Nail Trimming...nothing Works

[BroughtB]

Hi,

I’m new to the site, but we’re desperate for advice that doesn’t lead to declawing.

We have two cats, both of them 3 years of age. Pam allows us to trim her nails and almost seems to enjoy it. Archer behaves...differently. He hisses, spits, jerks, and slashes. He will do whatever it takes to prevent the trimming of even a single nail. Now, he will allow us to play with and put pressure on his toes and foot pads. He gets tense when a claw is retracted and goes crazy when we go in with trimmers.

This is not an exaggeration: it takes 3 vet clinic staff, myself, and 30 minutes to get Archer’s nails fully trimmed. Along with $20 per clipping. This is an emotionally draining and traumatic experience for him and us.

It’s not a property destruction issue, but a safety one for him and us. Also, he gets WAY less attention from the entire family because it’s painful to have him lay on anyone.

He’s been like this since he was a kitten. They were both introduced to trimmings immediately and in the same way.

We’ve tried everything, it seems, but maybe there will be something of value here.

Thanks for reading.

 

[Margret]

1. Did Archer come from a breeder?
2. What kind of clippers do you use?
3. Have you tried a burrito wrap (wrapping the cat in a towel, with just one paw sticking out as a time)? Please note: I'm not currently suggesting this, just asking about it.

Margret

 

[BroughtB]

1. Did Archer come from a breeder?
2. What kind of clippers do you use?
3. Have you tried a burrito wrap (wrapping the cat in a towel, with just one paw sticking out as a time)? Please note: I'm not currently suggesting this, just asking about it.

Margret

Hey Margret,

No, both him and Pam came from our local humane society when they were around 9 weeks old.

We’ve tried a few different clippers; regular ones, smaller scissor-types, and the standard pet clippers that have the shear handles.

The burrito wrap is what we’re eventually successful with at the vet clinic, but again, that’s with a total of 4 adults holding him down. My wife and I have had no success in containing him at the house with this method.

 

[æries]

It's unfortunate that the vet has a hard time clipping his nails also. My problem is that Mars will reluctantly allow the vet to do it, but if I try, he'll automatically get upset and try biting me. Margret, from your knowledge do some cats seem to do alright when wrapped?

 

[Ardina]

Have you tried slowly desensitizing him to the clippers? As in, leave them out somewhere with bits of treats on them, just open and close them near him while offering treats and pets, etc?

 

[huxleysmom]

I live alone and the only way I can trim Huxley’s nails is by wrapping him like a burrito. I then sit on the floor with him gently but firmly in between my knees and I sit on my heels. Like that, he cannot move at all and I can trim his front claws. I don’t put my weight on him of course, but he is safely tucked in between my legs and can’t go backwards and my feet prevent him from doing that. I also do that in a small bathroom, with the doors closed and. O place for him to hide. It’s stressfull for him (and I), but much less than having to take him to the vet. Maybe you could guve that a try.

 

[rubysmama]

I feel for you, as it's also a struggle to trim my Ruby's nails. She hates being restrained, and doesn't much like her toes being touched. And once I get near them with the clippers, she takes off.

The only thing that works for me is trying to clip a nail when she is asleep and a paw is sticking out. That way, if I'm lucky, I'll get one claw done, and occasionally 2. Then I have to try to remember which paw and which claws still need trimming for the next time I catch her in a deep sleep. Obviously it takes several tries to get them all clipped, and I mostly focus on the front paws. And I only clip the very tip, just enough to get rid of the sharp point.

The only other way I have occasionally gotten a claw trimmed is to clip a couple when she manages to get another claw stuck in a mat, or something else. Then I try to tell her if we trim the claws, she won't get stuck again. She probably doesn't understand, but who knows, maybe she does.

 

[orange&white]

This veterinarian owns a cat who doesn't like her claws trimmed. I know you said 4 people plus a burrito at the vets is the only thing that works, but I'd probably watch a bunch of YouTube videos to see if there is anything you haven't tried yet:

 

[orange&white]

The only thing that works for me is trying to clip a nail when she is asleep and a paw is sticking out. That way, if I'm lucky, I'll get one claw done, and occasionally 2. Then I have to try to remember which paw and which claws still need trimming for the next time I catch her in a deep sleep. Obviously it takes several tries to get them all clipped, and I mostly focus on the front paws. And I only clip the very tip, just enough to get rid of the sharp point.

That's what I do too...a nail or two while she's sleeping/relaxed...sometimes she lets me do them all. But she never developed any real aversion to clipping. I've always stopped if she's gotten the least bit fussy about it. I think it's harder once they start fighting hard to not have their claws touched.

 

[Margret]

All good suggestions.

