> Care
Trimming Your
Cat's Nails
Dr.
Christianne Schelling
http://www.catscratching.com
Though you should
never declaw, you may defray some of your cat's potential for
destruction by carefully trimming the razor-sharp tips of her
claws. You will find this endeavor more easily accomplished by two
people, one to hold Kitty and one to trim her nails. Though she
enjoys other forms of pampering, Kitty will not find a manicure
soothing.
Gently hold Kitty's paw in one hand and with your thumb on top of
the paw and forefinger on the pad gently squeeze your thumb and
finger together. This will push the claw rear of the fur so it can
easily be seen. You will notice that the inside of the claw is
pink near its base. This is living tissue that you do not want to
cut. Trim only the clear tip of the nail. Do not
clip the area where pink tissue is visible nor the slightly opaque
region that outlines the pink tissue. This will avoid cutting into
areas that would be painful or bleed. The desired effect is simply
to blunt the claw tip. Many different types of nail trimmers are
available in pet stores, but I find human toenail clippers easy
and effective to use.
If by now you're rolling on the floor laughing because you know
your cat isn't about to let you trim her claws, here are a
couple of guidelines that will help make this a possibility:
Patience and preparation.
Rushing into a full-scale claw trimming is a foolhardy move unless
you're really into operatic drama and traumatic events. As you
well know, cats hate to be restrained. And they don't like you
fooling with their paws, which comes across as threatening. After
all, their claws are a major tool for survival, and Kitty may
consider your motives suspect.
This is where preparation comes to the rescue. For approximately a
week before her manicure, begin making Kitty accustomed to having
her paws handled. While petting and soothing her, start massaging
her paws, especially on the under side. Gently press on the
individual pads at the base of her claws. You may want to give her
treats to reward her for not protesting. (Or as in the case of my
own cat, to distract her from doing so.) The point, of course, is
to make the process reassuring so that she will eventually feel
comfortable enough to let you handle her paws without protest.
Next, be patient. Don't attempt to trim all her nails at once.
Trim one or two at a time, reward her with affection or food, and
then let her do as she wishes. Cats are not strong on patience or
restraint. As the creature theoretically higher on to evolutionary
scale, that's your department. Don't attempt to change your cat.
Instead make it tolerable for her. Eventually trimming will become
a completely non-traumatic experience.
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