I clipped 3 nails

snowy · 01-10-2013, 06:39 PM

You must find me funny, getting all excited about brushing ET's teeth and now clipping his nails, lol. I only managed 3 nails (done on the sly though without him knowing), 2 on the right and 1 on the left, wonder when I'll be able to finish the rest.

I received 2 human clippers as door gift at a wedding dinner, so thought I take one and let ET sniff at it. After sniffing, he went on napping, that's when I clipped his nail quietly without touching his paw, I know that's not the way to do it. I lifted the nail lightly with the clipper making sure I didn't get his fur or skin and then clipped. ET didn't seem to notice, lol.

purr machine · 01-10-2013, 07:25 PM

Yay! Congrats!

I was just as happy when I clipped first few nails on Teddy. The first time my husband held him, and I clipped. That was not pretty at all! he hated the whole process, and so did I.

Now I brush him into sleep (he usually slowly falls asleep while I am brushing his fur), and then gently pull out his claws one by one and clip them. He doesn't even notice! I use toenail clipper for humans, works great!

snowy · 01-10-2013, 11:25 PM

Thanks. The 3 most difficult task - combing, teeth brushing and trimming nails, I tackled combing with much scratches and biting, some scars still stays. To me, getting him combed daily is utmost important so he won't get all the hairball stuck inside him or him vomiting hairball, so I tolerated all the biting and scratching.

2nd utmost important is brushing his teeth, as he is FIV+, they are prone to oral disease which I am trying hard to prevent. Only a year later, I managed to brush his teeth without that much of a problem on Jan 1, but it sure took me alot of courage to attempt to do that, and I did it.

Next, trimming nails, least important, but necessary and wow! I sure need lots and lots of courage. I still need to learn and buck up my courage to do it properly. I won't be getting help from hubby,cos he is diabetic, can't afford a single scratch or bite, cos his wound won't heal.

littlesushi · 01-11-2013, 01:48 AM

Nice work! I trim our kitties nails when they are sleeping. That's pretty much the only time they'll let me do it. I also brush their fur while they are sleepy or sleeping. I still have to work on brushing their teeth..

Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App

snowy · 01-11-2013, 05:49 AM

If you can manage trimming nails, I'm sure one day you will get to their teeth, its a matter of time, I hope, cross finger and good luck. I never expected I'll be able to clean his teeth or even trim 1 single nail at all.

anie · 01-11-2013, 11:03 AM

snowy,

I used to trim my previous cats' nails when they were sleeping. they didn't care at all, i would take their paws in my hands, gently express nails and snip snip snip

so why not if ET lets you do it this way

with my current two, they dont like me touching their paws that much (I guess they are not that used to me yet, they are with us for 2 months) so what I did last weekend is that I took thick towel, put it on my lap, put Josie on my lap, her face facing forward, her butt and back legs between my tights, and i put my arm underneath her front legs, gently leaning on her with my abdomen (but not that I would crush her

just to hold her in place). then with my hand I expressed her nails, and quickly trimmed. My husband was sitting next to us and he was gently holding her scuff, because she sort of freezes when hold there. it took me about a minute or two to trim her nails. The key is to find a position the cat cannot wiggle too much and you must feel confident - ET will sense you are anxious and it will be harder then.

do you have those special cat scissors to trim cat nails? I have a pair forever and I love them.

this weekend we are gonna do Blackberry's nails. he is more of a fighter than Josie so I am sure he will hiss at me, but well, his nails are long, so kitty has no choice

and I always give them treats immediately after trimming.

Ritzpg · 01-11-2013, 01:34 PM

I know what you mean about clipping nails for the first time--it's like [excuse me if any males are reading] the time I got my first period. Like you I did it (and, do it) on the sly--while Ritz is sleeping, preferably in a REM sleep (eyes moving, paws/body twitching). But because it's chilly in my house, she curls up her paws when she is sleeping so I don't have ready access to them. Ritz is my first cat ever, and I take so long to expose the nail bed that Ritz wakes up. Or I time it--like I'm kind of doing now--to when I need to take her in to the vets (rabies shot); the vet will do it sometimes for free in conjunction with an office visit.

