Unable to Trim Cat's Nails

cocoanlace

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I have had Rochana for 12 years. She has big trust issues. (She and her sister Kay stay 10 feet away from me if I am standing.) The last time (September) I tried to trim her nails, I was bitten twice and needed stitches at ER that day for skin ripped from my hand. So I have been cautious. And scared. She has allowed petting when I serve a treat to her. Took months to get back to that. Today, I was able to scruff her, but using a blanket burrito on the bed failed. Took her to my chair and tried to hold her securely with my thigh, but she got away. My heart was pounding the entire time. I am so disappointed. I was able to see that one nail is now embedded into her paw. She is not limping so that was a surprise. But when she walks on my wood floors, I hear click, click, click. My other cats all chew down nails as needed, not Rochana. Catching her to take her to the vet is impossible. She outruns me. I need THREE sets of hands to trim nails without serious injury. Now I am thinking a sedative might help here. Is there any place I can buy some to try? Maybe sneak it into her food? Open to ideas.
 

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Has she ever been to the vet, have you ever been able to catch her? They might have some ideas about something that could help.

With my learning-to-trust strays and semi-ferals, sometimes it was a matter of being sneaky and even getting them shut in a room (hopefully without a lot of hiding places) and having towels and gloves and a open carrier in that room.

But - if she has an embedded claw in her paw - that happened to one of my brother's cats, and the vet needed to deal with it. I would say she'll likely need to get into a vet anyways, but maybe one of the more experienced people here will have other suggestions.
 

Furballsmom

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Hi, gabapentin, I think, needs a vet prescription but it can be very helpful for getting such a cat in to the clinic.

See if you can get rose gloves that cover the arm.
 
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cocoanlace

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Has she ever been to the vet, have you ever been able to catch her? They might have some ideas about something that could help.

With my learning-to-trust strays and semi-ferals, sometimes it was a matter of being sneaky and even getting them shut in a room (hopefully without a lot of hiding places) and having towels and gloves and a open carrier in that room.

But - if she has an embedded claw in her paw - that happened to one of my brother's cats, and the vet needed to deal with it. I would say she'll likely need to get into a vet anyways, but maybe one of the more experienced people here will have other suggestions.
Thanks for your suggestions. Yes, she and her sister went to the vet last year about this time. Full check up, all blood work. She is in great health. I was able to catch her after 30 minutes of chasing her with a huge blanket in my bedroom with doors closed. She yowled and peed all over herself and then pooped. Meanwhile other cats ran also as if I was chasing them. It was an ordeal. She and her sister are WAY too smart to ever be found in a room alone. They feel my footsteps and are gone like a flash upstairs to the loft. I bought heavy gloves (made for training large birds) last year and returned them. Too big, too heavy, too cumbersome to allow scuffing or holding nail cutters. When my cat Sage, who is deceased now, got an embedded nail, I successfully shortened it by getting a nail file in between the paw and the nail. Took patience but got it done.
 
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cocoanlace

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Hi, gabapentin, I think, needs a vet prescription but it can be very helpful for getting such a cat in to the clinic.

See if you can get rose gloves that cover the arm.
Thanks. I have the transdermal Gaba left over from another cat. Not too effective. She is not going to let me rub that med onto her ears in the immediate future. Not certain how much damage was done to our "relationship" today. Tried gloves. Did not help me.
 

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Gabapentin does come in liquid form that can be put in wet food. My cat that was on it liked it. Give your vet a call for a prescription so you can get her in for a visit.
 

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I've read that transdermal forms of meds aren't as strong, so you might consider the liquid form.

Also, these are rose gloves, which are different than the bulky bird training gloves you tried. You were on the right track looking for something to protect your hands/arms, but bird training gloves aren't meant to grip much of anything.

With this pair of rose gloves shown, if you scroll down in the photos you'll see the model has some plant debris in her hand ...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00353DE0W/?tag=thecatsite
 
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Cat McCannon

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Look up Vancouver Vet on YouTube and learn how to squish your cat.

