My cat needs his nails trimmed

misty8723

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Normally, I take him to the rescue where I adopted him and his former foster mama clips them. I can't do it. I tried once with another cat and it wasn't happening. I don't think those gadgets they advertise on TV are any good, but has anyone tried them? Seems like it would just scare him and make things worse.
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi. I use something very similar to these (see link below). They are small, I can hold/hide them in the palm of my hand - and for me anyway, it is very easy just to trim off the very tip of the nail. None of my cats have ever been crazy about having their claws trimmed, but I can do them in less than a couple of minutes and that seems to make the situation much better. Of course, I have been doing this for years, so a couple of minutes is not where you would start out at, in all likelihood.

If you plan to try doing it yourself, your best bet is to try a nail or two at a time, and catching your cat while napping is even better. By the time they realize what you are doing, you have at least a couple of them trimmed. Save the next one/two for a day or so later, etc. Over time, once the cat recognizes it is not 'killing' them, you can sit them on their butt in your lap, their back resting on you and facing away from you, and then work to cut each paw's claws from that position. If need be, you can 'burrito' them with one paw sticking out at a time.

Maybe when it is possible to do so, you can ask his former foster mama to show you what she does?

Amazon.com : Bepets Cat Nail Clippers, Professional Pet Nail Clippers & Claw Cutter for Small Animals, Cat Claw Clippers Scissors Trimmer for Small Dogs Rabbit Birds, etc. : Pet Supplies
 
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misty8723

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Hi. I use something very similar to these (see link below). They are small, I can hold/hide them in the palm of my hand - and for me anyway, it is very easy just to trim off the very tip of the nail. None of my cats have ever been crazy about having their claws trimmed, but I can do them in less than a couple of minutes and that seems to make the situation much better. Of course, I have been doing this for years, so a couple of minutes is not where you would start out at, in all likelihood.

If you plan to try doing it yourself, your best bet is to try a nail or two at a time, and catching your cat while napping is even better. By the time they realize what you are doing, you have at least a couple of them trimmed. Save the next one/two for a day or so later, etc. Over time, once the cat recognizes it is not 'killing' them, you can sit them on their butt in your lap, their back resting on you and facing away from you, and then work to cut each paw's claws from that position. If need be, you can 'burrito' them with one paw sticking out at a time.

Maybe when it is possible to do so, you can ask his former foster mama to show you what she does?

Amazon.com : Bepets Cat Nail Clippers, Professional Pet Nail Clippers & Claw Cutter for Small Animals, Cat Claw Clippers Scissors Trimmer for Small Dogs Rabbit Birds, etc. : Pet Supplies
I'm just so afraid of hurting him.He's actually a pretty laid back cat. I've watched the way she does it, the way you describe and it takes her about a minute. She just does the very tip and he doesn't fuss too much. I can see him fussing a lot if I try it though. I may buy those and see if I can get brave enough to give it a try. He's starting to get snagged in things a bit, I feel bad about it.

Or maybe these

Necoichi Purrcision Cat Nail Clippers - Chewy.com

The reviews are better.
 

maggie101

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I have shaky hands and every time I try to trim her paws she licks my hand. I now drop her of at the vets. They usually do it for free because she is so calm. Other times $15
 
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misty8723

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I have shaky hands and every time I try to trim her paws she licks my hand. I now drop her of at the vets. They usually do it for free because she is so calm. Other times $15
That's actually been my thought, to take him to the vet for them to do it. They do it free when you're in there for another reason, but I would gladly pay. The vet techs are coming to the car to get the cat and you have to wait in the car for them to finish, can't go in. I understand that, although I always go into the exam room, I do trust them.
 

tabbytom

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Normally, I take him to the rescue where I adopted him and his former foster mama clips them. I can't do it. I tried once with another cat and it wasn't happening. I don't think those gadgets they advertise on TV are any good, but has anyone tried them? Seems like it would just scare him and make things worse.
You don't have to clip all the nails at one go just like what FeebysOwner FeebysOwner mentioned. Everyday clip one or two nails would be fine.

I use a normal hooman type nail clipper with good quality blades to trim my boy's nails and I do it when he's asleep and drowsy which at this time I can clip more nails. And if he doesn't like it, I'll stop and continue another day.

You don't have to clip the nail very short else you'll clip the quick and the nail will bleed and it'll be painful for the cat and it'll be harder for you to clip the nails the next time as the cat will be weary of you. Just clip off the tip where it is curved and very sharp. Till you get use to it, you can try going a little deeper but avoiding the quick. Always standby corn flour or plain flour to cover the nail if it bleeds. If you happen to clip and toenail bleeds, stop clipping the rest of the nails and do it some other days.

IMG_2512.JPG IMG_2513.JPG

IMG_2514.JPG
 

maggie101

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Thier clear so hard to see and very sharp like needles. Taken her in today!
 

Bobsk8

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I just trimmed my cats nails,, and I am basically brand new at this. It took me about 3 minutes to do all her nails. with no problems at all. I purchased this Zen trimmer about 6 weeks ago and have used it twice. It makes trimming the cats nails so eay and fool proof almost anyone can easily do it. Zen Clipper® | Pet PPI

It comes in different sizes, and for my 10 pound cat I use the XS size which is recommended for most cats. If you order size that doesn't work for you, they will exchange it no charge. After using this clipper, I would never use any other method for clipping nails.
 

Tworagdolls

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I started my kittens by just laying out the clippers for them to investigate. I also played with their paws, pushing the nails out. I can clip easily now although sometimes they opt to chew the handle of the clippers. In the end, I learned that even one nail is a success, when they are sleepy it is more efficient but most importantly, I learned that the boys don’t mind all that much and it was I who needed the most training and confidence. Now we do it every week, even if they don’t need clipping, I’ll still go through the motions.
 
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misty8723

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I started my kittens by just laying out the clippers for them to investigate. I also played with their paws, pushing the nails out. I can clip easily now although sometimes they opt to chew the handle of the clippers. In the end, I learned that even one nail is a success, when they are sleepy it is more efficient but most importantly, I learned that the boys don’t mind all that much and it was I who needed the most training and confidence. Now we do it every week, even if they don’t need clipping, I’ll still go through the motions.
I don't think Austin would mind too much, his foster mama started him when he was a kitten and he's really very easy to deal with. Let's me touch his paws and stuff. It's me who is a wuss about it and afraid to hurt him. My other cat Cricket would not let me I'm sure, but for some reason hers don't seem to be a problem the way his get to be. I'll have to get brave one of these days.
 
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