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ljptexas 08-12-2010 11:11 AM

How do you trim you cat's nails? I am so afraid to do it. I have 2 cats. 1 is a very skiddish Calico cat & I'd have to sneak up on her & get my son to help me do it quick. The other 1 is old & she would claw me. Her nails are so bad they get get caught in the berber carpet when she walks around. When she gets 1 caught & I try to help dislodge it, she hisses, etc at me.
What product do you use? What about the TV ad, the battery ran 1 where the claw is put inside a chamber & the blade is suppose to cut just right length?..

Need help...

mosquitosewgirl 08-12-2010 11:13 AM

Go to Walmart and pick up a Kitty Emery Scratcher. It is a wavy piece of wood that has sisal and other good claw cleaning and sharpening materials on it that will naturally get rid of those snaggy claws...and they do it themselves! Good luck!

Ms. Shawn 08-12-2010 11:21 AM


Originally Posted by ljptexas
How do you trim you cat's nails? I am so afraid to do it. I have 2 cats. 1 is a very skiddish Calico cat & I'd have to sneak up on her & get my son to help me do it quick. The other 1 is old & she would claw me. Her nails are so bad they get get caught in the berber carpet when she walks around. When she gets 1 caught & I try to help dislodge it, she hisses, etc at me.
What product do you use? What about the TV ad, the battery ran 1 where the claw is put inside a chamber & the blade is suppose to cut just right length?..

Need help...

I have had lots of cats my intire life and used to cut thier nails with baby nail clippers when I was a teenager and an adult. Now and especially with cats that may hurt I would just take them to the vet. Here they cost $5.00 to trim.
Good luck, Ms. Shawn

HeatherQuilts 08-12-2010 11:21 AM

I sit down on the floor with my cat, put their hind end on my lap, with their legs pointing out,(so they are basically sitting on my lap) I firmly "hug" them with one arm while pressing on the pad to get the nail out. Then I cut them. I use a nail trimmer that I got from Petsmart, specifically made for cats. I have been doing this since they were kittens though, and while they don't like it, they tolerate it. I've never cut to deep either, so they trust me enough to let me do it. Better off leaving them a bit to long than to cut to much off! I also talk calmly to them while I am doing it.
Another option would be to bring them to the vet or groomer and ask them to do it, or to teach you some tricks to use. I had a vet that would do it for about $12 for both cats when we lived out in D.C.

virtualbernie 08-12-2010 11:28 AM


Originally Posted by mosquitosewgirl
Go to Walmart and pick up a Kitty Emery Scratcher. It is a wavy piece of wood that has sisal and other good claw cleaning and sharpening materials on it that will naturally get rid of those snaggy claws...and they do it themselves! Good luck!

I agree! I have 3 cats and they all love theirs!

lynnie 08-12-2010 11:57 AM

i've been cutting cat nails for over 30 yrs. now. i use regular toenail clipper and cut only the tip (every suday i do this), i push down on the pad, the nail tip comes out and i turn clippers on side of nail lll like that wil nail in ctr. and clip only the tip. for some reason, i can do it to peoples cats that owners wo't touch, good luck. also...my cat refuses to use a sscratcher, prefers my dining room chairs. even if declawed, they will still scratch, it's inherent. good luck

lynnie 08-12-2010 11:58 AM

if money is a problem, try a breeder or pet groomer instead of a vet, and have them show you what to do. hope this helps

nativetexan 08-12-2010 12:19 PM

i have some cat trimmers like scissors. they are sort of curved. i only trim the pointed ends of their claws though. i don't like to trim too far up their claw. the other evening i used my small nail trimmer and it worked fine. two of my three cats let me trim and they stay very still for me.
i lay them on my lap up to my chest in my recliner.
sometimes i hold them in my lap with their back facing my chest.that way they can't pull away.
i don't always get all the nails each time. i only do what they let me do.

feline fanatic 08-12-2010 12:34 PM

I am very fortunate in that I got them used to it as kittens. 3 out of my 5 will allow me to set them on their backs in my lap and I can easily extend claw by pushing on toe pad and snip with pet nail trimmers, the kind that look kind of like scissors but have a guard so you don't cut off too much. The other 2 I have to stand them on a counter and hold one paw up at a time while I have their body snugged up under my arm to keep squirming and moving about at a minimum and I must do those with regular people nail trimmers. If any of them get to antsy I stop. I only trim front claws regularly, back claws rarely need it. My one cat loves to have his front paws touched and massaged and messed around with so he is a dream to trim, I don't even have to hold him, just plop him belly up on my lap and snip snip snip.
Sometimes during petting time if you softly touch paws and massage the paws they will get more used to having you touch them for trimming claws.

Maribeth 08-12-2010 12:36 PM


Originally Posted by lynnie
i've been cutting cat nails for over 30 yrs. now. i use regular toenail clipper and cut only the tip (every suday i do this), i push down on the pad, the nail tip comes out and i turn clippers on side of nail lll like that wil nail in ctr. and clip only the tip. for some reason, i can do it to peoples cats that owners wo't touch, good luck. also...my cat refuses to use a sscratcher, prefers my dining room chairs. even if declawed, they will still scratch, it's inherent. good luck

I do the same thing with the toenail clipper sideways, but every other Sunday. They sit in my lap. I can't say they enjoy it, but after the years it is just part of that day. Oh, and I keep the treats in sight so they know that they will have a snack as soon as we are done. Sometimes when they get fiesty, I shake the treat can to remind them and they settle down and we finish right up. I also occasionally use this opportunity to use those cat bath clothes to give them a quick rubdown and freshening.

Please don't declaw, that really is horrible.


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