cutting my beautiful cats claws..

Question
Hi Cher,
Any sugguestions on cutting cleo's claws.  She hates it with a passion.  As a small kitten I would always rub her paws gently so she would get use to them being touched and held. I can get maybe one nail clipped if I am lucky at every sitting...HELP!!!!

Thanks much
Sara

Answer
Hi Sara,

Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving!  : )

I'm very happy to hear that as a kitten, you got Cleo used to having her paws touched in a gentle and loving way.  I've done the same thing with my cat, but, alas, claw clipping IS still a problem!  : )  It's just something most cats really hate!

First of all, it's best to have a 'helper', if possible.  If you can, have someone hold your cat upright, against one side of their chest, sort of like a baby, and place a hand right under the front paws, with the fingers of that hand sort of holding the fore paws gently, so she can't lash out suddenly.  You want to position the cat so she can neither bite nor scratch the face of the person holding her.  Another good suggestion, if she's difficult to keep still, is to wrap her in a towel or small blanket.  Don't wrap too tight so it's uncomfortable or cuts off her circulation of course, but tight enough to contain her.  Just leave out the set of paws you're going to trim.  It's always a good idea to try to do this by 'sneak attack', right after she wakes up and is still sort of relaxed.

Keep up the massaging and playing with her paws while talking to her gently, saying her name over and over and telling her that you have to cut her claws for her own good and DON'T do any clipping right after you play with her paws.  If she realizes that every time you touch her feet, her claws are NOT going to be trimmed, she'll feel more relaxed about it when you do trim them, as well.
Even if you get only one or two claws cut per day, that's fine; eventually you'll get them all.  That's basically what I do, when I don't have help.  Usually though, my son holds my cat (who's a whopping 20 lbs. and VERY SMART! LOL) and I'm able to get either one whole foot or, on a lucky day, at least 2.  Then, we'll try again a few days later. If you usually give her treats, reward her after the
trimming and praise her for being a good girl (even if she wasn't).  Talk to her gently and try hard not to 'react' or make sudden movements; she may then sense your nervousness, anticipating a 'fight' with this activity, every time.

I have some friends who have 'lap cats' (mine is a love- bug, but not a lap cat).  If Cleo does like to sit on your lap, you can try to cradle her in your arms like a baby, on her back (while you're sitting) or on her side or tummy, while holding one paw and trying to get as many claws trimmed as possible.  As I said, getting even one a day isn't bad as long as they all eventually get cut.

By the way, what type of clipper are you using?  I have the original 'guillotine' type, which I actually prefer, but then I saw my vet use one that looks like a scissor.  I  bought that one and it's alright, but it's better if you go from the side of the claw.  Also, of course, make sure just to trim the tip and don't go down too far and nip the 'quick' (the pink part) which will bleed and cause pain.
I must admit I'm guilty of that happening a few times and I just felt soooo bad!  Of course when you have a wriggling bundle of fur constantly moving while you're trying to cut, this can happen by accident.  If this SHOULD happen, it's good to have a styptic pencil handy to stop the bleeding, but it DOES burn.  I've never used it myself.  I just put pressure on it and it stops bleeding pretty quickly.  Hopefully you won't need to use that advice!  : )

Well, I hope some of my suggestions were helpful and you and your beautiful Cleo can accomplish some successful claw trimming!  Good luck!

Cher   : )