Cat nails

[iris lilies]

There are many cat owners here. Let us discuss trimming cat nails.


It has been years since I thought about trimming. My oldest cat who died a couple years ago had no nails because my mother had her declawed. Ack! Of course I’ve never had a cat declawed and never will.


My second oldest cat from past years Did have claws, but we never trimmed her claws or else did it very seldom.


But the two cats we’ve obtained within the past six months need to have their claws clipped and I want to establish a routine where they will expect it. They’re both used to being handled and having their nails clipped but we’ve tried it on them in the last couple of days and they’re acting like cats.


One description I read said do it quickly and when the cat starts to fight you then you’re done. But they should accept some grooming like this because when they were kittens, their mom held them down and cleaned them so it’s not entirely foreign to them.

[sweetana3]

If I cannot do it, I have my husband come in and hold their head while I hold them tight and trim all the nails. Works for us. Nails grow so fast. I do not let them "get away with it" since it lead to worse behavior.

[JaneV2.0]

Burrito 'em in a towel. It works for the handlers at Tiny Kittens, anyway.
A towel over the cat's head seems to be calming,as well.

And good luck! :D

[littlebittybobby]

Okay---I hate to interrupt, but this just was posted on lost & found pets, a few minutes ago. Down by Table Rock Lake, at a river bridge, a cat is stranded on a concrete pylon, beneath the bridge, right next to thew water. It's well below freezing, and kitty is scared. I'm not real familiar with the area, but it's around 50 miles from me. The only way to reach the cat is by a boat, and a kayaker already tried. Bad weather is coming. Any ideas???51575158

[rosarugosa]

IL: I trim our cats' front claws every 2 weeks. My older cat is pretty easy, but my DH has to help with the younger cat. He holds him by the scruff of the neck while the cat is in my lap.

IBB: That is really distressing, but I have no suggestions.

[littlebittybobby]

Okay---I do not advocate trimming or altering in any way, the claws of a Catt. See---they need them for self-defense, to use at their discretion. Yup. Hope that helps you some. 5163

[iris lilies]

Okay---I do not advocate trimming or altering in any way, the claws of a Catt. See---they need them for self-defense, to use at their discretion. Yup. Hope that helps you some. 5163

but Bobby, ours gets their claws caught in fabrics all the time.

[JaneV2.0]

Also known as "murder mittens."

[rosarugosa]

My cats don't go out, so they don't have much need for self-defense, although I would never ever declaw.

[littlebittybobby]

Okay---I hate to interrupt, but this just was posted on lost & found pets, a few minutes ago. Down by Table Rock Lake, at a river bridge, a cat is stranded on a concrete pylon, beneath the bridge, right next to thew water. It's well below freezing, and kitty is scared. I'm not real familiar with the area, but it's around 50 miles from me. The only way to reach the cat is by a boat, and a kayaker already tried. Bad weather is coming. Any ideas???51575158Okay---I just figured it out. The way to rescue that cat & bring her home is to take a long piece of rope with a barbell weight on the end(10#) and lower the rope over the side of the bridge, next to the kitty. Then, secure it. Give the kitty time, and it will figure out that it can climb the rope to safety. At least I hope so.

[iris lilies]

Also known as "murder mittens."
I’ll tell you I wish my tiny cat would sink her claws into my bulldog’s big fat face just once.

The two are not friends. His worst trait which earned him Time Out this morning is stealing the ONE toy she loves. He takes it and chews it up. I really am very angry at him for this. He has always been a jealous little jerk, which is why I cannot have other dogs even foster dogs around.

[JaneV2.0]

I’ll tell you I wish my tiny cat would sink her claws into my bulldog’s big fat face just once.

The two are not friends. His worst trait which earned him Time Out this morning is stealing the ONE toy she loves. He takes it and chews it up. I really am very angry at him for this. He has always been a jealous little jerk, which is why I cannot have other dogs even foster dogs around.

I hope you have duplicate backups for The Toy.

[iris lilies]

I hope you have duplicate backups for The Toy.
Big dumb oaf chewed it into 2 pieces which might be a blessing to in disguise, making 2 toys. I don’t think she noticed her “kitten” got decapitated.

i have another one on order, am hoping it is exactly the same thing.

[littlebittybobby]

Okay----As always---I have a brilliant idea. What is needed is more catts at your place. This way, the bullldogg will be forced to acknoledge that it is outnumbers; that it is futile to continue harasssing and annnoying the cattt. Yup. BTW, source your catts locally, NOT from the Frou-Frou cattt rescue group. See? Also, the dogg will realize that live catts can be good company while resting, as they economize by sharing body heat. See? Hope thatt helps you some.5165

[ToomuchStuff]

Can I ask about the tool used?
Is it the same tool that is used on dogs?

[iris lilies]

Can I ask about the tool used?
Is it the same tool that is used on dogs?
I have two clippers, neither very sharp apparently. i think they were both purchased for dog nails.

any more, i take my dog to the vet to have his nails clipped.

[rosarugosa]

I have a special pair of scissors that seem well designed for the job. I bought them from my vet many, many moons ago. I don't know the brand, but they look a lot like these (https://www.baxterboo.com/p.cfm/miller-forge-cat-scissors-for-claws/111530/?gclid=CjwKCAiAuOieBhAIEiwAgjCvctu8dEYjh1pYKpk64RH mSVKlF2E282U6F-uOylLL5iwbYiTjHhbHoxoCw8YQAvD_BwE)

[Klunick]

I clip my cats' nails once a month when I give them their flea/tick/worm/ear mite medicine. They tolerate it fine because it's been their norm since they were babies. I sit them down on their butts on my lap and clip their nails. They don't fight me. They know the sooner it gets done, the sooner they get treats for being good.