The reason I asked about a breeder is that some unethical breeders deliberately cut into the quick while claw trimming; I don't know why, but I do know that it produces cats who are absolutely phobic about claw clipping, which is what it sounds like you have.

I have known burrito wrapping to work; but I consider it to be a last resort; when you use it you're basically declaring war regarding claw clipping. Once you've done it claw clipping will forever become an adversarial procedure, which is not what we want. Unfortunately, you're already at that stage. So, given that that's where things are, let's see whether we can find some ways to make it better.

Number one: I don't recommend any commercial claw clipper. They're expensive and in my opinion they don't work well. Just for starters they're so big that they make it difficult to see what you're doing, which makes it hard to avoid clipping into the quick, which is both painful and dangerous. I prefer to use standard human nail clippers, the smaller the better, held sideways so that they're cutting into the flat sides of the claw, which makes the claw easier to see and the quick easier to avoid. It also means that you're cutting through the claw where it's thinner.

The very best clipper I have found for the job is the one on this Swiss army knife: www.ebay.com/itm/New-Victorinox-Swiss-Army-65mm-Knife-NAIL-CLIP-580-Ruby-Red-0-6463-TUS2-CLIPPER/131714518274?epid=1356237505&hash=item1eaacc0d02:g:bckAAOSwvUlWq8tA:sc:USPSFirstClass!80127!US!-1 This is the best deal on it I could find; you may be able to find something better or get a better price bidding rather than using "Buy now."

I absolutely adore this as a pocket knife; the scissors spring doesn't break and the nail file is properly shaped for cleaning under your nails, but it's also the best claw clipper I've ever found and I always have it readily available because I keep my pocket knife in my pocket . The reason it makes the best claw clipper is that the body of the knife fits in my curled fingers with my thumb on the clipper, so the clipper is extremely stable. It doesn't turn in my hand, and I don't have to fiddle with it while my other hand is holding a reluctant paw.

Now, while Jasmine doesn't actually like having her claws trimmed, she also isn't actively phobic so your technique will have to differ from mine, starting with more than one person being involved. You will have to use burrito wrapping, but it may be possible to make even that less traumatic. Does anyone else have any experience getting a cat used to burrito wrapping? I suppose you might be able to start with a cat's favorite blanket and tucking him in tightly on a cold day, but I've never tried it so I'm just guessing here.

Another possibility is getting a cat muzzle. I don't like them, but it might make this easier for you. Talk to a professional groomer about that.

When I'm clipping Jasmine's claws I go slow and easy. I don't insist on doing all of them at once; one or two at a time are plenty. I let Jasmine sniff the clipper, I tell her what a good cat she is, I pet her in between clips, I reward her with treats. I'm very, very careful to avoid the quick, even if it means that particular claw takes longer and may not get done today. Jasmine has long fur between her toes; if I'm at all worried I'll cut that back in the week leading up to claw clipping; I use the scissors on my pocket knife.

I don't know whether any of this is helpful for you; it's just what I know. It may be that you'll always have to take this cat to the vet for claw clipping.

One other thing you may want to consider is asking your vet for a sedative you can use when you need to do this. That might de-stress the situation enough that, with enough rewards, the cat will gradually come around.

Margret

 

[PMousse]

My cat also hates me touching her paws; even in her sleep, she'll instinctively pull back her paws when I try to put even the slightest pressure on the pads. So my first question is for those cat mamas and dads who trim their fur babies' nails while they are sleeping: do you push on the pads and your cats are okay with that? Or do you wait until they are stretching and spreading their toes?

Second question - I'm about to give my baby her first nail trim since her adoption 3 weeks ago (she's just over 6 months old), and am wondering what type of nail trimmers should I get? Honestly I didn't even know there are different types until reading this post, and I want to get this decision out of the way so I can focus on the actual trimming.

orange&white's YouTube video shows the vet using a small pair of scissors (but I don't know if it's your average arts and crafts scissors or special pet nail trimmers), and Margret suggested human nail clippers. What, in your opinion, is the easiest to use for both humans and cats?

 

[orange&white]

You have to press their paw to get the claw out far enough to trim. If my kitten is relaxed enough, she'll start kneading while I massage her toes and clip a claw now and then.

I also use human fingernail clippers, turned "sideways" compared to how we do our own human nails. I've read that human clippers can shatter a cat's nail sheath, but that has not been my experience. I clip frequently and barely take the very sharp tips off the ends, so I'm not trying to get her claws short or get anywhere close to the quick.

