Trimming a cat's claws

[The Captain]

We have two cats in our house.

One is 12+ years old and is a four-paw declaw.

The other one is about 3 and has all her claws.

I REALLY need to trim her claws but end up donating a pint of blood every time I try.  She seriously hates having her paws touched (I've been trying for 2 years to get her used to it but nothing works) and trimming is almost impossible.

And then on top of it her claws are like little fishhooks - the get caught on everything and the poor thing gets in a panic trying to get untangled.  My legs always have tonnes of scratches from when she jumps into my lap, I don't mind...maybe just a little.

On top of it the older one is still asserting her place at the top of the food chain and they get into frequent fights.  Not really fair if only one has claws.

I need to figure out a way to trim her claws or we will have to take the drastic step of getting her declawed (something I'm not a fan of).

I've owned many cats before and this is the first time I've ever had probelms trimming claws.

Any suggestions?

[Peace Of Mind]

Take her to the vet to get it done.

[cael]

I'd like to add that getting a cat and having it declawed for a purpose like this... just isn't right. Declawing is not the answer unless it's in the cat's best interests, not yours - and in my book, medical/physical problems with the paws are the only reason claws should be removed. JMHO.

ETA - have you looked into those little caps you can get put on the claws? I've heard they're pretty good but I'm not sure how you put them on or how long they last... otherwise I'd do groomer/vet to have them clipped if she won't let you do it. Have you tried working her up real slowly to being better having her paws handled?

[mmhmm]

Take her to the vet, or a groomer to have her claws trimmed and ask whomever you take her to if they have any suggestions as to how you might keep up at home.  Please, don't declaw her.  It's not just declawing.  They cut off the first joint of the toe.  It's very, very painful.  Also, declawed cats tend to bite because they have no other defense.  A bite from a cat is a much more serious wound than a scratch.

Here's a link to an article about restraints to be used for cats.  It might help you:

link

[Deleted]

It might just be me but trimming a cats claws is one of those things that just isn't worth saving the money on. I would have it done in a heartbeat.

PS: My wife often has to hold cats when they need blood drawn. When she comes home she doesn't even need to tell me that's what she did that day. I know that either she was holding a very unhappy cat OR there was a tragic threshing machine accident.

[mmhmm]

I have one cat whose claws we have clipped at the vet.  He's huge and he doesn't like to be held.  He was a feral rescue and doesn't have a whole lot of trust, despite being spoiled rotten for going on 4 years!  The other two I have no trouble with.  The Siamese will sit and hold her paws up for me.  The older female isn't quite that cooperative, but can be bribed with salami.  Yes.  Salami.  Don't ask!

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

My previous cat was pretty docile, and I could hold him and then keep one leg at a time steady for DH or someone to trim his claws.

The one I have now absolutely hates it! He jumps or flinches if you even touch his feet.

His claws grow really fast and get so long they get snagged on things. The only way they can be trimmed without me being the one butchered in the act, is to have someone else do it (either vet or groomer).

I just wish he'd actually use the scratching post I paid good money for instead of the area rugs or furniture.

[kittensaver]

Besides the vet, you can also try your local rescue agency. We show cats and kittens every weekend at the local Petco, and we're happy to help anyone who walks in - shots, grooming, deflea-ing, nails, training, etc.

Many agencies offer services and advice to pet owners as a way to assure the pet is safe in the home and will not be given up because the person doesn't have the money or doesn't know how to take care of the animal.

[The Captain]

The cat in question is a rescue.  I've been trying for two years now to get her used to having her paws handled.  It simply isn't happening.

She trusts us (we get her belly up for scritches all the time) and she pretty much commands my lap whenever I sit (literally she's waiting to jump up the moment my butt hits the cushion). Trust is not an issue, she just hates to have her paws handled.  There is no way I'll be able to get those claw coverups on.

She'd due for a physical so I'll ask the vet if they can trim claws.  FWIW my vet actually suggested I wait a year after getting her then consider getting her declawed.  I was a little surprised by this.  I'm not a big fan but you really have to see how the poor thing's claws catch on everything to believe it.

What kinda brought this to a head is she actually drew blood on the older kitty the other day (shredded an ear good!).  I'm not a fan of declawing but think the current situation is seriously not fair to the older one.

For those that take the cat to a vet/groomer how often do you need to take them in and what do they charge?

[Deleted]

We have 4 cats and one does NOT like to be touched by people. In order to clip her claws, I wear a leather jacket, leather gloves and make sure I've had a couple of drinks. Then DH and I spend 20 minutes chasing her to tire her out/catch her. DH holds her down by the scruff of her neck while I do the clipping. Since I got smart and started wearing the jacket and gloves, I don't donate/decorate with as much blood as I used to. Not going to declaw as it revolts me. Not ever going to get close enough to put caps on either so we'll just stick to this routine. There's no point in taking her to the vet to get it done either because they discovered they need 2 people to do it too.  If I weren't so afraid she'd kill the one declawed (brought from the shelter) cat, I probably wouldn't bother but I won't have her slicing Chloe to death.

