Teaching a kitten about nail clipping

[Sugar Plum]

How do you teach a kitten about nail clipping? What is an appropriate age to start? Rafaela Puff's nails are really sharp!

My cats have always just let me scoop them up and clip their nails - no training required, though Holly probably got some elsewhere. I'm a bit spoiled... Any advice is welcome.

 

[daftcat75]

There’s a video about how to introduce cats to toothbrushing. I imagine the same strategy could work here too. It‘s basically desensitization while building upon the familiar.

A sample strategy might be:

Week one:

Cats like routines. Pick a time and place you are going to do nail clippings. Use a toy or a treat to lure the kitten to this place where the nail clippers are innocently laying. Introduce her to the clippers. Let her sniff them. Hold them up and let her sniff them if she’s not interested in checking them out on her own. Then give her a treat. Do this once a day for a week. Show her the clippers. Hold them up up to her and let her sniff them. Give her a treat.

Week two:

Take her to her clipping spot. Hold up the clippers for her. Now instead of giving her the treat, you will add something to this routine. Clip the clippers in the air, not near her nose or claws. Just let her hear the sound of the clippers. If you can, clip a few times so she knows the clippers make that sound. Then you give her a treat. Last week she was introduced to the clippers. This week she learns the sound they make.

Week three:

Introduce her to the clippers. They make a sound. Touch her paw or hold her paw if she will let you. Then give her a treat.

Week four:

Introduce her to the clippers. They make a sound. You have her paw. Clip one nail. Give her a treat. You may get through one nail each day this week.


You can customize this how you need to for your kitten and her personality. It may take longer, it may be shorter. But once you’ve built up the routine and she knows it always ends in a treat, you may eventually get more than one claw clipped per session. She may even come to look forward to this and let you do one paw or two at a time.

 

[IronHippo]

The tips I got were to start them early and play with their paws a lot when they're young so that they get used to having their feet touched. You can link this to positive reinforcement by giving them a treat when they let you touch their paws or after a cut (one paw or even one per toe!).

With that said, none of that worked for Radish! I played with his paws daily from two months old and trimmed his front paw claws once a week, never nicked the quick or anything, and he still will try his hardest to get out of a trim session. He's got these furry tufts shooting out of his toes so it's already hard to see his nails...add the wiggling in and we just accept that it's just meant to be a two-person job with him.

I know what you mean about being spoiled. We were spoiled by Marple, the first cat. She lets us prop her up and finish both front paws and all she does in the meantime is drool in anticipation of her treat reward. She's such a good girl!

 

[Show Me Your Kitties]

Some cats just aren't going to be tolerant of having their paws touched and messed with no matter what you do, so be prepared for nail clipping always being difficult.

In order for me to trim Teddy's claws I need to have my mom hold him like a baby while I snip as quick as I can. Sometimes I can only get one paw done. Finny is pretty floppy so I just wait until he is asleep and it's super easy and quick.

Good luck!

 

[daftcat75]

Krista is 15 with arthritis and other health challenges that her claws are the least of our concerns. I don‘t have fancy furniture anymore. I let her manage her claws how she sees fit. She has plenty of trees and carpet. After 13 years of having her, she’s only just this year resigned herself to brushing as she had fleas this summer and I’d drag a flea comb through her as many times as I could until she wandered off or gave me the tail thump warning of impending doom. I sometimes reach out and touch one of her paws if I want to annoy her.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Queen Bee started developing those talon like back toes as she got older. We've done plenty of critter foot care over the years, so we just got in there and did it. She growled once or twice (that high pitched annoyed growl, nothing serious) and I'd just say "don't bite the hand that feeds you, my dear" and go on.
Keep those sessions short. Don't fight with her and don't take 20 minutes to get it all done the first go around. The goal is to teach her it's not a big deal, not necessarily to get the nails clipped yet. If she likes being held on her back in your arms, cradle her, use your chest and outside shoulder to "swaddle" her (don't pin her or really restrain), use your hands to clip one nail, let her down. Reward her, but don't make a huge fuss out of it and she won't grow up to make a huge fuss out of it, either (usually )

 

[vince]

I make sure I give them a special high-value treat when they're done so they associate the toenail clipping with something good. Do whatever you can each session. If it's only one nail, then that's it for the day. Eventually, you should be able to do the job quickly (takes no more than a minute per cat, with both experienced cats and experienced me).

 

[Sugar Plum]

Thank you very much!

 

[WillowMarie]

My two kitties started getting nail trims a within a week of me bringing them home. They were both about 3 months, and now about 4.5 months. Luckily, both are very cuddly, so the first few times they were little relaxed purr machines in my arms while I trimmed their nails and stayed relaxed. They have a little more energy now, but I try to trim if they are cuddling with me or if they are laying down somewhere tuckered out. Sometimes I handle their feet and spread their paws to continue having them be used to handling. Treats are always good, too! Good luck!

 

[Tik cat's mum]

Some cats just aren't going to be tolerant of having their paws touched and messed with no matter what you do, so be prepared for nail clipping always being difficult.

In order for me to trim Teddy's claws I need to have my mom hold him like a baby while I snip as quick as I can. Sometimes I can only get one paw done. Finny is pretty floppy so I just wait until he is asleep and it's super easy and quick.

Good luck!

My boy is exactly the same my son holds him I cut them. I started young gave treats his brother would sit on my knee and let me do his no problem.