Tips on Trimming your Cat’s Claws

Nail care is a vital part of your cats’s complete health care. Because claws continually grow and are not necessarily worn down as they would if they were going for walks, consequently it is up to you to help in keeping them at a more comfortable length. Any time nails are too long, it has an effect on the manner a dog walks which might result in osteo-arthritis later in life. Also longer nails could possibly get snagged not to mention ripped, or on occasion curl back into the toe pad which enables it to trigger an infection. Often  in the elderly cat, they do not keep up with their nail care as well as they did when they were younger and I regularly encounter ingrown nails.  Trimming nails is not that traumatic if you have the appropriate gear and have properly trained your furry friend to allow you to hold the paw.

The nail does have a “quick” which contains the veins and nerves of the nail.The quick is easier to find in white nails. By trimming small amounts at a time and trimming with the plane of the bottom part of the toe pad (horizontally rather than vertically) you’ll be able to avoid clipping the nail to short as to cause it to bleed.

Here are a few additional tips to successfully trim your cat’s nails:

1. Get started when your cat is still a kitten by gradually touching their feet. Start by making a sport of it and examining the nails, chances are they will let you trim them once they get older.

small nail trimmers

2. Pick a claw trimmer for the size and age of your pet.I frequently utilize the human toenail trimmer for young pet’s nails since it can easily get to the teeny points just a little easier plus they are sharper. As your kitten or puppy gets older, I will then convert nail trimmers to the scissor action type of trimmer instead of the guillotine trimmer. I find that these stay sharper for a longer time and are a lot easier to use. The guillotine type some times catches the nails and does not create a clean cut. Your veterinarian can help you pick a suitable trimmer.

3. When trimming your pet’s nails, by no means undertake it while your pet is sitting in your lap. Have someone aid you and put them on the counter-top or lid of the washer or dryer. You can wrap them with a towel to help holding them much better.Cats can be scruffed by the neck for more control. If your pet starts to resist, just try holding the paw until he calms. Should you let go of the paw when your pet starts to protest, you are just encouraging the bad behavior and will make the next nail trim event even worse.  (Go back to number 1)

Styptic Powder

4. Be well prepared. Have available styptic pencils such as silver nitrate or Kwik-Stop powder. Be aware that the silver nitrate on the end of the sticks can stain counter tops and your skin should you get it on you. The powder is the better choice for beginners. Since cats have white nails, you can usually avoid the quick a lot easier.

5. If your pet has light colored nails, you are able to visualize the pink component of the quick. If your pet has darker nails, trim only a little at any given time. I like to carefully press on the toe and extend the nail out. I then draw an imaginary line level with the bottom of the toe pad and extend it out across the nail. I then trim the nail at this imaginary line so that the nail is now level with the floor when the pet is standing.

Pedipaws

6. You may use an emery board to smooth the sharp edges.

7. Pedipaws or similar rotor drill sanders are helpful to smooth sharp tips and to trim just a small amount of nail. If the nail is very long in any way, then it can take you forever to get it trimmed. You can use the drill to keep the nail shorter or for smoothing the nail after you have used the clippers. Your pet must also be taught not to be afraid of the noise, so i suggest you go gradually while you each figure out how to deal with the drill.

After a little practice and a lot of patience, you can soon be trimming your pet’s nails with confidence. If all else fails, your veterinarian or groomer are here to help.