Regularly trimming cat claws is an easy and pleasant routine that should be practiced as it will ensure you don’t have your cat scratching up your house. Before you start trimming your cat claws, there are some important things you must know in order to do it right.
PREPARING YOUR CAT
The first thing is to get your cat accustomed to you squeezing her paws. This must be done gently hence your cat becomes uncomfortable with this procedure. However, you can make your cat comfortable by giving her a treat. So let us talk about these procedures step by step.
Some cats are reluctant to have their paws touched. So, it is a good idea to stroke your cat’s paws regularly – this will reassure your cat that you will not hurt her or him. Simply place your cat in your lap, on the floor or on a table. If your cat is still resistant, you may have to find another person to hold the cat while you do the cutting. Follow these simple steps when clipping:
Step 1
Hold the cat firmly without hurting it, or get someone to assist in doing this.
Step 2
Get your cat used to having their nails and feet handled; take a moment to massage each paw whenever you’re snuggling.
Step 3
Cat’s paws are retractable so you need to push each individual pad (above the toe) to reveal the unsheathed paw, one at a time.
Step 4
The two different colors of the claws, the pink middle section (where the blood vessels and nerves are) close to a whitish covering (where dead cells are) should be noted. This section extends to the pointed end of the claw and should be carefully handled.
Step 5
Start gradually by clipping a few nails in one sitting, using treats to reinforce your cat as you clip.
Step 6
Only cut the white section and not the pink! Cats with black claws should have the section that curls under removed. On some cats it can be hard to see the pink part, the whole nail just kind of looks white. Just cut off the pointy tips! You need to be careful not to cut too far down or you could severely injure your furbaby. The longer your cat has gone without a trimming the further down the “kwik” will be. By keeping the nails trimmed regularly the kwik will stay further back and your cats nails will be able to be properly trimmed much better.
Step 7
Work on to trimming the nails on each of the four paws in one sitting. It may take a while before your cat is ready to let you do all of them in one sitting, just keep trying.
Step 8
If you mistakenly cut into the vein, applying Kwik-Stop powder to the tip of the nail will stop the bleeding. Be observant to make sure infection doesn’t develop. Now you are done trimming! The more often you cut your cats nails, the more you will be used to where you should trim at. Before long you will be a pro.
How Regularly Should You be Trimming Your Cats Claws?
As said above, it is a good idea to check your cat’s claws regularly, say every two weeks. However, how regularly the claws will be trimmed depends on the owner. Normally, back claws trimming are not necessarily meant for cats that do not get much exercise. But, it is advisable to trim the claws if your cat, being unable to chew the back claws is scratching with them. Trimming cats’ claws is quite beneficial, particularly when the procedure is started at the kitten stage. This will make your lovely pet quickly get accustomed to having her claws trimmed.
Remember
Cutting your cats claws is fairly easy, but it can be very stressful on not only you but your furbaby too. If you do not feel comfortable cutting your cats nails, then see a professional groomer.
Keep purring,
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