[mmhmm]

My vet charges me $8.00 to cut Arnie's claws, and it's done about every 3 weeks.  Just takes a few minutes, so if they're not busy I can just wait for him.  I usually call ahead.  This is our regular vet, so we're known.  No idea what charges might be in your area.  I'm pretty sure places like Petco also have this service.  You might try calling around.

[Deleted]

 Of COURSE kitty doesn't want anyone anywhere near those claws... the cat isn't blind. She has seen the other cat's lack of claws. Can you blame kitty for being determined to avoid the same fate?.

[msventoux]

I suppose wrapping her up in a thick towel doesn't work?  Also, are you using animal nail clippers or regular human toenail clippers?  My cats freak out if I try to use the animal nail clippers that sort of squeeze the nail on all sides, but they're perfectly fine with the human toenail clippers.

[kittensaver]

Our rescue agency clips claws for free . You just need to show up during an adoption event. It might be worth it to seek out your local rescue group to see if they provide free services to pet parents.

[The Captain]

I have special heavy duty stainless steel claw trimmers that I got from the vet when one of my prior kitties had claws that had a tendacy to split.  These are very sharp and I'm always careful not to trim below the quick.

I've tried wrapping her in a towel, blanket, one of my nightgowns (hoping my scent may calm her down) I've used the calming pheremones (feliway?).  Nothing works with this one.  This is the only cat I've ever had who would not let me trim her claws, I guess I've been lucky until now.

kittensaver - I will keep my eye open for adoption events and check them out.  My problem is I always want to bring one home and can't save them all

My Petco does claw trimming but I'll check with my vet first and see what they recommend.

mmhmm - thanks for the link but there is NO WAY kitty is going to sit still for that!

I was hoping there was some magical trick out there that I didn't know about, but short of sedation I think I'm out of luck.

[toomuchreality]

Isn't there anything that cats just love (snack) that you can put on their belly, then while they are on your lap, licking it off, you can clip their nails?

 I prop my feet/knees up, put my ferret on his back, on my lap and dribble some ferretone on his belly. He loves it! He gets so busy licking it off, that I can clip his nails.  Kind of like this   but on my lap. It allows me to use both hands, which is much easier and WAY safer.   The only thing I don't like about doing this, is the smell of the stuff I put on his belly. So when we're done, I always have to give him a bath to wash it off. He's the biggest scardy cat you ever did see, when it comes to taking a bath!

Good luck!

[Virgil Showlion]

Hammers.

Sure there's a bump afterwards, but...

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

My kitty has very long hair - he's a mixed-breed (I think part Persian or Angora and part Siamese. (I'm guessing that, since one of his siblings looked Siamese when I went to adopt him). His fur is very long, and it's especially long on his belly - there's no way I'd place food on it for him to lick off so I could trim his claws. Not only would I suffer some of the regular scratch wounds I've endured from him hating the clipping, he'd also have food stuck in his fur. It's difficult enough brushing the knots out of his fur (especially on his belly) without food stuck in there too . I used to wear oven-mitts to trim his nails when he was little, but it's difficult to spread his toes AND hold him down when you're wearing those bulky things.

Did I mention he's the cat from hell?

mmhmm, I think it's $10-$15 my vet's office charges for claw trimming.

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

Oops - I didn't see Virgil's post as I was typing... I think he just gave me an idea how to sedate the beast!


<I'm kidding, folks - don't call the humane society on me>

[toomuchreality]

Jun 21, 2013 21:42:24 GMT -5 ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ said:

Oops - I didn't see Virgil's post as I was typing... I think he just gave me an idea how to sedate the beast!


<I'm kidding, folks - don't call the humane society on me>

Lassie,
I'm calling the ASPCA direct! Forget the middle man (humane society) .


A friend of mine is the director of the Humane Society where I live. I ran in to him at my daughter's wedding. He said I could take my ferret in, and get him micro-chipped.  YAY!!!   (They don't normally micro-chip ferrets)  Since ferrets tend to get lost forever, if they get out, I'm very happy to be able to to this.
The only thing that concerns me a teensy weensy bit, is that a previous ferret of mine that I had micro-chipped, always liked to have the place where it was put in rubbed. Which made me think it wasn't all that comfy.


Have you micro-chipped any of your animals/cats?   Have you noticed any issues?



Have a good one everybody!

