Cats claws getting stuck

Remi&RiRi

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I have 2 cats. When we first got them we clipped their nails but do not anymore. We have three scratchers. My boy uses them a little more often than my girl. I would say my boy gets his claws stuck from time to time but my girl gets hers stuck all the time (she is always kneading). We adopted my girl when she was 3 and she has never liked to be held and is cautious to being approached. So nail clipping is not something she tolerates too well. But her getting stuck is beginning to become a pretty often annoyance. She will lay on me and has pierced me several times and then get her claws stuck in my cloths or blankets. I try to help her get her nails out but I can just tell that in the moment she gets stressed out when stuck in something. Any suggestions? Do I need to start clipping her nails again or file them? I could put a clipper or file on a side table by our couch and only do it when she comes to me. Just thinking that way she wouldn’t be scared when I approached her. Maybe something to get her to use the scratchers (may only be a temporary fix though)? Any other ideas welcomed! Thanks :)
 

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GoldyCat

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Clipping will be your best option. You may have to clip just one or two nails at a time and let her go as soon as she gets agitated.

Scratching on scratching posts doesn't keep the nails short. It actually does the opposite. When cats scratch on some thing it helps remove the loose sheath on the claws and makes them sharper.
 

noani

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You can start slow if she's no longer used to nail trimming. Giving her a few of her favourite treats while gently touching her paws, slowly increasing that over some days to squeezing a little, depending on how it goes.

It also greatly depends on the right moment in my case. If he's relaxed like waking up from a nap, that's my cue to go. He'll let me do almost if not all of them with almost no protest. I give him some of the liquid snacks while I do it and sometimes, if he's not as relaxed and willing, I just squeeze it on the back of my left hand so he'll be distracted by licking that off rather than focusing on my right which holds the clipper. Putting it on the back of m left hand still allows me to use my fingers to push out his nails gently, and cut with the right.
I do keep it on the coffee table shelf, so if he falls asleep on me I'll try to get a sneaky few clips in sometimes too :)

I actually use the little scissory thing for cats instead now, he tolerates it better as it makes a quieter sound than a nail clipper.
The other cat is a different story, but he's only been inside for a month when I took him in from the street. We are up to 1-2 nails at a time at this point.

It takes patience but if you do it slowly it can sometimes over time become a low(ish)-stress routine experience for the cat. And in the long run doing it routinely will benefit you (not getting pierced) and her (not getting stuck).

I will say this though: NEVER continue once they start pulling away or try to force it (I've been tempted to as stopping on nail 8 or 9 is so unsatisfying but alas). In my experience that undoes all progress made until that point. End it on a high note if possible: a successful clip and a couple more treats and lots of love after.
 

klunick

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I can usually trick my cats into getting their nails cut (or at least the first one I catch. Once the other sees what happened, they are harder to catch). I usually have the clippers already out because they know what me opening the armoire means and will take off. I sit them down on their butts with my arm across them diagonally and can cut all their nails with no fuss. I think because I've been doing that since they were tiny, they just submit knowing it will be over sooner if they comply.
 

game misconduct

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you have 2 options a vet trip/groomers(personally i trust a vet more than groomers) and pay to get the nails trimmed or trim your self theres no easy temp fix you wait too long as otheres have said you run the risk of its claws growing to long and into its paw expensive trip to the vet to get the issue resolved then.plus the getting stuck will only get worse longer you wait
 
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Remi&RiRi

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Wow lots of reply’s! Thank you for the information everyone. I will definitely start clipping her nails. The last thing I want to do is make her stressed or lose trust so I am just going to start very slow and only clip her nails in she is in an accepting/calm mood!
 

vince

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All of my cats are good with handling, but I still make sure they get a treat after the nail-clipping session so as to give some positive reinforcement. I hear a few complaints, but it generally goes well.

Accidents do happen. Be sure to have a styptic pencil available if you should accidentally cut a little too deep and nick the quick. At that point, it's probably best to stop, apply the styptic, give a treat and call it a day, doing the rest of nails at some other time.
 

maggie101

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You can always take them to a vet to do it. When I had sisal rope my cat would get her claws stuck. Now only corrugated scratchers. She does not do it herself so she goes to a vet
 

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