Refuse to treat a Senior!

[GranolaLouise]

My 10 yr old hates to have her paws held. But she needs her nails trimmed. The zoomies are very noisy on wood floors in the wee hours as far as my downstairs tenants are concerned.
Would you believe the pet store chains REFUSE by policy to trim a cat's nails 10 yrs old and over ?

I feel awful calling a vet 's office and asking them to cut the cat's nails!
Is that out of the norm for a Vet Practice?

 

[MeezeIfYouPlz]

We have to travel nearly an hour to our vet. There are vets closer but we prefer the one we've always used. Having to travel so far, whether it be for one of the dogs or one of the cats, I never miss an opportunity to have their nails trimmed whilst there. Saves my old back and my nerves. Most of the time the tech does it but sometimes the vet does while conducting the exam, while we talk about the reason for the visit.

 

[Alldara]

GranolaLouise Very normal for a vet to have a technician do that, and you can usually make scheduled appointments for it (at least here). They also will do things like shave a cat's problem area while they do that for a bigger cost.

Though, I do my cat's nails myself I never miss a chance for them to shave his bum and belly. (He's old and has trouble with grooming. The shorter hair helps him to keep clean or for me to be able to clean him with less handling.

 

[treeclimber]

Most veterinary practices are very used to doing nail trims. It’s not insulting or beneath them to ask them to do it - vet techs are experts at doing things an animal may not like in a way that’s safe for both the animal and the humans.

If your cat has a tendency to bite or if there are any particular things that make nail trims easier/harder with her, please do let them know (eg. “you may want to do her right back foot last, she gets really upset about that one”). But it is 110% OK to ask them for help with nail trims.

 

[GranolaLouise]

Louise doesn't bite or scratch. She just yanks pulls her paw out of my hand. She is not difficult for them..they remarked how she stayed perfectly still for a blood test last visit.(and she gave me such a hard time just getting ready to leave the house) LOL
Last wellness visit she did get a nail trim at that vet, but she is not scheduled to go back until Feb/March. I thought that making an appointment for that only would be insulting to them. I am going to give them a ring tomorrow and see if there is an opening.

 

[AbbysMom]

There are some vet techs and retired vet techs in my area that do at home claw clippings as a side business. I‘ve seen them on Facebook and NextDoor. Maybe you can reach out on social media or have someone reach out on your behalf to see if anyone does it in your area?

 

[sivyaleah]

We have always brought our cats to the vet to have them do their nails. None of ours have been cooperative about it. All are good using scratching posts but it's not enough so we bring them monthly for a professional mani-pedi as I like to call it. Plus our younger one gets dirty ears fast too - she gets the entire beauty treatment when there.

 

[daftcat75]

You might even be able to find an experienced cat sitter off Care.com who is willing to make a house call once a month. Wouldn't hurt to make a post and see if you get any takers.

 

[GranolaLouise]

Just came back from the vet and she is in tip top shape. The technician and staff were golden.

 

[suzeanna]

My 10 yr old hates to have her paws held. But she needs her nails trimmed. The zoomies are very noisy on wood floors in the wee hours as far as my downstairs tenants are concerned.
Would you believe the pet store chains REFUSE by policy to trim a cat's nails 10 yrs old and over ?

I feel awful calling a vet 's office and asking them to cut the cat's nails!
Is that out of the norm for a Vet Practice?

I'm so glad the vet office helped trim her nails! Just wanted to share that it can help muffle zoomies by getting a hallway runner or large carpet (we got one from Ikea) -- I live above my neighbors too and my 10-year-old cat really gallops loudly sometimes! I think she likes the carpets, too (once they finished off gassing )... provides some traction and gives her something else to scratch her nails on.

Is your profile picture your kitty? Mine is also a soft-colored calico lady!

 

[Meowmee]

I am glad they were able to trim them for you. When I take my outdoor cats who come inside to DVM I always ask them to trim their cl while they are under sedation. Because I know I’m never gonna be able to do that myself at home. They have sometimes also clipped other kitties on a visit if needed. I have never taken any of my cats to any of the pet stores for a long time and they would freak out if I did. I certainly would never have them out in the open and have anybody try to clip their claws, lol. But I’m surprised they won’t do a cat older than 10 years, did they give a reason for that?

Even my tame guys now Merlin, Zena, and Quinn all hate having their claws clipped and sometimes I can only do one paw at a time. It has to be done when they are half asleep or just woke up also.

Merlin and zena came inside and had to be trained to do it, but lately Zena has become contentious about that and about combing etc. He actually will start to try claw at me and bite me ( never seriously) when I’m doing it and I have to say no and calm him down etc. I don’t know why he’s gotten so touchy about everything- when he first came in and I combed out his first matt from his fur he was so grateful. He loved being brushed etc. I don’t know what has caused this dramatic change of feeling in him.

Quinn I trained from when he was a baby, but he was never a fan of it…he always hated it, and as he got older he became even more the rebellious Meezer. Now he totally hates it…so I have to sneak up on him when he’s half asleep, do it really fast, and just do one paw at a time usually.
Zena is the hardest maybe though because his fur on his paws is so long I can barely see his claws… I have to push them out and then he starts getting upset etc. it all has to be done as rapidly as possible.

Lately he is getting poop and litter stuck on his long fur. I tried trimming with a scissor at first which was so hard to do and this time I decided to get the clipper out which I used to give Sybil a lion cut every spring.

