Worried About My Cat’s Health After Trimming His Claws

[I_Wuv_Kitties]

And I’m worried about him and if he will forgive me. I trimmed Tuxie’s claws for the first time an hour ago. To say it was hard would be an understatement. I wrapped him in a towel and had to squeeze tight to keep him from squirming out.

But i was able to trim his front paws. I need to because they were so long they were turning inward. He also has begun to cause a little damage to door frames from scratching.

He HATED the feeling of trimming. As soon as i was done, i put him down and opened the door and ran to his hiding space. I feel horrible.

I trim them really short, which I now realize that I shouldn’t have. Is there any danger I should look out for? Could I have accidentally declawed him?

And lastly, how long does it take for your cats to come around you have trimmed their claws? I feel absolutely awful and I hope Tuxie can forgive me.

 

[I_Wuv_Kitties]

He just let me pet him but he was kind of hesitant. Yay?

 

[epona]

I have arthritis in my hands and find it difficult to use claw clippers, so I take mine to the vet when they need a trim - they can have a quick appointment with a nurse or assistant for £10

 

[Furballsmom]

He just let me pet him but he was kind of hesitant. Yay?

YES absolutely!! Your cat will come around - they're resilient and as much as you love him, and he knows this--pretty forgiving.
I'm so glad you did this!

 

[Lari]

If he didn't bleed you didn't hit the quick and it isn't too short. If you did, thst was probably pretty painful.

Unless you cut off the whole finger you didn't accidentally declaw him.

I've given up on trying to do Lelia's for the most part. I'll try to get one or two done if she's sleeping, but she knows and hides her paws.

 

[I_Wuv_Kitties]

Syke he’s fine

 

[I_Wuv_Kitties]

YES absolutely!! Your cat will come around - they're resilient and as much as you love him, and he knows this--pretty forgiving.
I'm so glad you did this!

He made some pretty tortured noises though. It pulled at my heart strings.

He’s pretty much back to normal now. I think the fact that i talked to him in a sweet voice the whole time and since then has been a big factor.

 

[Furballsmom]

You are such a great cat person - keep up the good work!

 

[cat princesses]

Was there bleeding? You have to be very careful when trimming nails if you cut the quick that’s very painful and it will bleed. If you’re not comfortable with nail trimming I’d take your cat to the vet or a groomer monthly so that it can be done properly.

 

[Gizmobius]

You can't declaw a cat by just trimming their nails. If you cut too far, you can get into the quick and there will be blood. If no blood, then there's nothing at all to worry about. Neither of my cats particularly like getting their nails trimmed but I do it for their safety when they're playing and so nothing is long enough to get snagged or hooked into anything potentially dangerous. They forget about the entire thing as soon as they're back on the ground.

 

[EmmiTemmi]

Cats are drama queens when it comes to trimming their claws. Or at least, one of my boys is. Haha. The other boy has gotten to the point I can lay him on his back in my lap and clip all his nails at once.

If you can, take it slow. Clip a nail, and reward with a treat. Clip another nail, reward again. If he's ever just chilling in your lap, handle his paws gently, get him used to his paws being touched. I also have to burrito roll one of my cats in a towel, or else he just flips out, but I give him a treat after I clip each paw, and it seems to make it more bearable for him. As long as there's no blood, you haven't trimmed them too short. If you're super worried you might clip the quick (which would cause bleeding) buy some styptic powder to have on hand.

Good luck!