Trimming Your Cat's Nails

A cat's nails need to be trimmed regularly. Whether you pay a groomer or the vet to trim them or do them at home, there are different techniques and safety concerns. This is a guide about trimming your cat's nails.

Videos

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Cat Care - Trimming Toenails

In this video, Dr. Candy Olson from Greenbriar Animal Hospital shows you how to get the challenging job of trimming your cat's toenails done right. Be sure to watch the related videos for more cat care tips and tricks.

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Solutions: Trimming Your Cat's Nails

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Cat Paw Massage

When you get a kitten or a cat, and they are all mellow near you, reach out and start massaging their feet while talking to them calmly. Get them used to having their paws played with. I've lived with over 40 cats, and each of them like having a paw massage. They will even stretch out their toes!

Then when it's time to trim nails, I spoon hold my cat (their back up against my tummy while sitting). With my arms around them, I have the trimmer ready and show it to them. Then I talk sweet talk to them and play with their toes. They relax and you can go ahead and trim them up, both front and back paws.

Seven cats live with me now and I can do all 28 feet in under 10 minutes. I even used to have a cat come to me to get his nails trimmed, if they got too long. He didn't like 'long stickers'!

Source: Years of experience and lots and lots of tabby toes!

By Maile from Onalaska, WA

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Massage Paws for Easier Nail Trimming

If you start massaging a cat's paws and feet and gently pressing them and working with their little paws each time you hold them, they won't mind so much when you trim their claws.

Trimming the claws involves gently pressing the kitten's paw until the claws are visible. This does not hurt the cat. Trim a small amount of the hook off of the claw - never the whole claw, just the upper part of the claw. It is better to clip too little than too much.

I play with my kittens' paws as part of their play. They come to expect it each time they are cuddling with me.

By Robyn Fed from Tri-Cities, TN

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Questions

Here are questions related to Trimming Your Cat's Nails.

Trimming A Cat's Claws

I have a beautiful calico cat that just showed up last summer at my door. After extensive advertising for the owner, and not finding an owner, she became my cat. My problem is that she comes in the house for a couple of hours every day, but she loves to be outside. I had her spayed, and shots, but she still has her claws. I would like her to be in the house all the time, but with the claws, it is not possible. Do people have cat's claws trimmed? If so, where do you take them to have it done? I do not want to have her claws totally removed, because she loves to be outside so much. So, who trims cat claws?

By Margeth

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Most Recent Answer

By Lizzyanny 12/21/2011

If you start easy with your cat they get used to having their claws trimmed. I have my daughter hold my cat over her shoulder and I pick up each paw and trim them. I only trim the sharp hooked ends. Then they get treats of course. Do not declaw.

Declawing requires removing the last joint on the paw because the claws are so intergrated into the joint that they cannot be removed on their own. It is similar to removing your nail along with the finger to and including the 1st joint. The animal is literally crippled. My cats have never done any damage in the house with their claws.

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