Clipping Nails (for An Aggressive Cat)

Peachbird_moon92

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Hello everyone,

So this has been bothering me for some time, so I figured I post about it. To get straight to the point, Freya hates getting her nails clipped. I honestly have never witnessed a cat that does enjoy that. Freya likes scratching on carpet,sofas,etc. and I figured it was long overdue clipping her nails. Over the past couple of years, I never cut her nails. I was too afraid to and when I would take her to the vet, they would only lecture me about not declawing her. Clearly, that is not what I am trying to do.My boyfriend and I have researched quite a lot about how to clip nails and what to not cut. So, we made the decision to cut them ourselves. She let us cut her front paws. However, she became extremely aggressive when attempting her backpaws. I have read that many people don't bother clipping the back. But Freya uses her back feet for scratching (not just her front paws). So, if anyone have any advice about how to better approach the situation next time, I would really appreciate it.
 

EmmiTemmi

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If my cats don't cooperate with me clipping their nails I burrito roll them in a blanket, hold them on my lap on their back, and pop out one paw at a time. Snuggly rolled up, they are pretty cooperative, and I can usually manage to clip quickly and then give them a treat every time I finish a paw.

If they struggle entirely too much and I'm afraid they'll hurt themselves I let them go and try again when they've dozed off a little. And I'm sure others have better/different methods that work for them that you could try. It just takes practice to find what works for you and your cat!
 

Furballsmom

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You could gently start handling each paw, over time, one paw, a couple days later, another paw, let her get used to just a nice little massage.
Also, she's ok with the front but with the back claws, once she's ok being handled, just press out one claw then leave, don't clip it or do anything with the other claws.
Gradually you should eventually be able to clip one back claw, but again if she's unhappy leave it at that.
As time goes she will likely be ok with you clipping all of her claws.
Hang in there, you're doing great!
 

kobata1928

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I have been successfully using a grooming bag for one of my cats for awhile now. He hates you touching his paws, he will growl and try to bite. I use the muzzle that comes with it since it seems to calm him down. I find hanging the bag from the carrying handles on a door knob to work fairly well to give you access to the bottom. There are zippers on the bottom to pull out each paw individually. I'm sure many cats won't like being maneuvered into the bag. Oscar still doesn't like it, but he has become used to it, and waits for his treat after getting out and doesn't hold any grudges.

I got it off amazon, but if you decide to try one make sure to read the reviews on sizes because the one I got was supposed to be up to 16 pound cats and he barely fits at 14
 
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Peachbird_moon92

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I have been successfully using a grooming bag for one of my cats for awhile now. He hates you touching his paws, he will growl and try to bite. I use the muzzle that comes with it since it seems to calm him down. I find hanging the bag from the carrying handles on a door knob to work fairly well to give you access to the bottom. There are zippers on the bottom to pull out each paw individually. I'm sure many cats won't like being maneuvered into the bag. Oscar still doesn't like it, but he has become used to it, and waits for his treat after getting out and doesn't hold any grudges.

I got it off amazon, but if you decide to try one make sure to read the reviews on sizes because the one I got was supposed to be up to 16 pound cats and he barely fits at 14
Thank you! This is exactly what Freya needs.
 
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Peachbird_moon92

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You could gently start handling each paw, over time, one paw, a couple days later, another paw, let her get used to just a nice little massage.
Also, she's ok with the front but with the back claws, once she's ok being handled, just press out one claw then leave, don't clip it or do anything with the other claws.
Gradually you should eventually be able to clip one back claw, but again if she's unhappy leave it at that.
As time goes she will likely be ok with you clipping all of her claws.
Hang in there, you're doing great!
Thank you so much for the advice!
 
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Peachbird_moon92

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If my cats don't cooperate with me clipping their nails I burrito roll them in a blanket, hold them on my lap on their back, and pop out one paw at a time. Snuggly rolled up, they are pretty cooperative, and I can usually manage to clip quickly and then give them a treat every time I finish a paw.

If they struggle entirely too much and I'm afraid they'll hurt themselves I let them go and try again when they've dozed off a little. And I'm sure others have better/different methods that work for them that you could try. It just takes practice to find what works for you and your cat!
Thank you for the advice! Freya does not let me burrito roll her lol
 
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Peachbird_moon92

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You might want to buy a cat grooming bag. It covers the whole cat except their head with zippers so you can pull out a leg at a time to trim the nails.
Wow, thank you for the advice! I never knew these bags existed.
 

maggiedemi

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I bought that same black cat bag in the largest size they had and it was too small! My cat weighs 12 or 13 pounds and I couldn't stuff him in it. So I got a different bag in Xtra Large called Cat In The Bag Cozy Comfort Cat Carrier.
 
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Peachbird_moon92

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I bought that same black cat bag in the largest size they had and it was too small! My cat weighs 12 or 13 pounds and I couldn't stuff him in it. So I got a different bag in Xtra Large called Cat In The Bag Cozy Comfort Cat Carrier.
Wow! My cat only weighs 7lbs. But she has a lot of energy and will put up a fight if I attempt to put her in her carrier.
 
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