trimming nails and putting nail caps is a nightmare. what can i do to make it less frightening to my

[bluecapps]

He's 4 months old. and he hates it when i touch his paws.  

how do cats in youtube nail caps/nail trimming videos stay so calm? do they give them some calming meds or something?

i tried doing it while he was asleep but he's such a light sleeper he wakes up as soon as i go near him. He was a stray and the shelter found him and his 2 brothers without mom. 

i got him 2 months ago and he seems very comfortable with me, but just won't let me touch his paws or trim nails or put on the nail caps. 

Last time i got them trimmed by the vet, but that was when i took him for a vaccine. he's done with all his vaccines so i don't really want to go to the vet again just for nail trims/nail caps (the vet is 20 mins away and my kitten screams like mad in car). 

i really need to find a way to calm him down during this process. what do i do? i have tried playing with him 20-30 mins before but still he hates having his paws touched. i have also tried wrapping him in a towel, but he always manages to get out somehow. i have also tried bribing him with his favourite treats....but nope that doesn't help much either. on top of all, he hides for an entire day after i try putting on the nail caps. (and i tried twice in the last week)  

i need to find a way to calm him down. this is so frustrating. why is he such a light sleeper? i think he has anxiety issues since the beginning. he was the most scared cat at the shelter. while his brothers (and other kittens) were jumping around in their cages, he was the only one hiding behind their toy at the back. I thought he was a calm kitten so i got him

after i got him he always had his paws stretched out like he was always scared....and sometimes he would take his ears back and stare at me and hop around me as if he was scared of me...but then a few minutes later he would be totally normal and walk away. 

does he have behavioural issues? 

i tried having someone hold him but he wiggles so much that we are afraid we might break his bones or something. 

 

[Margret]

Have you tried Feliway?

Margret

 

[cjh27]

Hi,

why do you want to trim the nails and put on nail caps?

A healthy 4 months old kitten can take care of its own claws by using a scratching post and doesn't need nail caps!

christine

 

[catpack]

You need to slowly get him accustom to you touching his paws first. Start by petting him and moving down towards his paws. If he shows a dislike, just move back to an area he is more comfortable being touched. Gradually increase the length of time you are touching his paws.

Does he tolerate you holding him at all? A lot of cats do not like being held on their backs like a baby; but, will tolerate being picked up, belly down with a hand going from the side and up in between the front legs toward the head. This way you are supports them and they are more likely to feel safe.

All in all, it sounds as if your kitten would be deemed "semi-feral"; or, rather, a kitten lacking proper socialization from an early age. The hiding in corners at the shelter and not liking being handled too much are all signs pointing to this.

However, many semi-feral kittens turn out to be very loyal and loving to their primary caretaker. It just requires some patience on our part to get them there.

 

[kittens mom]

You know one claw clipped at a time is a success. If necessary have someone experienced show you how to properly scruff your cat. Best guess your kitten is feeding off your frustration .

Being an old horse trainer if you feed negative energy in it's what you get back.  Anyone can force a horse into a trailer once. The trick is getting them to do it on their own. As in the cats on youtube sitting there calmly.  I would focus on his trust issues first. If it's truly necessary I'd take the trip to the vet and ask them to show how to do it properly and spend the next few weeks getting him used to getting his paws touched.

 

[nora1]

I would highly suggest that you slowly work your way to touching his paws first, then clip them.

This is what I did with my cat:

Touch her paw, give her a treat. Repeat a few more times, then end it at that. I did this for days, experimenting with all her paws, always giving treats right after!

Once she was able to tolerate her paws being touched, we clipped 2-3 nails, gave her treats, then stopped for the day. Repeat the same for a few days.

As you can see, it's a very slow process, but definitely worth it! Our cat still doesn't like her paws being touched and handled all that much, but she knows there are treats involved so she tolerates it.

When we clip her nails, we take breaks in between each paw. I quickly clip the nails on one paw, offer treats, let her walk about for about a minute, then we do another paw. etc etc. 

Bottom line, just start touching/playing with her paws, while having treats available The nail clipping will come later!

 

[Margret]

Some of this "scared" behavior, the jumping around and such, actually sounds like play behavior. I wouldn't worry about that.

Kittens playing with each other will take turns stalking and being stalked, chasing and being chased. Your kitten may be inviting you to chase him. This does not mean that you should accept the invitation, not until your kitten feels totally secure. The relationship is still early. Give it time to develop.

Margret