[iris lilies]

I have a special pair of scissors that seem well designed for the job. I bought them from my vet many, many moons ago. I don't know the brand, but they look a lot like these (https://www.baxterboo.com/p.cfm/miller-forge-cat-scissors-for-claws/111530/?gclid=CjwKCAiAuOieBhAIEiwAgjCvctu8dEYjh1pYKpk64RH mSVKlF2E282U6F-uOylLL5iwbYiTjHhbHoxoCw8YQAvD_BwE)
I will probably have to buy new tools since mine seen not sharp.will consider this model.

[KayLR]

I had one cat who would let me trim her nails, sitting in my lap, so compliant. Anytime.

My current cat would shred me to kingdom come. I've tried. So, we just let them grow. She rarely tries clawing furniture. I find a shed claw every once in a while on the floor.

So I guess my advice is, if you can get them used to it, good on you. Since they've been compliant before, I'd keep trying, starting with just petting their paws, massaging, whenever they're on your lap or next to you and graduating to clipping. Then if needed, Jane's suggestion of the burrito method. But they may find that too traumatic. Mine did. But I don't think she's ever been bound. She doesn't even like to be picked up.

[iris lilies]

I had one cat who would let me trim her nails, sitting in my lap, so compliant. Anytime.

My current cat would shred me to kingdom come. I've tried. So, we just let them grow. She rarely tries clawing furniture. I find a shed claw every once in a while on the floor.

So I guess my advice is, if you can get them used to it, good on you. Since they've been compliant before, I'd keep trying, starting with just petting their paws, massaging, whenever they're on your lap or next to you and graduating to clipping. Then if needed, Jane's suggestion of the burrito method. But they may find that too traumatic. Mine did. But I don't think she's ever been bound. She doesn't even like to be picked up.

I agree with you that since they’ve had regular nail trimming all their life, I need to keep up with it. Probably the same with bathing, they both were bathed regularly. I don’t really need to bathe them but I think a bath once a year during warm weather would keep them used to that indignity.

[littlebittybobby]

Okay---I don't mean to sound snarky or trollish oranything like that, but I am reminded of when the Doctors' Wife who took over control of the humane society & totally screwed everything up told me how she had sent her doggs(some kind of hunting dogg breed) off to a school, where they would be trained to huntt. Which made me laugh. I was thinking about opening up a Catt training Academy, where pett catts would be taught to obey. Also, grooming and poise, as well. Isn't that reee-diculous? If I were not so sensible, I'd go over to wally mart & get some colored fingernail polish(pearlescent, too), and paint my catts claws. Ain't gonna do that, though. It's torture, just like waterboarding.Cats do NOT like living with control freaks. Nope. But yeah---a catt considers its body as its property.Unless youre willing to pay a vet to sedate it. Yep. Thankk mee.

[iris lilies]

About body autonomy, my new tiny cat pretty much lets me molest her in most ways. She is accustomed to heavy petting.

[KayLR]

What I am always amazed by are those claw caps that are supposed to discourage clawing. Really?

https://www.chewy.com/purrdy-paws-soft-cat-nail-caps/dp/208904?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12737641584&utm_content=Purrdy%20Paws&utm_term=&gclid=CjwKCAiAuOieBhAIEiwAgjCvcv4wz0IhSFVuvOJjqDZj OZ5VptisxBU4QHmxIaodB47z0PiRyWWAGBoC6AYQAvD_BwE

[jp1]

Our current cats certainly don't let us do things like trim their claws. They are much too nervous for that. Our previous cats, one just sat there in my lap and I used a regular nail clipper on him, click click click. His brother was a bit fussier but still no big deal. If we'd had to seriously fuss with him we would have just grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and done it that way.

Kay, to answer your question, the claw caps are awesome. With our previous boys we would have the vet put those on to fussy boy's claws anytime he was there and that gave us 4-5 months of no problem. (I probably don't want to know how that went when he was young and strong. By the end of his life the vet techs were all like "awwww, Everett, you are just the cutest boy ever..." and he'd stare at them helplessly with hate in his eyes.

[littlebittybobby]

Okay----Here's a photo of a Catt that you kids would prolly like to have. It is a Asian Wild Catt, found in Mongolia and other cold and desolate places. It subsists on a diet of rodents. Yup. Very adapted to COLD weather, too. But yeah---see if this isn'ty the Catt for you.5178

[JaneV2.0]

Okay----Here's a photo of a Catt that you kids would prolly like to have. It is a Asian Wild Catt, found in Mongolia and other cold and desolate places. It subsists on a diet of rodents. Yup. Very adapted to COLD weather, too. But yeah---see if this isn'ty the Catt for you.5178

I feel like he's judging me...:|(

[littlebittybobby]

I feel like he's judging me...:|(Okay---Jane--that is a very good observation. Yup. See---if these feral catts--- which are the size of house catts---could be bred as domestic catss--they would have that desirable trait. Yup. See---that is what your SO does, in some way, right? But yeah--a catts body language is its' stock-in-trade. Sure is. So yeah---if you have a catt that givesd you thatt look of disproval & scrutiny, it meets your needs. Only it won't go around to other people, talking about you. See? Hope thatt helps you some. Thankk Mee.

[littlebittybobby]

Okay---Looka this. It might be better under Sfd Life O' Crime. So, anyway---this catt was seen being abandoned in the middle o' the road, last night(see photo, read text) How do you like that? Isn't that atrocious? Yup. 51895190

[rosarugosa]

Absolutely atrocious. I don't know how someone could do such a horrible thing.

[littlebittybobby]

R/R--Based on my experience with Gray, my 8-year old girl cat, maybe this kitty has some bad habit that caused the human to get frustrated, and dump her. You gotta be smarter than the cat, and more patient, rto address such issues, and some humans aren't patient. They've got other priorities. I guess.