How to cut a cats claws?

Question

My ragdoll has ALWAYS hated getting his claws trimmed. Ever since he was a kitten he has bitten, scratched, and fought for his life every time I tried to touch his paws. I tried taking him to a groomer, but they had a hard time gave up on trying! Even the vet has to muzzle him during vet visits. The only way I have been able to trim his claws is when he is asleep, but now that he is getting older (1 year, 2months), he seems to be getting wiser :(

I do not want to declaw him, and I cannot get soft claws on him either. Will I have to take him to the vet every time he needs his claws trimmed? Does anyone have any ideas???

Answer 1

You might ask the vet about trying mild sedative prior to nail trimming. Another option - sometimes cats are much worse at the vet's office - consider having an experienced tech come over and try doing them at home.
If those things don't work, I recommend you consider front declaw. Yes, I know many people will tell you it's horrendous cruelty, but it's not. I'm not a big fan of declawing but I am practical about it. How much stress will the cat endure with a lifetime of nail trims vs. one surgery? Obviously, you should go to a skilled vet, and have it done properly. This site talks about the laser method, which is the most up-to-date.
http://www.petdr.com/declawdesc.htm
When cats are young and small, they recover very quickly from declawing. It's harder on the older, bigger ones. So, don't wait until he's 15 pounds and 5 years old to declaw. Good luck.

Answer 2

You can try a couple of things. 1. there are new low cost ($20) nail "grinders" that you can use to file down the nails. He'll still jerk back at first but will become used to the sound and feel of the vibrations 2. If you bathe your cat yourself (assuming that you do bathe your cat) it is much easier to cut nails while they are soft after bathing. 3. Find a friend (a real friend) who is willing to hold your cat while you concentrate on one paw at a time. The paw may move a little but much easier to manage than an entire cat moving. 4. It's worth the $10 charged by a vet tech to clip nails once a month! Takes less than 5 minutes. 5. There are some natural spray products that calm cats for stressful events, as well as, natural drops that calm. Results vary and can be expensive. Good luck.

Answer 3

No easy way. You can slowly get him accustomed to touching his feet, but it will take time to work with him. Your vet may be able to prescribe a pill like valium that you can give him before bringing him in for a nail trim--it may calm him down a little bit. Some cats just really hate this.

Answer 4

Play with him for awhile till he wants to go to sleep then hold him in your arms let him fall asleep and start trimming his claws. Or get another person to hold him down while you trim his claws.

Answer 5

You need to take your cat to the vet to trim his claws where they can sedate him or! There is a product that you can put your cat in to administer medication, and groom their nails.
Andrea

Answer 6

My cat is difficult with cutting her nails too. I wrap her in a towel except for the one paw I need and this usually works for me.

Answer 7

go to a vet they may even put him to sleep when they do it so he wont feel anything (not like he doesn anyway.) or buy a cone at a local pet store.

Answer 8

you should get him a good scratching post

Answer 9

you can do it to dogs so maybe you can do it to cats. go to a vet

Answer 10

let nature do its work. get a few scratching posts in your home.