Trimming Nails is Easy!!!

Trimming your cat’s claws is the humane answer to declawing. It is easier than people think. We also would be happy to show you how to clip your kitty’s nails in person.

Start with a relaxed cat. Use a sharp pair of clippers. Human toe nail clippers work well. Also cat nail scissors are great and easy to use too. The guillotine type tends to be big and cumbersome and makes the cat uneasy. Make sure you are in a good light source so you can see well.

Steps:

1.  Secure your cat securely in your arm with his front paw in your hand. Sometimes people wrap their cats in a towel with only the paw extended.

2.  Press gently, but firmly on the pad area to extend a claw. It isn’t necessary to squeeze hard as you will see.  Before you actually start trimming nails, the days before you can practice steps 1 and 2, just to get the cat use to being handled in this manner.

3. Now examine the claw under the light to find the pink area in the center called the ‘quick.’ This is a blood vessel and will bleed if nicked. It really is the same concept as human’s nails. You see the pink and you know not to clip there on yourself.

4. Holding the clippers and your kitty quickly snip off the tip, being careful to not cut into the pink part.

5. Give the kitty some kind words and pet them. If they are okay, continue with as many nails as you can. You may at first be only able to do 1 or 2 nails a day. But, that is a start and soon the kitty will get use to all of this.

Tips:

1. If you do happen to cut into the pink part, use a styptic powder or pen and apply it to the nail. Some people use corn starch too, or just pressure, but the styptic powder is the fastest.

2. It is usually easier if you have a second person in the beginning. Above all, the most important thing is having patience.

3. If your kitty gets anxious, let him go and try again tomorrow.

4. It really helps to give your cat a scratch post.