It’s hard to not be afraid of your cat when you know it’ll claw and bite, but you need to learn how to put that fear aside. When you’re afraid, your cat picks up on and act on it.

Learn how to be calm and confident. That will help calm your cat and gain it’s

Learn how to avoid tooth and claw to reduce injuries and their seriousness.

Not easy, I know and have the scars to prove it. But it’s doable and I feel I owe it to any cat in my care to learn how to handle them safely.

About scruffing- It doesn’t work with all cats. Belle hates being scruffed and goes wild when anyone tries it on her. The vet’s assistant learned this the hard way.

PS- Get scratching posts for your cat. Relying on them to gnaw on their claws isn’t enough and isn’t natural.
 

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I must be lucky. There is a pet shop about 5 minutes from my house that my daughter recommended, they cut her dogs hair. Yes, she has a dog that has hair and not fur although I don't remember the breed.
The owner trims Lunar's nails once a month and it only takes a couple of minutes. Best $10.00 I spend.
I also leave her carrier open on the floor with a blanket in it. She will even voluntarily sit and nap in it at times so it isn't difficult to get her in it when it's time to go.
 

Robyn5678

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I have 1 cat I can trim her nails, one cat I can sometimes trim his nails and another cat I can NOT trim his nails. For that cat, I found a place that I can just walk in for nail trimming. I put the carrier out in the morning near where he naps and then I just pick him up when he’s sleeping and put him in the carrier. I do have to tend to hold his scruff while I put him in. He’s polydactyl and some of his claws don’t retract so I need to keep them trimmed. He hates it
 

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If the nail is imbedded, odds are even a cat that is patient and used to nail trims wouldn't allow it, because it probably is painful at this point. Getting some gabapentin and letting the vet do it might be your best bet at this point. I have a 14 year old cat I just recently did a nail trim on for the first time in her entire life! She's not shy like your girl but she's very much full of sass and wouldn't allow it. I used wet food as a distraction for her and managed to get it done, but IDK if this would work in your situation.
 
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cocoanlace

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Look up Vancouver Vet on YouTube and learn how to squish your cat.

It’s hard to not be afraid of your cat when you know it’ll claw and bite, but you need to learn how to put that fear aside. When you’re afraid, your cat picks up on and act on it.

Learn how to be calm and confident. That will help calm your cat and gain it’s

Learn how to avoid tooth and claw to reduce injuries and their seriousness.

Not easy, I know and have the scars to prove it. But it’s doable and I feel I owe it to any cat in my care to learn how to handle them safely.

About scruffing- It doesn’t work with all cats. Belle hates being scruffed and goes wild when anyone tries it on her. The vet’s assistant learned this the hard way.

PS- Get scratching posts for your cat. Relying on them to gnaw on their claws isn’t enough and isn’t natural.
I watched a couple of videos published by Vancouver vet. Good but none of the suggestions would help me with this particular cat. She is easy to scruff. Lots of Flesh behind her neck. In fact that's the only way I can control her. She will go completely limp. It's what happens after that that is the problem since I must continue to keep her scruffed, pull out a leg, and trim. That's when she escapes. I'm a seasoned cat rescuer. A feral cat trapper. Been doing this for almost 20 years. Lots of cats and kittens in and out of my home. This cat is a particular challenge. Thanks for your input.
 
