How To Hold A Cat While Trimming Nails

How often do you trim your cat's nails? Do you notice it hard to do? Well, as I will discuss in this post keeping your true cat still while trimming nails does not accept to be difficult. All information technology takes is a little fleck of technique, patience and do.

I know, for some pet parents clipping a cat's claws and let alone keeping the cat nonetheless in the process may sound like impossible mission.

I posted this article on our Facebook page and one of the comments was "impossible" 😆. And while I must acknowledge it may be hard for most pet parents, there are some techniques you can utilise at habitation. Keep on reading.

Today's mail service comes loadedwith plenty of tips, techniques and educational videos and illustrations.I will explore from the ABC's of true cat boom trimming to why you should never declaw your true cat to how railroad train your true cat to permit grooming.

If yous are an experienced pet parent and just desire to jump to the meat and potatoes, the "tips to aid calm your cat while trimming" is the one section you do non want to miss.

If you are looking for more than cat intendance guides, make certain not to miss the read farther section at the bottom.

Table of Contents

• Do Your Cat's Claws Demand Trimming?
• Properly Trimming Cat Claws
• Make the Trimming Experience equally Easy as Possible
• How Much Nail to Trim?
• Tips to Aid At-home Your Cat While Trimming
• Training Your Kitty to Allow Grooming
• Edifice a Successful Grooming Routine

Do Your Cat's Claws Demand Trimming?

The first question on your listen may be whether or not your cat's claws even need trimming. Subsequently all, isn't that what that scratching mail service  and catnip I but purchased are  for?

In the wild, cats article of clothing their claws down through employ, whether it's scratching to mark their territory, hunting casualty, or just walking on rough surfaces.

In the habitation they don't get nearly as much room to be aggressive and wear those claws downward, then they stay sharper longer.  You may take also noticed that a true cat'south claws shed the outer sheath over time, revealing new needle-sharp talons.

An indoor cat has no demand for those super abrupt claws.  When left untrimmed, those claws can harm floors and furniture, and they can scratch you deeply during a play session.

An additional serious outcome ofttimes overlooked past  many pet parents is the gamble of overgrown claws. While they more normally happen to older less active cats and cats with actress toes, they can crusade a lot of pain and sometimes infections.

One option some people go for is declawing (onychectomy) indoor cats, but this is a terrible idea. For 1 affair, "declawing" isn't actually an accurate term since it removes more than just the claw. If you compare a cat's toes to your fingers, the equivalent would be removing the first knuckle's worth of your fingers. This level of removal is performed to foreclose the claws from growing back.

In spite of much controversy about this topic, several states have already made declawing illegal due to the inhumane nature of the surgery.

"By banning this archaic practice, nosotros will ensure that animals are no longer subjected to these inhumane and unnecessary procedures. Gov. Cuomo said in a statement." - American Veterinarian Medical Association.

Additionally, both the ASPCA and The Humane Society have stated their opposition to cat claw declawing. Here is the ASPCA'due south position:

"The ASPCA is strongly opposed to declawing cats for the convenience of their owners or to prevent harm to household property. The merely circumstances in which the procedure should be considered are those in which all behavioral and environmental alternatives have been fully explored, accept proven to be ineffective, and the cat is at grave chance of euthanasia." - ASPCA

Here's The Humane Lodge of the U.s.a.' position:

"Information technology is an unnecessary surgery that provides no medical benefit to the cat. Educated pet parents can hands train their cats to use their claws in a manner that allows everyone in the household to live together happily…. Declawing and tendonectomies should exist reserved just for those rare cases in which a cat has a medical problem that would warrant such surgery, such every bit the need to remove malignant nail bed tumors." – HumaneSociety.org

Watch this 3 min video almost declawing if your are interested in joining the anti-declawing movement:

I'll be honest with y'all; most ii decades ago I had all four of my kitties front declawed.  Growing upwards all of my cats were declawed, I idea that was just the norm.  When they go in for their spay/neuter, they get declawed likewise, right? No veterinarian tried to discourage me from having the procedure washed, so I was none the wiser.

