Nail Trim Meltdowns

[LSpector]

Hi everyone,

It's been a long time since I've posted on here. I was looking for some advice regarding my now-very rambunctious young cat, Dillon. I've looked in the articles and haven't found too much, but I may be blind so apologies if I overlooked a very obvious one.

Dillon is now approaching 2 years of age and although is not a large cat (about 10 or so lbs), he is incredibly strong and strong willed. He despises getting his nails trimmed, and I mean despises. I have tried what seems like everything... Normally I got the vet to do it with my previous kitty, but I thought Dillon might need someone a bit quicker who does it for a living so I took him to a professional cat groomer. To say this cat had a complete and total meltdown would be an understatement. He LOST it. You would honestly think if you were sitting in the waiting room that we were killing him. I can't put him through that again no matter how sharp his nails get, so I've just been doing what I can at home.

Believe it or not, this has nothing to do with his feet being touched. Everyone (the vet, groomer, pet shop clerks, etc.) have all told me it is because some cats don't like their paws being touched but this is not the case with him. I can hold his little paws no problem while we're watching tv or he's hanging on his cat tree, but the moment he sees the nail trimmers, the flip switches and he won't let me near his feet. I've tried taking breaks, cuddling, treats... nothing.

I need some advice here, I need to get rid of the little needle nails. Thanks in advance!

 

[Kieka]

To clarify, what is the reason you need his claws trimmed?

Does he scratch furniture? Scratch you?

And I ask because I don't trim my cats claws so my recommendations would be more towards modifying behavior then trimming.

 

[Kieka]

As to trimming, since I don't, my two suggestions would be what I've heard.

1. Trim on nail while he naps over the course of several days until all nails have been trimmed.
2. Get a mechanical grinder to file down the tips. If he's having a negative reaction to the trimmers that should be different enough to tolerate.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Funny, my cat is the opposite. She will reluctantly and with much protest 'let' me cut her nails, but to just 'touch' her paws, she hates it and will do anything to get away.

Anyway, you could try a calming agent like Bach Rescue Remedy to 'relax' before trying to trim his nails. May or may not work - some cats it does, others not so much. The only other thing I would know to do is wrap him in a towel/blanket to restrict most of his movement, and then pull a paw out - one at a time - and clip away.

 

[LSpector]

Kieka Luckily he does not scratch is actually quite careful when playing. His little needle nails tend to get caught in things like indoor screens (when "chasing" the birds), blankets, clothes during cuddling and when we're playing. So it's mostly accidental on his part. One of my concerns is when my toddler nephew comes over, I don't want him getting scratched, even accidentally.

FeebysOwner I'll look into both options. I might try the towel method and get him right after his nap

 

[Kieka]

In my experience, babies and toddlers are either a) too scary to approach or b) recognized as baby. If he is already good with claws, I'd just emphasize it by acting hurt if even a tip of a claw touches.

 

[PMousse]

Sounds like he has a clear negative association with nail trimmers. You can train him to have positive associations by putting out the nail trimmer and put his favourite treats on and around it. Do it consistently and regularly so that he will learn that nail trimmers aren't evil.

It's great that he lets you hold his paws; you can also use those opportunities to maybe hold his paws and the nail trimmer together, so that again, he sees that the nail trimmer is part of this positive experience.

It takes time for cats to warm up to something, so don't be discouraged, keep doing that and observe if his fear towards nail trimmers is getting better.

Also, what nail trimmers do you use? Have you tried to use another kind? Maybe he's had negative experiences with a particular kind of nail trimmers so it's worthwhile to switch to another kind and see how he reacts to it.

You would honestly think if you were sitting in the waiting room that we were killing him.

My cat used to be like this too. I took her in of nail trimming once but she was thrashing and growling way too much even for the professionals! I think in this case it is best to trim your cat's nails at your home, i.e. in his territory where he is comfortable. Doing something that they don't enjoy (nail trimming) at a strange place (i.e. vet office or groomer's place) just adds more stress to them.

Have you tried the burrito wrap technique? There are a lot of Youtube videos about that.

What ended up working for me was that after getting her used to the nail trimmer and the cone of shame (by placing treats and feeding her treats on and around these objects), I would make her wear the cone of shame (so that she wouldn't bite me), gently but firmly pin her under my legs as I kneel on the floor, hold her paw firmly in my hand and trim her nails as quickly as I can. After the whole thing I'd give her treats again as a reward.

Also, make sure you study up on how to trim nails (if you don't already have that experience) to know how. Don't trim the nails too close to the pink part where blood vessels and nerve endings lie.

If all else fails, consider investing in nail caps.

 

[vince]

You don't have to do it all in one sitting, either. Just try one paw or two a day, possibly even one or two nails at a time if that's what it takes, coupled with a treat or two afterward as positive reinforcement. I have crabby cats who didn't like nail trims, but eventually got much better over several months.