Nail Clipping

[firsttimecatmom]

Hi All,

I have two cats (male/female) that *hate* getting their nails clipped. The reason why I want my male cat's nails clipped, more than the female's, is because he loves to jump on my back and I've gotten some nasty scratches from his nails digging into my skin and him using me as his springboard to another desk. He also tends to "slide" down my back as he jumps off, so all of these actions have caused some really bad cuts/bruises. The other reason is that I also live with roommates and the girls worry that my male cat will jump on them too (esp. when his nails aren't trimmed).

My female cat doesn't like to be carried or jump on people, so it's not a problem with her, although I do clip her nails too in order to reduce injury during playtime with my other cat.

Can you share some tips/advice that has worked for you regarding this? If I wrap a towel, I'm not sure I can reach the hind legs (which can also dig in my skin). They are very squirmy!

Thanks for you advice.

 

[betsygee]

That's an adorable photo of your kitties in your avatar!

I wait until my kitties are relaxed, or even asleep.  Then I kind of rub their paws and slowly clip them.  Sometimes I can only get one paw at a time, but sometimes I'll get two or three before they realize what's happening!  LOL

 

[sherrymyra]

Sometimes it goes better than the next.  Usually I get a couple of nails done and she tears off.  And her right foot is harder to do than her left.  But I manage if only one nail at a time.   Tonight I got 4.  I feel pretty good about that.  

 

[firsttimecatmom]

Thanks for the tips! OK, I'll try clipping their nails when sleeping or being petted. 

Thanks for the compliments regarding my avatar, they are really bonded and inseparable And, they're not siblings, both rescues! Yay!

 

[sophie1]

I second the advice to clip frequently but only do a few nails (or even just one or two) at a time.  The towel idea backfired badly for me, and clipping while kitty sleeps is a bad idea for the same reason (they might wake up).   Instead, it's better to let the cat feel in control.  I found it helped to let them see the scissors and sniff them before going for a paw.  And be very generous with treats!  With one of my cats I was able to make this into a game.  I show him the scissors, he headbutts them, and then picks a spot to lie down.  He charges a fee of one treat per nail.  If I try too hard for a discount, he gets up and walks around, then comes back when I offer another treat.

My older kitty really fought me hard on the claw clipping, and it wasn't until I changed my approach that he started tolerating it better.  He doesn't play the claw clip game, but he lets me clip one paw at a time without protesting.

 

[LTS3]

Try a pet restraint bag: http://klaw-kontrol.com/ You can access all four legs one at a time to safely clip claws. There are other similar bags out there.

 

[itsnotpeanutbut]

I only need to clip the nails of one of our two cats (the other one just isn't the type of cat to use her nails all that often).

I once started by picking her up in a somewhat restrained manner (my arm under her belly and her back against my chest) and giving her a treat. Once she stopped trying to get out (because treats = amazing), I started pushing her paws and gave her treats. Once she started allowing that, I started clipping nails, giving her a treat after every nail.

Nowadays I can clip all her nails for the reward of one treat, but I usually give her a treat after every paw, just to keep showing her that clipping nail = happy yummy times.

 

[sherrymyra]

I will try the treating.  My cat doesn't get treats at all so this may work well.