Kitten nail clipping

Question
Hello again Kalla,
I just want to find out when can we start clipping our kittens nails or how often as we are getting him this weekend. We have a 21 month old daughter and we dont want the kitten to scratch her badly. What tips could you gives us for a first time kitten owner? Help us out so we can give the best to our little kitten Ginger.

Thanks for you help and tips.
Regards
Hannes Viviers
South Africa

Answer
Hi Hannes!

How exciting!! You must be really thrilled that kitten is going to be there soon :)

You can trim kittens nails right away, in fact it is a good idea to get Ginger used to it. Get a set of nail trimmers, push gently on the pad of the paw and the claws will come out. Be very careful when you're trimming not to trim too far down or it will cause kitty to bleed- you'll see there is a dark or pink area in the claw, that is too far to cut. Try to cut about half way between that point and the tip.

Give kitty a treat right after you trim, that way Ginger will associate nail trimming with good things.

Good luck with your sweet little new kitten!