another day.) 

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/09/27/trimming-cats-nails.aspx      I find this video very helpful.

http://www.thecatsite.com/products/category/claw-care      And of course, the Reviews Section of TCS is amazing to look at. 

But since you said that Pi was a former stray, then it's better that your vet, or vet tech, show you how to properly trim the claws, or even a groomer. 

I cannot remember if my rainbow black cat's claws showed the "quick" of the nail clearly, or if I just trimmed the tips..since you don't ever want to come close to cutting the 'quick' or inner pink or dark part.

The only way I manage to get my cat into the carrier is by using a towel, and wrapping him up like a taco.  And the "towel/taco method" also works for trimming his nails.

(I only wish I had bought a top opening, or larger front opening carrier, now.)

 

[jcat]

I haven't noticed clipping claws having any effect on the frequency of scratching, but blunt claws do less damage. I clip just the tips of Mogli's front claws with clipping "scissors" once a week. The back claws get done about once a month. I wait till he's having a siesta after a meal and work as quickly as possible. It usually takes less than a minute. Giving "paw massages" in between helps. He doesn't know whether I'm going to rub or clip, so he stays relaxed.

 

[pi-pi]

Thanks all!

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

So glad the carpet square(s) seem to be working for your cat!

Trimming cat's toenails can make one a nervous wreck if worried about hurting kitty paws or accidentally snipping at the quick in their nails! Clipping nails doesn't stop them from scratching their territory, but I find it really helps indoor cats to have shorter nails. You don't want nails to grow so long (esp. back nails) that they can actually grow out and curl right back into the paw pad(s) and cause puncture wounds.

With my last cat, her toenails (and paw pads, if those things are related by coincidence or genetics) were of a darker hue and hence, the pink, 'quick' part in her nails was easier to see during the process. However, with my new tuxedo kitten who has two front white mittens and two back white "socks", and her paw pads are mainly pink, her 'quicks' are much harder to see within each nail. I find I'm a nervous wreck in getting her to learn to have me clip her toenails without accidental injury. The vet recommended these (amazon link to "Four Paws" nail scissors), as they supposedly cut cleanly and don't fray the nail. I'll get these soon, and try them out.

 

[mservant]

I've heard that claws can curl up in to the paw pad as well but not seen it happen.   The thing that happened with one of my previous cats was one of her back claws got caught in the carpet one time when she was bolting away from the vacuum.  Even with them kept regularly clipped, they had got a little long and sharp and she was running so hard and fast the claw that got caught in the carpet loop pulled out. 

  

     I guess it would be like pulling a nail right off from the nail bed....   Instant emergency vet trip on New Year's Eve, I remember it well.

I use a sharp, medium size pair of nail clippers for claws as I find the scissor action ones awkward to handle for some reason.  I think it has to be better using something which has a guard setting on it so you can't cut too far down the claw though.   I just work in a good light and where I know I have a firm hold of the paw and claw. Everyone who clips claws them self rather than leaving it to their vet has their own way of managing it I think, so much depends on the cat.  Like cat nap said, if your cat has been stray and not used to claw clipping it might be best to see how it goes with the vet first off.

 

[stewball]

The curling in of the claws happened to my Lotto. Only one claw did it so off to the vet we went.

 

[pi-pi]

News Flash! My dog Happy's groomer is going to make a house call on Monday night to (hopefully) trim Pi's nails for the first time. They need to be done and so far he hasn't let me pick him up. Hope the professional can! Wish us luck!

 

[Columbine]

That's great news
:cross: that it all goes smoothly.

 

[mservant]

  Hope all goes well for the grooming session on Monday.   Fingers crossed they have a nice technique for approaching and holding Pi securely but calmly and that you can learn from how they do it.  

I always avoid holding the cat when I clip claws, though front ones are easier on the whole for this than back ones and you need to approach it when the cat is calm and relaxed with you.

Waiting to hear how things go.   

