How short can i cut my cats nails?

Question

I heard that there was a vein in the cats nails. If you cut it too short, you can bleed them. How short can i cut it without hurting it?

Answer 1

In the beginning cut them longer than you will later just to begin the process, but look for the pink, inner part inside the nail, that is the quick and it will bleed if you cut too far back and hit the quick. If this should happen you can use a little styptic or baby powder to stop the bleeding. If you have never cut your cats nails before and it is not a kitten, you may want to take your cat to a vet and have it done. If you are determined to do it, have a little treat sitting along side your cat, wrap her in a towel and talk to her in a calm soothing voice, hold her in your lap, don't pull her leg or cause any harm or stress, To get the nail exposed, gently press on the pad with your thumb and index finger to expose the nail you will be cutting. Don't forget, if your cat has the normal amount of toes she will have five on each front paw and four on the backs. After trimming one or two nails, give her a treat, pet her, give her and yourself a little neutral time before proceeding.
You could also go online and find a site that will explain the process with diagrams.
Check out the ones I have listed in the source box.
Remember, this should be a pleasing, bonding process for you and your cat. If at anytime she seems irritated, have a vet do it.

Answer 2

You can cut your cats nails but only just below the pink line which is the blood vein. If you cut that or above then it is very painful for the cat. The best bet is to go to the vet and have them show you just were to cut.

The cheapest way to cut them is to use regular nail clipers just turn the paw to the side, extend the nail and clip the flat of it. Much like you would do your own. If you do the the wrong way then you can split the nail and the cat will not be too happy and it may cause bleeding.

Answer 3

It's much easier to do if you get the special clippers from the pet store. The cat's nails are just like human nails - the white part can be removed and you must not cut into the pink part which is the quick. It will bleed and cause pain.

Shorter isn't necessarily better if you are not experienced. Just take off the tips as you get the cat to accept having its paws handled. Better not to stress the cat or yourself. Even if you only get two or three nails on the first try you can just go back to it next day or a few hours later.

Answer 4

Yes, there is a pink part inside the claw, this is the quick that will bleed if you cut into it. Cats do have feeling in their claw and this quick is sensitive. I agree its easier to have a groomer or vet trim the claws for you - one groomer told me its easier to have one person hold the animal while the other trims the claws. If the cat is an indoor cat, you can have claw caps put on - they are cute plastic caps that help protect the furniture, and are changed monthly. Kind of like a manicure for cats. Declawing should only be done as a very last resort, some say this changes the behavior of the cat and not for the better, declawed cats bite more. Besides, declawing is very painful to a cat and requires overnight surgery and recovery time.

Answer 5

I cut my cats nails and I look for what the vet told me.
Look closely at your cats nails and you will see the white part and then some pink.. DO NOT GO PAST THE WHITE PART into the pink or they will bleed and you ****** up. Just cut the tips off, it doesnt have to be a big ammount, just whatever you do do not snip near the pinky part..

Answer 6

if you look closely, you can see the vein in your cat's claws. but if you cant, just take off about 1/8th of an inch (only if your cat's nails are fully grown out) or a little less than that. NEVER cut close to your cat's paw.
Hope this helps.

Answer 7

Please be careful. Cutting them to short can cause extreem pain, bleeding, and other problems. I would not take any more than 1/8 of an inch off a full size cat, and less off smaller animals. A vet could give you a better answer, but we have several kitties, (we also foster), and that seems to work best for us. We haven't had a complaint as of yet. lol

Answer 8

Instead of cutting the cats nails why don't you just have the front claws removed. Only if your keeping it as an indoor cat. Leave the back claws because they don't do any damage. Remove the front claws to protect your furniture. If your letting your cat go outside then don't remove them because they need claws for self defense. Clipping them is such a hard thing to do because their paws are much smaller than dogs so it hard to judge how short to cut them.

Answer 9

You should probably go to a vet's office, so they can show you where the quick is. (That's the part of the nail you don't want to cut into.) Be careful doing your own pet's nails, it is much safer and sometimes better for you both to go to a groomer.

Answer 10

Take it to the vet and let him cut them back. It only costs about 5 bucks.