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cocoanlace

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If the nail is imbedded, odds are even a cat that is patient and used to nail trims wouldn't allow it, because it probably is painful at this point. Getting some gabapentin and letting the vet do it might be your best bet at this point. I have a 14 year old cat I just recently did a nail trim on for the first time in her entire life! She's not shy like your girl but she's very much full of sass and wouldn't allow it. I used wet food as a distraction for her and managed to get it done, but IDK if this would work in your situation.
Thanks for your input. Roshana is 12. She's had years of experience avoiding me and knows every trick. If I could get her inside a carrier, I could have a vet or a vet tech trim her nails. She becomes docile at the vet. Probably straight out fear. I'm going to continue to use treats as a distraction but right now, she doesn't come down from the loft often. Now when I serve treats to the others, she immediately runs the room because she knows something's up. I've been watching her closely. She doesn't walk as if in pain. Could be that nail is curved enough that it's pressing into her pad but not jabbing it if you get my meaning. In other words, maybe there's not a puncture yet.
 
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cocoanlace

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I have 1 cat I can trim her nails, one cat I can sometimes trim his nails and another cat I can NOT trim his nails. For that cat, I found a place that I can just walk in for nail trimming. I put the carrier out in the morning near where he naps and then I just pick him up when he’s sleeping and put him in the carrier. I do have to tend to hold his scruff while I put him in. He’s polydactyl and some of his claws don’t retract so I need to keep them trimmed. He hates it
Thanks for your input. I cannot just pick up Roshana. She has never allowed that. Last September when she was sleeping on my bed, I got the dumb idea I could grab her while she was sleepy to trim her nails. Biggest mistake ever. She woke up, panicked, bit me on two thumbs, and somehow the skin got partially ripped off the top of my hand. Eight stitches at ER.
 
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cocoanlace

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PS- Get scratching posts for your cat. Relying on them to gnaw on their claws isn’t enough and isn’t natural.
[/QUOTE]
I have cat scratching posts in the loft, the living room, and two in my bedroom. All the cats use them except Roshana. She's just never been interested.
 

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cocoanlace cocoanlace how does she behave if a stranger comes to the house? Do you think you could find a mobile vet to come over and assist you in getting her nails trimmed, or do you think the presence of a stranger would make it worse?
 

Cat McCannon

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I watched a couple of videos published by Vancouver vet. Good but none of the suggestions would help me with this particular cat. She is easy to scruff. Lots of Flesh behind her neck. In fact that's the only way I can control her. She will go completely limp. It's what happens after that that is the problem since I must continue to keep her scruffed, pull out a leg, and trim. That's when she escapes. I'm a seasoned cat rescuer. A feral cat trapper. Been doing this for almost 20 years. Lots of cats and kittens in and out of my home. This cat is a particular challenge. Thanks for your input.
If there’s one thing all cats have in common is each is a law unto itself.

I do hope you can figure out this challenge. Your cats are blessed to have someone who cares so much about them.
 
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cocoanlace

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cocoanlace cocoanlace how does she behave if a stranger comes to the house? Do you think you could find a mobile vet to come over and assist you in getting her nails trimmed, or do you think the presence of a stranger would make it worse?
A roofer came in January for 10 minutes and all the cats hid. Ditto for the washer dryer installers. The trick would be catching her and having her waiting in a carrier for the appointment. If catching her was an easy task, I could take her to a vet tech appointment. I'll have to think this idea over. Thanks.
 
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cocoanlace

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If there’s one thing all cats have in common is each is a law unto itself.

I do hope you can figure out this challenge. Your cats are blessed to have someone who cares so much about them.
Thanks. I haven't given up hope. We're just in a rough patch relationship-wise right now and Roshana is making herself scarce. I remembered your saying that cats chewing on their nails was not natural. I just researched that and read that lots of cats do it. My cats are all indoor. It's probably necessary.
 

Cat McCannon

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Thanks. I haven't given up hope. We're just in a rough patch relationship-wise right now and Roshana is making herself scarce. I remembered your saying that cats chewing on their nails was not natural. I just researched that and read that lots of cats do it. My cats are all indoor. It's probably necessary.
Interesting. I’ve seen cats lick their paws but I didn’t know they gnawed on the claws. Everything I’ve read talks only about cats needing to scratch. I never thought to ask about cats gnawing their claws.
 
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