 

 

[pi-pi]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! It was a fiasco! I managed to easily get Pi into the kitchen and I put a gate between the kitchen and dining room and the door into the front hall was closed. Pi realized something was going on but didn't panic. Happy was in the dining room on the other side of the gate. Tiffany (groomer) rang the front doorbell and Pi panicked and ran to the gate but couldn't get into the dining room. I VERY CAREFULLY opened the door into the front hall so I could answer the front door. Careful as I was Pi managed to squeeze between my leg and the door jam and shot upstairs. He went under my bed. Tiffany and I tried for 10 minutes to coax him out with treats and sweet talk but he would have none of it. So I told her she might as well go home to her dinner. I am so bummed! Now that she's gone he has come downstairs of course. Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!! I don't think I'll EVER get his nails trimmed but she said she's game to try again another day. I have company coming for a few weeks so it will have to wait. %#@!!

 

[Columbine]

Damn! He's certainly feisty...and a little too clever for his own good :lol3:

Next time,shut all the doors upstairs so he can't hide so easily. Also, have his favourite treat at the door, and have Tiffany give him some as soon as she comes in. A little bribery and corruption never does any harm

 

[mservant]

Damn! He's certainly feisty...and a little too clever for his own good

Next time,shut all the doors upstairs so he can't hide so easily. Also, have his favourite treat at the door, and have Tiffany give him some as soon as she comes in. A little bribery and corruption never does any harm

I'd go with Columbine's suggestion of shutting the doors.  Treat it more like a normal visitation and sit down, relax, offer treats and maybe there will be some chance of conning Pi in to showing face (and paw).  In the mean time see if you can get him used to you touching his paws at all when he is chilling out near you.

 

[stewball]

Tell her to knock. Not ring the bell. I desperately need to get blighty to the vet. He's got a terrible sore on his leg. No idea where it came from and he won't leave it alone. My ex went to talk to you vet. If he wasn't such a scaredy cat she could come. Make life much easier. She did for my late lotto. Any case if she were to come he'd disappear. Getting him into the cage is a nightmare. We have one chance. If we blow it no chance for another go. We'll have to go without an appointment.
Have you got pi pi into the cage yet? Not for taking but for practice? Is it down so he can see it all the time? Does it have a door? I put mine down with the door open and they go in to sleep.
They're pains pi pi and blighty aren't they. Whisky gets popped in no bother. Oh well. We still love them. How pi with happy now? All better?
I'll write.

 

[pi-pi]

I'd go with Columbine's suggestion of shutting the doors.  Treat it more like a normal visitation and sit down, relax, offer treats and maybe there will be some chance of conning Pi in to showing face (and paw).  In the mean time see if you can get him used to you touching his paws at all when he is chilling out near you.

Thanks guys shutting the bedroom doors is s great idea. Why didn't I think of that? DUH!

 

[pi-pi]

Tell her to knock. Not ring the bell. I desperately need to get blighty to the vet. He's got a terrible sore on his leg. No idea where it came from and he won't leave it alone. My ex went to talk to you vet. If he wasn't such a scaredy cat she could come. Make life much easier. She did for my late lotto. Any case if she were to come he'd disappear. Getting him into the cage is a nightmare. We have one chance. If we blow it no chance for another go. We'll have to go without an appointment.
Have you got pi pi into the cage yet? Not for taking but for practice? Is it down so he can see it all the time? Does it have a door? I put mine down with the door open and they go in to sleep.
They're pains pi pi and blighty aren't they. Whisky gets popped in no bother. Oh well. We still love them. How pi with happy now? All better?
I'll write.

Hi Stewball. Yes no bell next time and back not front door. I will be in the kitchen and able to see her through the glass in back door so no problem. No have not got him in carrier yet but he does go in it for treats a lot. I feel for your problems with Blighty. Sounds like he and Pi could be brothers! Happy is all better now and fur growing back on tail where it was shaved. They are still friends. In fact that's how Pi came out from under bed. Hap went upstairs with me and we both stuck our heads down to look under bed at Pi. When he saw Hap was there he figured the coast was clear and came out!

Do write.

 

[pi-pi]

BTW check this out. It just might be the answer to getting Pi, Blighty and other cats to the vet, groomer, etc. I ordered one. It will arrive Friday so we'll see.

http://cat-in-the-bag.com