That vet in the video said he was using "specially designed" scissors made just for cat claws. I expect he probably sells them on his website. If I didn't use human clippers, I would use this scissor type, but I like to carry my clippers in my pocket:

 

[Margret]

I also use human fingernail clippers, turned "sideways" compared to how we do our own human nails. I've read that human clippers can shatter a cat's nail sheath, but that has not been my experience. I clip frequently and barely take the very sharp tips off the ends, so I'm not trying to get her claws short or get anywhere close to the quick.

Actually, I'm pretty sure that human clippers can shatter a claw sheath, if you use them the wrong way. That's why you have to turn them sideways. It probably makes no difference if you're just blunting the tip of the claw, but anywhere further up on the claw using the clippers the wrong way is just so wrong from a mechanical viewpoint that it can't be good.

Margret

 

[rubysmama]

My cat also hates me touching her paws; even in her sleep, she'll instinctively pull back her paws when I try to put even the slightest pressure on the pads. So my first question is for those cat mamas and dads who trim their fur babies' nails while they are sleeping: do you push on the pads and your cats are okay with that? Or do you wait until they are stretching and spreading their toes?

With my cat, Ruby, she usually isn't fine with me pushing on the pads to get the claw to extend. So what I try to do, is push on the claw with my finger from the top or side of her paw. Then, as I'm only going to clip the very tip, the claw doesn't need to extend too far. But this technique only works sometimes. Many times, as soon as I touch her paw, the entire leg pulls back up close to her body, and the wrist part bends so that the claws are safely hidden from me.

A couple other suggestions, make sure you have enough light to see clearly before you attempt to clip a claw. Make sure you're positioned comfortably to reach and clip the claw. And make sure the clippers are always close by. I don't know how many times Ruby's been sound asleep on my lap, and the clippers are across the room, out of reach.

 

[sophie1]

I bet OP or another caretaker accidentally cut into the quick once, and it all snowballed from there. It's easy to do when a cat is thrashing around, so it may have happened more than once. It also sounds like your cat recognizes the clippers and has developed an aversion to them specifically.

Absolutely, throw away your current pair (or save for your other cat) and use something that looks completely different. One thing I've always done is show the clippers to my cats and let them indicate to me it's ok to use them. One of them head butts the clippers and then lies down, because I trained him to do that by giving him treats. Get him used to the new clippers that way, and gradually get to the point where you can clip just the very tip of one claw. Give him favorite treats each step of the way, and use the one your cat goes crazy for. It's also important to stay calm and make no sudden movements.

Do the clipper exercise every day, and try for clipping one claw per day. That will get the job done, but over time you should be able to do more.

The restraining method has to stop as soon as possible. What about having a vet put soft nail caps on his paws while you're working on getting him used to the clippers?

 

[basscat]

I was taught not to even try to trim claws.

 

[sophie1]

"You must unlearn what you have learned."

- Yoda

 

[Ardina]

I tried human clippers held sideways, and did shatter Saipha's claw once. Since then, I've stuck to the kind orange&white posted and haven't had any problems.

But I agree with some of the other commentators - get a new pair of clippers to break the aversion, leave them lying around with treats so builds positive associations. In the meantime, play with your cats toes and get him used to having his claws exposed. Then have the clippers near his feet and keep manipulating them. Eventually, he may get used to them being around that he won't immediately react when you clip one or two while he's sleepy.

 

[PMousse]

So I just came back from Ashton's first vet checkup and first (attempted) nail trim since her adoption. One vet and one assistant and they couldn't trim her nails. I was waiting outside the exam room and I've never heard her so angry!! The vet sent me home without her nails trimmed and prescribed a sedative called Gabapentin (100mg) and asked me to give it to her an hour before the next time I bring her in for a trim.

My cat is worse than B BroughtB 's as she doesn't like me touching her paws at all. I've been trying to get her used to it since Day 1 but she would bite my hand if I touch her paws for more than a few seconds; holding them and pushing the pads are worse. Even in her sleep she'll pull her paws away when she feels any pressure on them.

So maybe the answer is sedatives. The vet says it has no side effects, and that it's pretty normal for them to prescribe them to owners of cats who hate nail trims. In fact, they said a sedative + Feliway for the next visit so that the cat doesn't associate the vet visit as a negative experience.

Anyone else with some experience re giving sedatives to cats?

 

[crunchie]

My cat hating getting her claws trimmed as well so what I did was put on a "cone of shame" (more to protect me really) then do the burrito wrap. I would start with one paw one day then the next paw the next. After a while I would do one in the morning one in the evening. Now I'm up to just putting the cone on her (again, for my protection) but no longer need to do the burrito wrap and I get both done at the same time. After each session there are a lot of treats and praise. It took awhile to get her to this point and she still doesn't like it but will tolerate it better than she did.