Does your cat not allow you to cut her stylish long nails? Are you struggling to get your cat’s nails trimmed for her health and safety—as well as furniture safety? When you get home from work, do your furniture often have different design patterns? If so, your cat needs nail trimming.
But trimming a cat’s claw could become very difficult sometimes, especially for a new pet parent. How to trim cat’s nails, you might wonder.
To make things easier for you, we’ve written everything about this topic in detail. Here are all the things about trimming a cat’s nails for cat guardians. First of all, let’s discuss the basics.
Why trimming a cat’s nails is important?
Nail trimming is an important part of your cat’s grooming and caring. Cats need healthy nails to climb or scratch. You need to clip your cat’s nails regularly before they get long, curvy, and razor-sharp. When their nails get long, they may hurt themselves, other pets, or your furniture.
How to trim cat’s nails?
Trim your cat’s nail when she is tired or relaxed and is not struggling to get out of your reach. Follow these simple steps to get through the task.
- Put your cat in your lap, hold her paw and gently squeeze the middle part so that the nail sticks out and is more visible to you.
- Clip only the white part at the tip, where your cat’s nails end and get curvy.
- Start by cutting a little portion of the nail, and from the side of the nails.
- Cut your cat’s nail one at a time
When the trimming is done, it is time to give your cat a treat, to praise her, and to make her appreciate this process.
Now that you know how to trim your cat’s claws, here are additional things that you should know about trimming a cat’s nails.
How to get your cat used to nail trimming?
Before you dare touch your cat’s claws for trimming, you should know that cats do not like getting their nails clipped. Therefore, most of the time cat owners ask that how to cut their cat’s nails when their cats hate it?
If your cat is not used to clipping and you try to touch her paws, she will see you as a threat and try to run away. You should make your cat comfortable with the situation before you start cutting her nails.
Vets suggest that start trimming cat’s claws from the day you bring her to your house. After a month or two, your feline friend wouldn’t mind you cutting her nails at all.
Here are some steps on how to get your cat used to claw clipping:
- Prepare her by gently touching her soft paws one by one and speak to her softly. This would help her not to feel scared of you when you do the clipping.
- Give her paws a gentle press so that her nails come stick out and you can easily see them or get them under the clip.
- Give your cat her favorite treat for her patience and obedience.
Follow the above steps for at least one week. This will help your little friend get familiar with the nail trimming process.
And yes, don’t forget to give her treats and praise her after each session.
How often you should trim a cat’s nails?
As a cat’s nails grow back within a week or two, trim her claws every week and a half to two weeks. Remember, cats do not appreciate their nails being cut. To avoid any issues, try to get them used to nail trimming by making a routine.
Important things you need to know about clipping cat’s nails
Cutting a cat’s nails is not a tough task. The only thing you need to be careful of is not cutting the “Quick”. You might be wondering that, what is “Quick”? It is the pink interior of the cat’s nail, which provides the nerve and blood supply to the nail.
If you accidentally cut this part, it might start bleeding and cause pain to your cat. Therefore, cut the nail of your cat from near the edges and do not go too far.
Though cutting a cat’s nail is not tough, you should take care of some things i.e.
- Don’t try to get through this quickly or you might hurt your cat.
- Don’t get your clipper closer to the “quick” part of the cat’s nail.
- Keep a Quick Styptic Powder as a precaution, in case you cut the “quick”.
- Use a sharper trimmer to get a clean and nonabrasive nail.
What nail clippers should you use for clipping a cat’s claws?
There are several nail clippers in the market, the three most used of which are below.
- Guillotine type: For sharper nail tips
- Scissors cut: For long-curved nail tips
- Standard human fingernail clipper: Normal nail size
Cutting your cat’s nail might not be a tough task but being careful and vigilant is very important. If it is your first time trimming your cat’s claws, you should contact your pet veterinarian to teach you the procedure and nail clipper usage properly. So that you can cut your cat’s nails properly without inflicting any pain on your cutie.
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