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...

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 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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

i take mine to the groomers they do a quick, good job and it costs $8...i always give them a tip, so i spend $10...to me it is well worth it :)about once a month

May sound silly I used to use an emery board on mine. I agree with getting one of these scratching boards looks like about 8"s of cardboard rub it with a little catnip and she will be just fine. :)

If this is the one we got for our dogs I wouldn't recommend it. The one we have files down the nails. You insert the nail into the opening where they're filed with a sandpaper covered spinning cylinder. The idea is that you don't cut them too short. But it takes a whole lot longer to file them down and our dogs get real antsy. I'd rather just clip and get it over with. Don't know about cats but it's a two-person job for us. One holds the dog, the other clips.

I have to wait til mine are in the right mood. Then I just use toenail clippers.

All 4 of the cats I have now have all paws declawed. I don't have to worry with cutting their nails.

Same here. I have 2 cats that DH has to hold for me to get their back right paw because I can't get them in a good hold with my left arm and get to that paw w/o them getting very cranky (my oldest cat bit me three times yesterday when I was attempting it by myself). I use regular toenail clippers.

You have to be careful and never cut the "quick" (the part with the vein in it). It hurts the cat and it bleeds. Some claws are dark and that part is hard to see.

I have my babies trimmed at the vets everytime they are due for a checkup OR at the groomers when they need a SPA day.....

I've trained my cats to have their paws handled. When they were kittens I plays with their paws even when I wasn't going to clip nails. They are used to the feeling. (I also give them baths in the bathtub.) I bought the same clipper my vet uses (it is one big enough for large dog nails). I nestle the cat on my lap, head at my knees and paws facing me, and start clipping. They put up with it. The "kitty dremel" would never happen because they hate that kind of noise.

My cats have always associated nail trimming with a treat. Start out by only giving treats in association with the trimmer. Hold them in the same hand. Before you know it, they'll get excited at the sight of the trimmer. I use the inexpensive cat trimmer that can be found all over.

Treating works for dogs, too. Except I use a dremel for the dogs' nails.

Groomers generally cost less than vet trims. By about $10 here.

Keep a styptic stick handy just in case. I've never cut a quick myself but have had a cat toy sever a quick (damn bells). Styptics are a must for any first aid kit (human, too).

Good luck.

I'd have done the treat thing but somehow managed to train my cats to only eat out of their own special bowl. I have two cats and each has their own food bowl. They don't "double dip" as my kids call it. My vet tried bribing with treats and got his feelings hurt when they presented him with their tails. We decided I just have weird animals. He gives out good treats (so I'm told since I haven't tasted one :-) ).

Have 3 cats I have never trimmed their nails. We have multiple scratching posts they they all use. Furniture and drapes are let alone. My problem is plants or now lack of them. They all like to either eat them or sit in them.

I've always taught my cats to like being held in my lap with their back to me. I just play with their paws & tummy until they want to be held on a regular basis. Then use human baby clippers or even regular size ones depending on the size of your cat. And then my favorite part - recite "This little piggy went to market" as you do it :-D

My DD has 13 cats (I think, :roll: ), 6 out and 7 in. She clips inside every 2 weeks and out once a month or so.

If I am doing the clipping, I put the cats back end under my left armpit, grab paw with left hand, press pad down, clip nails on that paw, move to next paw. For the back paws, I reverse the procedure and put the head under my armpit and clip. Of course you can't do this with a cat that will fight as they may bite , so, here's pics of how I hold while DD clips for those persnickety cats.

You can't be scared of grabbing the scruff of the neck and holding tight. Gently pull the cats head back towards you sllightly so they cannot get at person trimming. See how I use my forearm to hold down the rear end and legs to keep the cat from using rear legs to push off or scratch? This is painless, you are in control, and as soon as person is done trimming, gently release as you are petting cat and scratching scruff and usually they just walk away. DD and I have never been bitten or scratched this way and we have trimmed thousands of cats when we worked the shelter. Piece of cake.

This is what trim time looks like at my house. Jeff (my husband) does the holding and I do the cutting. For our dogs I use a dremel!

I think a cat that isn't friendly enough to be held and handled isn't going to let you get the dremmel close, it's the noise, and you can't use that very long because it makes the nail get hot. My cat goes outside enough to keep his nails in shape but my husband's little bitch dog.......... she's like fighting a bear to do her nails!

It is easier to teach them as kittens, that this is something you are going to do. An older cat requires more patience. Sometimes I would have to settle for just one nail if the "rescue" complained. Also, remember 10 AM to 2 PM is Official nap time on this planet. So, if you casually snip one or two nail while baby is asleep, you can get all the nails even with the fiestiest in a few days. After a while, they co-operate. Gabrielle

Others have all given you advice, I haven't read them but I'll add my 2 cents worth anyway. I didn't like that battery run thing --- the sandpaper thing on it was too rough. Cats hated it. I started with my cats when they were first brought home. I use the clippers like in the picture above, but I sit on the bed, one foot on the floor, and the other leg curled toward the leg that's on the floor. The cat fits in my lap on their back. Every Sunday morning, it's nail clipping time. Here's the point I want to make...no matter HOW you do it, make sure you do it every week. I had one that hated it and fought me, but after about a year, he lays there and talks to me....doesn't fight it any more. He learned it's going to happen anyway.