Cat Lovers Digest

Have you ever tried to clip an animal’s nails that has suddenly turned into a ferocious spitting, biting hairball? One that seems to have eight paws and is slipperier than a squirming snake? Have you come out of the procedure with more cuts and scratches than nails clipped? It has happened to many cat owners, but it does not have to happen to you. Nail trimming does not have to be an all out war.

Many cats do not like having people play with their paws, let alone having their nails clipped. To help condition your cat to having his paws manipulated it is best to start handling your pet’s feet as soon as possible, the younger the better. Play with his paws when he is laying in your lap, or trying to sleep. Praise him while you are doing this and offer a few special little food treats to make him happy. Make it a pleasant experience. Do it often and gently. This will help prepare him for getting his nails clipped.

Indoor cat’s will probably need to have their nails clipped every two weeks. To clip a cats nails you are going to need special clippers. Do not use human clippers on your cat. These tend to split the nail and they will hurt the cat and may cause the nail to become infected.

Trimming a cat’s nails should not hurt the animal. There is no feeling in the cat’s nail. What does hurt the cat is if you trim the nail to short and manage to cut the quick or if you apply to much pressure to its paw.

To begin clipping start by holding your cat carefully on your lap, gently apply a bit of pressure to its paw exposing the nail. Once you can see the nail fully, check to see exactly where the quick is. The quick is usually a darker colour than the rest of the nail. You do not want to cut the quick, you only want to remove the very sharp point at the end.

It is always best to trim too little than too much. If you are unsure where the quick actually is because your pet has dark colored nails only clip a little off, Just snip the very pointed end.

For best results trim the nail from top to bottom. This will prevent the nail from fraying splitting and fraying.

If you do accidentally clip the quick do not panic. It has happened to everyone including the most experienced groomers. Keep your cat calm and apply some blood stopping powder or use a styptic pencil. It should stop bleeding fairly quickly.

Tips:

1) Always have everything ready before you start trimming. Be sure to have your clippers, styptic pencil or blood stopping powder and cotton swabs ready before you start trimming.

2) Check your cats nails often. If your cat’s nails grow quickly, you may have to trim every two weeks.

3) Do not forget to check the dew claw and back feet. These will require less trimming than the front claws but will probably need to be clipped a couple of times a year.

4) If your cat is getting extremely upset and agitated try doing one paw at a time.

5) Always keep your clippers very sharp. Dull clippers will split nails, and will require that you apply more force when using them.