Transdermal gels & cat claw trimming

denny1700

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Are there transdermal gels effective in calming cats enough to trim their claws?
 

Furballsmom

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Hi
I don't think gabapentin or anything like that is in a transdermal form but you might ask your vet.

How bad is it? Can you start working with your cat, in tiny increments where you gently touch a paw, stop and walk away, then a few times of this later touch it for longer, then eventually a specific toe etc etc. This process might seem like it'll take forever but it works, it's how I got my angel boy to finally let me clip his claws.
 
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denny1700

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Thanks for sharing your experience. My cat Jasper really HATES it and runs away whenever he thinks I am walking towards him to pick him up and do it to him. That said, I got two nails clipped before he started to really struggle, and he accepted it rather well. On other days, he squirms like mad, gets mad, and I have to let it go and try another day. Very frustrating. I'm wondering whether a cat being medicated can work on behavioral changes. Jasper has a feisty personality. Can you change personality by sedating a cat? Of course, all I want is to be able to clip his claws.

Also, he is a biter and a scratcher. I've learned to observe when he is about to bite him and move my hand out of his reach. But he's quick at scratching, using his paw to hit me when I do something that annoys him.

CBD oil did nothing, when I could actually get a few drops into him, nor did Bach Flower Remedies.

It's strange that I've had him about five years, and it hasn't gotten easier (maybe harder, in fact).
 

Furballsmom

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Does he swat you with claws out, or are his swats just warnings?

Something else I would do was wait until my boy was deep asleep, and get one or two claws.

amitryptiline in gel form
Oh, wow I didn't know about that thanks for the info!
 
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denny1700

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His claws must be out (I hadn't thought about this question!), as it hurts when he does it. It is occasional. Jasper seems rarely to be in a deep sleep. He usually wakes up at the slightest change.

I have to straddle him with my whole body with just his head and two paws exposed (not directly under my body) to clip his claws. This means I have to be doing this almost every day, because there are plenty of days it's not going to work or when I'm not going to be able to scruff him by the neck to sit on top of him. He'll often run under the bed or otherwise disappear when he knows what's going to happen.
 

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Can you change personality by sedating a cat?
I don't know about changing a spicy cat to a chill kitty permanently, or of situations where the cat underwent an unintended personality change, but your vet would have more insight.

I remember I was cat sitting one time and was playing with one of the cats. He decided he was over it and whapped my arm. I was startled at the strength he had behind his swing but he didn't leave scratch marks.
 
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denny1700

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>>

How bad is it? Can you start working with your cat, in tiny increments where you gently touch a paw, stop and walk away, then a few times of this later touch it for longer, then eventually a specific toe etc etc. This process might seem like it'll take forever but it works, it's how I got my angel boy to finally let me clip his claws.

My Jasper is a biter and a scratcher. He'll hit me with his paw, if not actually try to bite me. I have to be very careful and attentive. But the gentle but firm approach works. Too much force and he'll howl/scream/snarl. I think your advice is sound. That's how I got him to accept me patting or petting his head. Initially, he'd try to turn his head and bite me, because he didn't like something coming over his head and then touching it.
 
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