To clip or not to clip?

[haleyds]

Okay so my kitten is 8 weeks old and has very sharp little nails that stick and get stuck in absolutely everything, including me considering she's a leg climber [emoji]128531[/emoji].
I have been reading a lot on this and some people swear by mail trimming, while others claim it's bad. I'm just curious as to what you guys think.
I'm leaning towards clipping, as she's a baby and it's something she will get used to. She's a Himalayan so grooming is going to be part of her life regardless.

If clipping is correct, how often, with what, and how should I go about it ?

If no clipping, why not?
I've only ever had outdoor/indoor cats in my childhood and they never needed clipping, so miss yet to be named is my first cat that I will not be letting outdoors, as before it was up to my parents lol.
Thanks in advance!

 

[catpack]

I vote for clipping! You can always just take the sharp tips off. Definitely helps kitty from getting nails caught on things and ripping the nail off (it happens, though the nails DO regrow.)

I use the little scissor looking pet nail clippers (http://m.petsmart.com/h5/hub?id=sup...il-scissors-zid36-5216665/cat-36-catid-200089) that you can buy at Petco/Petsmart. They're easy to grip a d I feel you gave better control vs the larger clippers (http://m.petsmart.com/h5/hub?id=sup...ail-clipper-zid36-5211246/cat-36-catid-200089).

Clipping nails is fairly simple, especially if you start young. I tend to sit the cat in my lap with paws facing out and trim that way.

If you've never trimmed before, your vet (or a vet tech) will be more than happy to show you how!

 

[catpack]

As to how often, this really depends on the cat. Kitten nails tend to grow at a much faster rate than an adult. If you are just clipping the tips, you may need to do this once a week for a while. If you are clipping the nail a bit shorter, you can likely trim every two weeks.

With my adults, they typically get their nails trimmed once a month.

 

[GoldyCat]

As to how often, this really depends on the cat. Kitten nails tend to grow at a much faster rate than an adult. If you are just clipping the tips, you may need to do this once a week for a while. If you are clipping the nail a bit shorter, you can likely trim every two weeks.

With my adults, they typically get their nails trimmed once a month.

My first two cats are sisters. You'd think they'd be similar, but their claws grow at totally different rates. When they were kittens I had to clip Shareena's claws every 5-6 days and Miss Patchwillow could go for about 10 days between trims. As adult cats they don't need it as often, but Shareena's claws still grow twice as fast as Miss Patchwillow's.