I managed to trim his back area but it was really hard, he was fighting me, and he puts his tail up to cover his jewels….I mistakenly trimmed fur off of his tail as well thinking it was his bum. omg but we should be good for a while now as far as poop stuck on etc.

Even if I try to wipe it off and pull it off with a wipe he gets so upset about that. I have not tried to give him a bath yet but it was getting to the point where I was considering trying to get him in the tub… except that he is very scared of water.

If I run the water in the bath room to take a shower he starts meowing loudly at the door, he will actually asked to come in and then he wails to get out even though I’m not even doing anything to him. Even if water is running, like I’m getting a drink of water from the fridge he stares at it and listens to the sound…he is very obsessed with it.

 

[silent meowlook]

Remember, you don’t have to do all the nails at the same time. Just do one a day.

 

[GranolaLouise]

I am glad they were able to trim them for you. When I take my outdoor cats who come inside to DVM I always ask them to trim their cl while they are under sedation. Because I know I’m never gonna be able to do that myself at home. They have sometimes also clipped other kitties on a visit if needed. I have never taken any of my cats to any of the pet stores for a long time and they would freak out if I did. I certainly would never have them out in the open and have anybody try to clip their claws, lol. But I’m surprised they won’t do a cat older than 10 years, did they give a reason for that?

Even my tame guys now Merlin, Zena, and Quinn all hate having their claws clipped and sometimes I can only do one paw at a time. It has to be done when they are half asleep or just woke up also.

Merlin and zena came inside and had to be trained to do it, but lately Zena has become contentious about that and about combing etc. He actually will start to try claw at me and bite me ( never seriously) when I’m doing it and I have to say no and calm him down etc. I don’t know why he’s gotten so touchy about everything- when he first came in and I combed out his first matt from his fur he was so grateful. He loved being brushed etc. I don’t know what has caused this dramatic change of feeling in him.

Quinn I trained from when he was a baby, but he was never a fan of it…he always hated it, and as he got older he became even more the rebellious Meezer. Now he totally hates it…so I have to sneak up on him when he’s half asleep, do it really fast, and just do one paw at a time usually.
Zena is the hardest maybe though because his fur on his paws is so long I can barely see his claws… I have to push them out and then he starts getting upset etc. it all has to be done as rapidly as possible.

Lately he is getting poop and litter stuck on his long fur. I tried trimming with a scissor at first which was so hard to do and this time I decided to get the clipper out which I used to give Sybil a lion cut every spring.

I managed to trim his back area but it was really hard, he was fighting me, and he puts his tail up to cover his jewels….I mistakenly trimmed fur off of his tail as well thinking it was his bum. omg but we should be good for a while now as far as poop stuck on etc.

Even if I try to wipe it off and pull it off with a wipe he gets so upset about that. I have not tried to give him a bath yet but it was getting to the point where I was considering trying to get him in the tub… except that he is very scared of water.

If I run the water in the bath room to take a shower he starts meowing loudly at the door, he will actually asked to come in and then he wails to get out even though I’m not even doing anything to him. Even if water is running, like I’m getting a drink of water from the fridge he stares at it and listens to the sound…he is very obsessed with it.

I don;t know how you do all that! My cat is the Queen of squirm. She won;t bite, or scratch but she can always wriggle and writhe until she gets away. I dread having to tackle her into the carrier each time. This time was a bit easier, though.
I would love to know how they restrain her to do the claws,if they have some kind of holder, or if it is just another technician with strong arms and a blanket or something.
As for water, the closest mine will get is dipping her paw into the water bowl and washing her face! Then Miss Priss refuses to drink it if she sees any thing at the bottom after.

 

[Cyantaiga]

I would love to know how they restrain her to do the claws,if they have some kind of holder, or if it is just another technician with strong arms and a blanket or something.

From what I've seen, I think they usually have two people for it - one to hold and soothe, and the other to do the actual clipping. Granted, I have a super-tolerant kitty who usually lets me trim his nails (as he gets cuddles out of it) without too much trouble, so the techs wouldn't have needed anything more for him, anyway. But yeah, vets are more than used to trimming kitty claws, especially if they're gonna be doing anything that may result in swipes from the feline - it's as much about their own safety as it is about the health and comfort of the cat.

 

[GranolaLouise]

One thing that stands out to me at the vet is the gentle demeanor of everyone..from the receptionists on up the ladder. Then I think of the store/centers that refused to treat pets 10 and up and the punky loudness of the techs..makes you think you were in a tat parlor or at a school gathering...so unprofessional. No wonder the price is cheap at those chain stores.

 

[Alldara]

I wait until they are worn down and then when little I just did one or two at a time.

Magnus is a squirm-worm. He'd rather climb me than get his feet done. Sometimes a treat helps.

Calcifer's foster never did the "pin" method to clip his claws. I'm so grateful for that as he's happy to have his feet touched, easiest cat to trim his claws.

If you can just get her used to having you touch her feet at first, keep letting the vet techs do the trim in the meantime.

It can be SO hard when you don't have practice though. I'm very fast as I've done it for years and helped with a ton of rescue animals and my mum always trained the kittens well with nail trims. My wife's family always had dogs that needed grooming (shi zhu's and similar) so the groomer did it. Wife CAN do them, but it's often a big hullabaloo because they're slower.