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

All the cat's I've ever adopted have had an ID number tattoo'd inside one ear. It was done at the time of their spaying or neutering when they were babies - and then the information was .entered into a registry. If I ever moved all I'd have to to was call the vet to get the info on file updated.

[toomuchreality]

Captain, Maybe you can get this monkey to trim the cat's nails!

[The Captain]

toomuchreality - that's really cute..but somehow I don't think it will work.

Update - it took four!!! of us holding the poor thing down to get the claws trimmed.  The vet called in a vet tech when he started then DH and I had to jump in...

Vet tech - pretty much laying on top of the cat's body
Me - holding back legs still
DH - holding front legs still

I was watching kitty the whole time and her eyes were not dialated so I don't think she was afraid, she just.does.not.like.having.her.claws.trimmed...

Vet charges 14 for a trimming if it's with a checkup/visit or 24 if it's just for a claw trim...

[Cookies Galore]

My vet will trim my cats' nails during their exam. I can't do it at home because they will kill me in my sleep, but my little guy will actually purr while the vet is trimming his nails. He's such a jerk! I need to get in better habit of taking them somewhere during the year to get their nails trimmed, but the screaming while in the carrier... I can't do it! Plus, little guy will shit himself in the carrier. He's a jerk. I love him.

[Virgil Showlion]

Jun 23, 2013 9:24:34 GMT -5 Cookies Galore said:

My vet will trim my cats' nails during their exam. I can't do it at home because they will kill me in my sleep, but my little guy will actually purr while the vet is trimming his nails. He's such a jerk! I need to get in better habit of taking them somewhere during the year to get their nails trimmed, but the screaming while in the carrier... I can't do it! Plus, little guy will shit himself in the carrier. He's a jerk. I love him.

Ah, yet another candid testimonial from a cat owner.

Tell me again, mmhmm and steff, why a owning a cat is more desirable than... say... syphilis?

[Virgil Showlion]

Jun 23, 2013 7:49:49 GMT -5 The Captain said:

toomuchreality - that's really cute..but somehow I don't think it will work.

Update - it took four!!! of us holding the poor thing down to get the claws trimmed.  The vet called in a vet tech when he started then DH and I had to jump in...

Vet tech - pretty much laying on top of the cat's body
Me - holding back legs still
DH - holding front legs still

I was watching kitty the whole time and her eyes were not dialated so I don't think she was afraid, she just.does.not.like.having.her.claws.trimmed...

Vet charges 14 for a trimming if it's with a checkup/visit or 24 if it's just for a claw trim...

Your cat is a violent, costly monster, you say?

That definitely isn't what I've heard about other cats.

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

Tell me again, mmhmm and steff, why a owning a cat is more desirable than... say... syphilis?

Because you can put the cat in another room if it's irritating you.

[mmhmm]

Syphilis can't curl up against your shoulder and purr you to sleep.  Syphilis can't head-butt.  Syphilis can't nose-love.  Syphilis isn't warm, and soft, and never pats your face gently with its paws.  That doesn't cover it all, but it gets us started.

[mmhmm]

Jun 23, 2013 7:49:49 GMT -5 The Captain said:

toomuchreality - that's really cute..but somehow I don't think it will work.

Update - it took four!!! of us holding the poor thing down to get the claws trimmed.  The vet called in a vet tech when he started then DH and I had to jump in...

Vet tech - pretty much laying on top of the cat's body
Me - holding back legs still
DH - holding front legs still

I was watching kitty the whole time and her eyes were not dialated so I don't think she was afraid, she just.does.not.like.having.her.claws.trimmed...

Vet charges 14 for a trimming if it's with a checkup/visit or 24 if it's just for a claw trim...

It's my experience that a cat who really hates getting its nails clipped will get over it if the nail clipping is done despite the protestations.  It's sorta like teaching a child, really.  Repetition is key. Once the cat learns the nail clipping isn't going to cause permanent damage, it will settle down.  My young male is much better now than he was.  He just doesn't like being held, so when I clip his nails, I let him lie on the couch beside me.  I can do a couple of them now before he objects.  It's my bet, with a couple more visits to the vet, I'll be able to do it myself.

[steff]

Ah Virgil....A cat can purr & snuggle & show you how much it loves you.  A cat will stand outside the shower & warn you constantly that "You're in WATER! WATER! You aren't safe it's WATER!".  A cat will curl up with you when you are happy, sad, angry, sleepy, & any other mood you can think of.  A cat will curl up and keep your feet or hands warm in the winter. 

But beyond the silly stuff, cats and dogs have proven to have a wonderful calming, loving affect on the elderly.  They give unconditional love to their owners & bring a lot of joy too.  There is just something very special about the relationship between a cat & their owner.