Reply
Tue 25 May, 2004 05:54 am
Our cat is getting old (19 now!), and no longer spends much time outdoors. Partly from this, and partly because I think he's having trouble fully retracting his claws, he keeps getting them stuck (clothes, cushions, etc.).
We also have a lot of wooden flooring, and his claws make an incredible noise (our problem to live with, not his as he is also deaf!), and he also seems to be having some balance problems - I think this is partly due to the amount of claw contacting the floor!
I think we need to trim them claws a bit, but I'm nervous - do you use standard nail scissors, or would clippers of some sort be better? Seems like less chance of a slip and cutting off too much.
Any opinions from cat claw cutters out there?
Clippers! Definitely.
You know to be very careful not to cut where the blood supply is? Just trim the tips.
The back claws are harder to see the pink bit, so be very careful.
Mine are good with it, but it may take a bit of time to get the cat used to it.
aojr
Yes, clip them. I had a very old cat with the same problem. Very long claws can make walking difficult, poor things. If you're a bit nervous about doing it (or don't have another pair of hands to help), ask your vet to do it when you visit
It's surprisingly easy once you get going with it. A gentle squeeze of the paw pads will make the claws extend, and most (all?) cats have clear nails so that the quick (the blood supply) is easy to see. If you need to restrain the old guy, wrap him in a big towel with only his head and the paw you are working on sticking out -- though hopefully he'll be cooperative enough that this won't be necessary.
Much easier than trimming a dog's nails.
This sounds like a typical cat job requiring about five pairs of hands to achieve it! Oh well, time to dig out the leather gardening gauntlets and the secateurs!
More seriously, I'd better go get a pair of clippers from somewhere, or might chicken out and wait for the next vet visit - not far off, as the cat has a thyroid problem so needs regular blood checks.
Thanks for the speedy responses!
Oh & welcome to A2K, aojr31!
You'll find many cat canciers here!
I would just take the little guy to the vet for it. I've tried trimming cat claws, and its really hard if you've never done it before. If you do it yourself, make sure you get that stiptec stuff to stop bleeding, just in case.
My vote is for the vet to do it
Use the kind of trimers that look like a small pair of sissors with a notch in the blade. You have to fumble around too much with the kind that makes you fit the claw precisely through the hole in the end.
Cats do not like people fumbling around with cutting tools in their hands.
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace