[Crystal's Cat]

I need advice on restraining my cat so I can clip his nails which is very hard since he is 5 and isn't used to it. I want to do it my self :x but is almost impossible. I want to save him the stress of taking himto the groomer but it is so difficult. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!![/b]

 

[faile]

try swaddling him in a blanket, with one paw at a time sticking out.

 

[Crystal's Cat]

ty for the help, I think it is almost impossible though but I'll keep at it. I think he's getting mad at me everytime I try but I have to. :?

 

[jonsgirl]

The way I do it, it takes 2 people.

Swaddle him in a blanket, like Faile suggested. Make it so that the back legs are tucked in and the front ones are unwrapped. Have one person sit down and hold the kitty burrito while you do one paw at a time. When you finish his front legs, wrap kitty up again and this time so that his back legs are unwrapped.
The first couple of times you do this, he will fight you. After a few trims he knows you wont hurt him and it wont last long so he will be still...but you still have to wrap him. You may even be able to do it yourself when he gets used to it.

Make sure you use kitty nail clippers as I believe the human ones can hurt him somehow....also dont cut into the pink park of his nail (the quick), only trim the clear part off the top. Dont forget to do his thumbs!

 

[kitkat]

Maybe it will help for you to do it when kitty is really tired and then try clipping, it works for my cats and they don't fight as much

 

[maymariya]

Try putting him in a plastic grocery bag ( with his head sticking out of course!). Then, poke a hole in the bag and take out the paw you need to trim. It works for my cat.............he falls asleep!but if i do it any other way he just starts trying to get out but the bag really works!

 

[Chucky The Cat]

clipping claws

I think my post will be a little late but what I find works is wrapping the cat in a towel - so that pretty much the cat can't move. WHen I cut Chucky's claws I talk to him and make sure he knows I am not afraid of his fidgeting...once they know you are scared they play on it. It is really easy once they get used of it....

 

[ForJazz]

I have a question too. My kitties' nails are tough to figure out. Most of their nails are nice and pink on the inside and so it's easy to see where to trim...I think. The pink part doesn't form a perfect little pointy nail tip inside their nail -- its pretty blunt. Then it looks like there's a clear casing over the pink part that IS the shape of a pointy nail. That's all inside the big hard claw. Is this clear "casing" on the inside alive as well, even though it's not pink?

Also -- some of my kitties' claws are tough to see because they are black. What do I do about these?

 

[kitkat]

When I trim my cats back claws some are harder to see than others so if it's harder to see the quick just make sure to cut off the sharp tip but not too deep as it may hit their quick and they will not like that at all. Usually the quick is the same distance as the other nails with my cats though. :wink:

 

[ForJazz]

So just guess -- alright. This is what I am doing I'm just kinda scared about it. I was wondering if it was black for a reason.

 

[Padunk]

Even though I'm becoming quite experienced with trimming their claws... i still ONLY do it when the vets office is open.

You can never be too safe.

 

[ForJazz]

In case you chop their finger off you mean?

 

[Jeanie]

I think she means that the cat's claws could bleed and hurt if she cut too deeply.

 

[ForJazz]

Well if you accidentally cut or nick the quick, it might bleed but it's not a serious problem -- same as if you'd cut your nails too short. You can put kitchen flour on it or rub a soft bar of soap on it, and it will stop very soon. Your biggest concern if you do that is regaining your cat's trust when clipping. Padunk is a he not a she -- hehe.