What is the best way to cut my two cats' nails?

Question

I have 2 cats and both of them get uneasy everytime I try to cut their nails. In our house, it is a two man job. While I cut, someone else has to feed them treats to keep them distracted. However, lately nobody is willing to help me with this.

Is there another (and easier) way to do this?

Answer 1

When the cat is sleepy, give it some pets, trim a nail, then pet it some more & give it a treat, then trim another nail. Then stop - the sessions need to stay pleasant & short. You'll get them all done over a few days, and it won't stress out the cats.

I trim my cats' nails with them sitting on my lap, with their back against my stomach and their legs on my lap, holding them against my body with my arms as I trim. Most of my cats will let me do all of their nails that way without a fuss - just be quick, calm, and self-assured about it, and give treats or a pleasant brushing (if that's what they enjoy) afterward. One of my cats, though, will still only tolerate me trimming a few nails at a time. That's fine, too - I just do hers a few at a time over a few days until we're done.

Answer 2

About a week before clipping, get kitty use to having his/her paws handled. Massage her paws while petting him/her, and gently press on the paw pads. Reward with treats when he/she is accepting of it.

Don't attempt to trim all of his/her claws at once. Trim one or two, reward him/her with treats and affection, and then let him/her go is he/she wants to. Cats don't like restraint, and they're not big on patience. This is natural, and you won't change it. So the trick is to make it as tollerable as possible for kitty.

Hold kitty comfortably on the floor, your lap, or a table. Clip halfway between the end of the quick and the tip of claw.
Take a break if kitty becomes impatient, even if the break must last as much as a day. You'll eventually get them all trimmed. Cats do a pretty good job of keeping their back claws trimmed, so it may not even be necessary to trim their back claws. Even many of the cat guardians who trim the back claws only do so two or three times per year.

Hold the clippers in a vertical position (up and down) to prevent the claw from splitting.

Answer 3

I cut my cats' claws while they're deeply asleep. Since it is analogous to trimming your nails, they don't feel anything and stay asleep. I could never get them to cooperate while awake because neither of them want anyone touching their feet, ever. It works much better than my husband wrestling with them while I try to catch a paw. So far, they haven't woken up once since I started doing this (about six months ago). The trick is just finding them asleep when claw-trimming is on your mind.

Answer 4

Dr. Foster & Smith has a claw control bag that would work great for you. It's a nylon bag that you zip kitty up in, it holds him secure while you can unzip and take out one paw at a time. It helps keep kitty calm and keeps you from getting scratched to death. My manx actually likes being in the thing!! When you get it out, he comes running! LOL

Answer 5

Wrap them in a towel and hold them like a baby in swaddling clothes. Do one paw at a time with human clippers. If they get really antsy, let them go and finish the job later.

Answer 6

hold on lap, one foot at a time give her a break if she starts getting edgy, u can wrap in towel or small blanket to prevent scratching, i use a small pair of regular people clippers.

Answer 7

vet does mine
apparently they have to be done with special clippers

just washing MsKits feet when she comes in is a big wriggly deal

Answer 8

take them to a vet

Answer 9

carefully