Every bit you lot may imagine, this is not something I'm proud of, only I've learned a lot since making those decisions all those years ago. As the maxim goes, when you know better, exercise better and I'm doing only that.

So, circling dorsum to the question at hand, yeah, your kitty's claws will need regular trimming.  Allow's move on to the larger question of how can you keep your cat still while trimming? Only first here are some key considerations on clipping your cat's claws.

Properly Trimming Cat Claws

Some cats are very laid-dorsum, love existence handled, and volition happily let you do pretty much anything you lot like to them. Others are very skittish and will run abroad at the first sign of you wanting to choice them upwardly, allow alone handle their paws or trim their nails.

To a certain extent, you can train a cat to be more than comfortable with having their paws handled and their claws trimmed. Oft, this requires working with them when they're a kitten and getting them used to the thought and experience.

Unfortunately, many of us prefer older cats or strays that haven't had such socialization every bit kittens, and information technology's much more difficult to train an older cat to exist calm while restrained.

Regardless of what your cat's personality is, the goal when it comes down to blast trimming is to try to avoid the restraining office at all costs whenever possible. Restraining your cat should be the terminal resort after all other options have failed.

Don't worry, nosotros have a bunch of tips to aid make the hook trimming process easier on both you and your friendly feline.

Brand the Trimming Experience as Easy as Possible

The offset thing to consider when information technology comes to nail trimming is to try to make the feel as easy and stress-free as possible. Your cat volition react much differently if you're trimming a few nails while lounging on the burrow versus bundling them up to a vet or groomer's role and forcing them into unfamiliar, feet-inducing situations before being manhandled.

• Try to start when your kitty is already relaxed. Post-meal naps are a good fourth dimension to trim nails. Post play fourth dimension is too a great selection.
• Don't try to do everything at once. The more than resistant your cat is to blast trimming, the fewer nails you can get done at a time earlier they squirm away. Never effort to fight a struggling cat; they can do a lot more damage to you than y'all might wait.  Standing to restrain your kitty while s/he is afraid is only going to reinforce the negative feel in their listen.
• Utilise the right tools. There are some mixed recommendations out there virtually what makes the best clipper for cats.  Some people volition say human boom clippers, while others volition say use an beast specific clipper.  The one thing we can agree on is scissors are not a proficient choice. I prefer a traditional pair of small claw clippers.  If y'all don't already have a pair, avoid getting the cheapest ones on the market as they won't be very precipitous.  Wearisome blades can crack the smash instead of clipping it and they besides cause undue pressure on the claw when you're trying to cutting it.

You should also make sure you have all of your tools on hand and ready to go. This might include a towel or blanket to wrap upwards your fur baby to keep them calm (aka a purrito), a care for for distraction or to give them when they're washed, or some catnip as a more cognitive reward.

Lookout man this sixty-second Video on How to Towel Wrap Your Cat

Finally, avoid grabbing your cat by the scruff. Yes, nosotros all know mama cats bear their kittens that style, just adult cats don't like it. It's unremarkably only always done by predators or ambitious, larger cats, and that'due south non the kind of behavior you want to be imitating equally their pet parent.

Handling your fur baby shouldn't be a difficult process. Being able to read your cat'due south body language is key. If they're struggling, permit them go; y'all don't want to brand the trimming experience more stressful than necessary. Your goal is to help them warm up to getting their claws clipped.

How Much Blast to Trim?

When in doubtfulness, trim a lilliputian, not a lot. The last thing you want to do – especially with a wiggly true cat – is trim so much that you cut the quick and hurt them.

In cats (and dogs), the hook is like a hollow tube. In the heart of that tube is a nerve, pulp, and a blood vessel, all of which keep the nail salubrious. As the claw grows out, so too does that sensitive inner composition, collectively called the "quick." If you trim too much nail, yous could nip the quick, which is painful and will go out your fur baby haemorrhage.