snowy · 01-11-2013, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anie

snowy,

I used to trim my previous cats' nails when they were sleeping. they didn't care at all, i would take their paws in my hands, gently express nails and snip snip snip

so why not if ET lets you do it this way

with my current two, they dont like me touching their paws that much (I guess they are not that used to me yet, they are with us for 2 months) so what I did last weekend is that I took thick towel, put it on my lap, put Josie on my lap, her face facing forward, her butt and back legs between my tights, and i put my arm underneath her front legs, gently leaning on her with my abdomen (but not that I would crush her

just to hold her in place). then with my hand I expressed her nails, and quickly trimmed. My husband was sitting next to us and he was gently holding her scuff, because she sort of freezes when hold there. it took me about a minute or two to trim her nails. The key is to find a position the cat cannot wiggle too much and you must feel confident - ET will sense you are anxious and it will be harder then.

do you have those special cat scissors to trim cat nails? I have a pair forever and I love them.

and I always give them treats immediately after trimming.

ET only takes nap, never into deep sleep. He isn't a lap cat, I carried him properly once, he was ok but the moment I moved, he cried and struggled to break free. Having him on my lap and snipping away? haha, I just wonder....and sure, I was anxious when I clip, will try not to, lol. I am more confident when I brush his teeth, so I can easily push his lips apart, but trimming the nails is still pretty hard and nervy for me, lol. I will invest in a proper cat nail clipper when I can handle better, not now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ritzpg

I know what you mean about clipping nails for the first time--it's like [excuse me if any males are reading] the time I got my first period. Like you I did it (and, do it) on the sly--while Ritz is sleeping, preferably in a REM sleep (eyes moving, paws/body twitching). But because it's chilly in my house, she curls up her paws when she is sleeping so I don't have ready access to them. Ritz is my first cat ever, and I take so long to expose the nail bed that Ritz wakes up.

haha...I clipped another 4 more nails on the sly again yesterday, total 7, 3 more to go. Ya, I must catch him with the paw stretched out, he curls up too when napping unless he is napping on my desktop. ET is also my 1st cat ever, and he happened to be a super insecure and timid cat, I have never handled a cat before. But I must say, after more than 1year, he is more confident and trust me more now.

nicichan · 01-12-2013, 05:45 AM

Congratulations! I sometimes clip a few of Ruby's nails too, but I can never do more than 2 or 3 at a time. She loves to 'sit' on the backs of my dining chairs and digs into the chairs with her claws to balance herself. I hate when she does this as it damages the chairs, and I used to scold her and take her off, but I've noticed recently that it's perfect for clipping her nails - she has to balance herself so she can't fight me off, and the claws are out already, so I just take the scissors and cut, hehe! She gets annoyed after 2 or 3 nails though and leaves.

anie · 01-12-2013, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snowy

ET only takes nap, never into deep sleep. He isn't a lap cat, I carried him properly once, he was ok but the moment I moved, he cried and struggled to break free. Having him on my lap and snipping away? haha, I just wonder....and sure, I was anxious when I clip, will try not to, lol. I am more confident when I brush his teeth, so I can easily push his lips apart, but trimming the nails is still pretty hard and nervy for me, lol. I will invest in a proper cat nail clipper when I can handle better, not now.

lol you will get used to clipping and will not be anxious anymore lol

maybe even ET will get used to it!

lol
indeed, it would be easier if he was a lap cat, but hey you found your way around it

I envy you that it's possible to brush his teeth. I am scared to death to do that to my cats, they would probably bite my fingers off...

01-10-2013, 06:39 PM	#1 (permalink)
snowy Cool Cat Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 996	I clipped 3 nails You must find me funny, getting all excited about brushing ET's teeth and now clipping his nails, lol. I only managed 3 nails (done on the sly though without him knowing), 2 on the right and 1 on the left, wonder when I'll be able to finish the rest. I received 2 human clippers as door gift at a wedding dinner, so thought I take one and let ET sniff at it. After sniffing, he went on napping, that's when I clipped his nail quietly without touching his paw, I know that's not the way to do it. I lifted the nail lightly with the clipper making sure I didn't get his fur or skin and then clipped. ET didn't seem to notice, lol.

