How to Quickly and Easily Trim Your Cats Claws
Posted: Monday, January 04, 2010
by Stephanie Harkins
Tea Review Blog
I am opposed to de-clawing cats, as it is more crippling to a cat than you might think. However, this still leaves the cat owner with the problem of sharp claws which can be destructive and/or painful. I've written this easy to use tutorial on how to easily and quickly trim your cat or kittens claws (front or back). To begin, gather the following items: 1 large bath towel 1 pair of fingernail clippers (the regular silver metal kind) a friend to help out (Not necessary but makes things easier!)
The first step consists of securing the cat, so that it can't struggle during the process, causing scratches to you or causing you to accidentally harm the cat. If you are lucky enough to have a friend around, have your friend hold the cat for you while you trim the cat's claws. However whether you are doing it by yourself or with a friend, the same technique will help during this procedure. Wrap the bath towel around the cat snugly, covering and lightly restraining limbs which are not about to be trimmed. The most important part, whether you are by yourself or with another person is to grab the cat firmly by the scruff of the neck with a spare hand. Ideally a friend can do this while holding the cat while you trim, but if you are doing this by yourself, try to hold the cat in your lap, scruffing it with your offhand and trimming with your dominant hand. The important part is to restrict movement of the cat without harm to yourself of the animal.
2. Trim the Claws
Once the cat is safely and comfortably restrained, you will want to begin clipping the claws. Using regular metal fingernail clippers can be an easy way to do this if you have no " official " cat clippers. If you are using fingernail clippers, rotate them 90 degrees so as to cut vertically with the flat side of the claw to the top of the fingernail clippers. You should ONLY clip your animals claws under proper lighting. Using proper lighting, when you hold your cat's claws up to the light you can see where the pink flesh comes into the claw (aka " the quick " ). Do not trim into the pink or it will hurt your cat. Make sure you only trim the tips of the claws off without cutting back too deeply. Move quickly yet steadily, grasping each claw firmly before trimming it. Speak softly and soothingly to the cat to calm it as much as possible.
3. Provide a Calm Atmosphere for Future Trimmings
When trimming their toenails, if they are not used to it, they may struggle and/or howl, etc. It's important to remain calm no matter what the situation. If the procedure becomes painful or truly upsetting to the cat, they will likely be more anxious the next time you go to trim their claws, so make sure they have good memories attached with the procedure to make them comfortable as well as willing to do it again! Some ways you can do this is by playing relaxing music while trimming your cats claws, distracting them with toys or catnip, stroking them affectionately, feeding them treats while trimming, or any other activity that your cat would find relaxing and soothing!
On average, you will only have to trim your cats claws once every 2-3 weeks. If they are still too scratchy after you trim them back, and if your cat will tolerate it, you can lightly go over the ends of the nails with a regular emery board to lightly smooth them. This will save your skin and your furniture without the need for painful and crippling de-clawing!
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