Clipping the quick can happen faster than yous realize if you lot have a wiggly kitty.  Information technology's all-time practise to keep some styptic powder on hand. Styptic pulverization is essentially a clotting agent that is extremely effective at stopping bleeding and sealing upwardly a small wound, similar a cutting or a nick. It'southward very strong and constructive and will likewise help ease the pain.

Try to pick an organic selection and brand sure to avoid at all costs styptic powders that contain harmful ingredients such as benzocaine, aluminum chloride, and ferrous sulfate among others.

Also, if y'all accidentally cut too much nail, it'southward best to call it a day on that boom trimming session. Continuing volition likely result with a kitty that struggles more than and it'll be harder to trim whatsoever remaining claws. Information technology isn't worth it. Give them infinite and a treat to help tell them yous're sad. Yous can end another day.

We also recommend starting with the front nails. Dorsum nails tend to grow a little slower, and they become more than wear as your fur baby climbs, leaps, runs, and mostly uses those claws for traction. Front claws demand more maintenance because they are retractable in order to keep them dainty and sharp. That doesn't mean rear claws never need trimming, only information technology does mean you lot should prioritize the front end claws first.

Tips to Help Calm Your Cat While Trimming

If your cat doesn't similar existence held, doesn't like their paws being handled, or just doesn't like having their nails trimmed, you have a few options available.

Starting time of all, as we already mentioned, try to catch your kitty when they're at their most relaxed. Feed them, give them a nice warm spot to relax, and approach them calmly while they're dozing. Some will be on border immediately, but many will be relaxed enough to at least give you a bit of time to work.

Some other choice is to try catnip. At present, this i is heavily dependent on how your cat reacts to catnip. Some cats get hyperactive and rambunctious, just others become at-home and sleepy. Fifty-fifty the ones that gain a outburst of free energy may terminate upwardly sleepy after it wears off. Make sure y'all know how your fur baby reacts to catnip before relying on it to calm them down.

Momma Knows All-time Organics Captivating Catnip

Along the same lines, you can try a piffling play fourth dimension first. Playing with your fur babe will hype them upwards, but once you wear out their energy, yous'll be better able to handle them. It's sort of like a human child; tire them out, and they're easier to get to go to bed, or a bath, or whatever other job you need them to accomplish with a minimal corporeality of fuss.

For pet parents that like to avoid the side effects or chemic options and prefer natural and holistic approaches to assist encourage relaxation and keep your fur infant at-home, another option is CBD.

CBD tinctures made for cats can be a neat choice to handle situational anxiety and stress that arise from infrequent and difficult situations. They're also good for stressful events such every bit a vet trip or preparation, and even holidays like the 4th of July.

Hither is a great guide on how to choice the all-time cbd oil for your dog or cat.

Save $5 with your start order of Momma Knows Best Organics CBD oil for dogs and cats. Use code: PeanutCBD

Every bit shown in the video in the section above, a blanket or towel can too come in handy. Many cats enjoy being bundled upwardly and held snugly – simply not too firmly – and it can be a good manner to restrain them while keeping them feeling secure while yous trim a few nails.  If your kitty is squirmy, try covering their face up.  When they tin't see their escape route they are more probable to stay nevertheless.

Alternatively, if you have a cat that is more on the like shooting fish in a barrel-going side and is more comfy with letting you handle their paws, you can utilize the lap method recommended past the College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State Academy.

Source: College of Veterinarian Medicine. Washington Land University

"To restrain a true cat in your lap, employ your forearms draped over the cat's neck and hind-end to keep the cat in your lap. The clipper is held in the right hand." - College of Veterinary Medicine. Washington State University

Training Your Kitty to Allow Preparation

If you have a true cat, exist it a kitten or an older cat, training your kitty earlier boom clipping will help the actual clipping go more smoothly. 1 way to train a cat to accept preparation is with iterative repetition and reward.