01-11-2013, 01:48 AM	#4 (permalink)
littlesushi Tom Cat Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 586	Nice work! I trim our kitties nails when they are sleeping. That's pretty much the only time they'll let me do it. I also brush their fur while they are sleepy or sleeping. I still have to work on brushing their teeth.. Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App __________________

01-11-2013, 11:03 AM	#6 (permalink)
anie Tom Cat Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: LR, AR Posts: 555	snowy, I used to trim my previous cats' nails when they were sleeping. they didn't care at all, i would take their paws in my hands, gently express nails and snip snip snip so why not if ET lets you do it this way with my current two, they dont like me touching their paws that much (I guess they are not that used to me yet, they are with us for 2 months) so what I did last weekend is that I took thick towel, put it on my lap, put Josie on my lap, her face facing forward, her butt and back legs between my tights, and i put my arm underneath her front legs, gently leaning on her with my abdomen (but not that I would crush her just to hold her in place). then with my hand I expressed her nails, and quickly trimmed. My husband was sitting next to us and he was gently holding her scuff, because she sort of freezes when hold there. it took me about a minute or two to trim her nails. The key is to find a position the cat cannot wiggle too much and you must feel confident - ET will sense you are anxious and it will be harder then. do you have those special cat scissors to trim cat nails? I have a pair forever and I love them. this weekend we are gonna do Blackberry's nails. he is more of a fighter than Josie so I am sure he will hiss at me, but well, his nails are long, so kitty has no choice and I always give them treats immediately after trimming. __________________ Anna + Josie and Blackberry Last edited by marie73; 01-16-2013 at 10:04 PM. Reason: fixed typo

01-12-2013, 05:45 AM	#9 (permalink)
nicichan Jr. Cat Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Dublin, Ireland Posts: 92	Congratulations! I sometimes clip a few of Ruby's nails too, but I can never do more than 2 or 3 at a time. She loves to 'sit' on the backs of my dining chairs and digs into the chairs with her claws to balance herself. I hate when she does this as it damages the chairs, and I used to scold her and take her off, but I've noticed recently that it's perfect for clipping her nails - she has to balance herself so she can't fight me off, and the claws are out already, so I just take the scissors and cut, hehe! She gets annoyed after 2 or 3 nails though and leaves. __________________

01-10-2013, 07:25 PM	#2 (permalink)
purr machine Cat Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: BC Canada Posts: 139	Yay! Congrats! I was just as happy when I clipped first few nails on Teddy. The first time my husband held him, and I clipped. That was not pretty at all! he hated the whole process, and so did I. Now I brush him into sleep (he usually slowly falls asleep while I am brushing his fur), and then gently pull out his claws one by one and clip them. He doesn't even notice! I use toenail clipper for humans, works great!

01-10-2013, 11:25 PM	#3 (permalink)
snowy Cool Cat Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 996	Thanks. The 3 most difficult task - combing, teeth brushing and trimming nails, I tackled combing with much scratches and biting, some scars still stays. To me, getting him combed daily is utmost important so he won't get all the hairball stuck inside him or him vomiting hairball, so I tolerated all the biting and scratching. 2nd utmost important is brushing his teeth, as he is FIV+, they are prone to oral disease which I am trying hard to prevent. Only a year later, I managed to brush his teeth without that much of a problem on Jan 1, but it sure took me alot of courage to attempt to do that, and I did it. Next, trimming nails, least important, but necessary and wow! I sure need lots and lots of courage. I still need to learn and buck up my courage to do it properly. I won't be getting help from hubby,cos he is diabetic, can't afford a single scratch or bite, cos his wound won't heal.

01-11-2013, 05:49 AM	#5 (permalink)
snowy Cool Cat Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 996	If you can manage trimming nails, I'm sure one day you will get to their teeth, its a matter of time, I hope, cross finger and good luck. I never expected I'll be able to clean his teeth or even trim 1 single nail at all.

01-11-2013, 01:34 PM	#7 (permalink)
Ritzpg Tom Cat Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: near Washington, DC Posts: 562	I know what you mean about clipping nails for the first time--it's like [excuse me if any males are reading] the time I got my first period. Like you I did it (and, do it) on the sly--while Ritz is sleeping, preferably in a REM sleep (eyes moving, paws/body twitching). But because it's chilly in my house, she curls up her paws when she is sleeping so I don't have ready access to them. Ritz is my first cat ever, and I take so long to expose the nail bed that Ritz wakes up. Or I time it--like I'm kind of doing now--to when I need to take her in to the vets (rabies shot); the vet will do it sometimes for free in conjunction with an office visit.

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