Many don’t know that a cat’s nail can curl into their tissue and cause them a lot of pain. So, if you keep your kitties at home it is okay to blunt the sharp ends of their nails. Do not trim the nails if your cat goes in and out of the house. They might need their claws in case another animal comes to attack. Here’s how you do it:
Things you will need:
1. Nail clippers- You can use smaller cat clippers or human clippers that are tilted to the side. NEVER use doggy nail clippers or use human nail cutters in the flat frontward position as you would on yourself. This can splinter your cat’s nail. It will be a painful experience and your cat wouldn’t want to trim their nails again.
2. Styptic Powder or corn flour.
3. Small portions of your kitties favorite treat
4. A towel
5. Your Kitty!
Here’s How You Will Do It
1. Make this a fun experience for your kitty by giving them small bits of their favorite treats prior to the session.
2. Some cats like to be snuggled in a towel while their nails are clipped so make sure you have a towel ready. Wrap them in the towel and hold them firmly.
3. Gently push above their paw, this will cause their nails to come out. There will be a reddish area attached to the base of the claw. This is the quick and it has a lot of blood vessels. Clipping the quick is painful and can cause a lot of bleeding.
4. When you gently press on top of their paw, keep your nail clippers ready. If you are using human clippers, tilt it sideways before you start trimming their nails.
5. Only trim the top pointed portion of their nails. If in case you cut their quick, take a pinch of styptic powder (or corn flour) and press it against the wounded area to allow clotting to take place around that area so that it stops bleeding.
6. You can trim the nails of their hind leg nails if it’s absolutely necessary but keeping the front nails blunt will be good enough.
7. Don’t forget to reward them with treats once you’re done, so that they know that they have been a good kitty!
Nail trimming does not take very long once your cat gets used to it. Be patient with them. You can also prepare them for the actual nail trimming session by showing them the clippers and giving them treats with it, just so they know that nail trimming is a positive experience. Many people opt for declawing cats; we do not recommend it to anyone. If you want to know more about declawing, you can check out our article, ‘What Does It Mean To Declaw Your Cat?’.
Do you have a cat? Please tell us how you deal with your cat’s claws. If you want to know more about better alternatives than declawing, check out our other article ‘Cat Pawblems?’