It looks like this:

• Kickoff where your true cat is comfortable. If that means but casually petting them, then be it. If it means belongings them, corking. Your goal is to work up to beingness able to handle their paws without them recoiling or running away.
• Handle and gently massage a paw for a few moments, and then let go and give your cat a treat. Y'all're rewarding them for letting y'all handle their paws. If they pull away, continue a concur of their paw merely let them pull it back a little; don't teach them that pulling abroad means yous permit get.
• Never grab, squeeze, yank, pull, or otherwise fight your cat. Let'southward be honest cats are extremely active and when paired with super abrupt claws, odds are they'll win in a fight. Doing so also reinforces bad behavior instead of the desired good behavior.
• Once your furry child is tolerating you lot handling their paws, repeat the process with gentle squeezing to reveal the claws and make them more accessible. Again, don't try to trim yet; just squeeze, release, reward. Yous can add in a simple tap with the clippers to get them used to the tool likewise.
• Once they're comfy with that, you tin trim a claw and run into how they react. Trim, release, reward, echo. Simple correct? I know sometimes this is easier said than done.

Successful training can take quite some fourth dimension – fifty-fifty months, for particularly skittish cats – but it can be a very rewarding bonding experience.

Building a Successful Grooming Routine

Trimming a true cat's claws shouldn't be a stressful feel for either you or your fur baby. Fighting with a cat never works, and training often takes a long time before it achieves results.

If you're in a glutinous situation and yous need to trim your feline's nails, you have a few options:

• Endeavour CBD. As discussed higher up, CBD oil is naturally relaxing to animals that are receptive to information technology and can keep them at-home long enough for yous to trim their nails. Proceed in heed that not all CBD oils are created equal so you should practise your due diligence before picking i of the many alternatives available. Your best bet volition e'er be an organic CBD selection.
• Bring them to a groomer or vet. If you tin can't handle it yourself – and you don't want to associate yourself with bad experiences – a professional person groomer may be able to help. Y'all tin besides ask your vet to trim your kitty'south nails when they go in for a regular engagement.
• Consider nail caps. Blast caps are like fake nails for your feline. They're pocket-size rubbery or plastic pieces that adhere to your cat'southward nails with gum, preventing them from being usable as sharp needles. They last for upward to 6 weeks at a fourth dimension, remember cats regularly shed the outer layer of the nail, so when that happens the cap will become with it. Information technology's worth noting that claws should be clipped before they are capped to ensure they proceed snugly.  If they aren't clipped your kitty will accept a much easier time biting them off.
• Requite your fur infant something to scratch. Scratching wears away at and shortens the claws, which is how wild felines keep them abrupt and short and prepare to go. Scratching posts are always a great choice.

How to Pick a Good Scratching post | 120-second Video

How to Discover a Proficient Location for the Scratching Post | lxxx-2nd video

It is always a good idea to provide proper preparation to make sure your cat gets used to using the new toy.

Overall, we recommend grooming combined with something like treats or CBD to make the process a niggling easier. Luckily, you lot only demand to trim your cat'due south claws every 2-4 weeks, and maybe less if they go on them worn downwardly on a scratching post.

Have any questions regarding trimming your feline friend's nails? Looking for any additional communication on the procedure or how you lot tin can amend it? If then, delight feel costless to get out a comment down below! As mentioned above, smash trimming does not take to be a traumatic experience for either you or your cat, and I would exist more than happy to assist you with improving that feel however I possibly can!

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• FAQ: Can CBD Oil Help Calm Cats with Situational Feet?
• Buy USDA Organic Hemp Extract for Dogs and Cats
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• FAQ: Can You Give Cats Man Grade CBD Oil?
• Common Questions and Clever Ways to use Catnip

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Source: https://www.toe-beans.com/blogs/pet-blog/cat-still-trimming-nails

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