My cat won't hold still long enough for me to clip his claws, and he has fleas. What can I do?

Question

I have a siamese cat, and I just had him fixed this year. He has clawed my carpet infront of my back door, and each time he stretches no matter what room he's in while he's in the house he tends to claw at the carpets and sometimes my couch on my back porch. Please tell me what I can do to remendy this. He's mostly an outdoor cat, but I keep him indoor as well. Also I've given him a bath with some flea shampoo, but that didn't help. Anything I can use to help remendy this problem as well?

Answer 1

Ha ha ha. These people have obviously never dealt with an angry Siamese cat. Mine was vicious when I attempted to clip. The towel did not work. Getting assistance did not work. If you can get a professional to do it you should. A couple of times a got a little way when he was sleeping but never finished. (My kitties paws did hurt though )

Fleas are a compound issue though. Everyone is right get one of those treatments from the vet. They will ask about age and weight before selling it to you. The eggs are really the problem though. They can lay dormant for months waiting for vibrations (walking vacuuming...) to hatch. I had to get a growth inhibitor from the vet. I had to treat all the soft surfaces in the house... mattresses, couches... Fleas love dark tight places. They can get out of vacuum cleaners and squeeze between floors. The growth inhibitor stops them from ever becoming adult biting fleas thus breaking the cycle. It has been 2 years and we have not seen another flea. The inhibitor and the treatment came to around $25. Well worth it! You will spend more in over the counter remedies just to find out they do not work.

Answer 2

For the fleas:
Flea shampoo is pretty much useless. It may kill the fleas that are on your pet but it won't prevent more from jumping on. Depending on the brand, it can also be toxic, even if it's labelled for cats.
I recommend using either Frontline or Revolution to keep fleas off your cat. You should be able to get one or the other from your vet. They are expensive but the important thing is that they are SAFE and they WORK. Do not bathe your cat for at least 24 hours before or after applying Frontline or Revolution.

As far as the scratching/clawing:
Do you provide a scratching post and/or a cat tree as an alternative to furnature? Perhaps supplying either or both of these could decrease your cat's tendancy to scratch at the furnature and carpets. You could try putting double sided tape over the surfaces where your cat scratches. Most cats don't like the sticky feeling of tape. Try spraying him with a water bottle when he starts to scratch. The idea is to make the experience unpleasant so that he won't want to do it.

For nail trims:
If you have someone that could assist you, one person could hold while the other clips. If you have to do it by yourself, wrap him up, snugly, in a towel so that his front feet stick out. Trim those, then re-wrap him and do the back feet. You may need to do just one foot a day or something. If all else fails, you may need to take him to a groomer to have his nails done. Your vet office may also be able to do it.

Answer 3

For the fleas, you need more than just a shampoo. Try capstar or advantix, they work better and last longer.

As far as the claws, don't get discouraged. If you can get one nail clipped at a time, do it that way. The next time, you might get two in. Over time, they will learn that this is not a horrible thing and will stop squirming long enough to get all of them done. You do have to hold them in such a manner that they don't just jump away. Put the cats body between your rib cage and your arm. Hold firm, but don't squish. Have the clippers in your hand before you get them into this position. Grab one paw and push the claws out by applying pressure on the top and bottom of the paw. Clip what you can, don't clip too close. It's better to clip less than more when you are trying to teach them to let you do it. If you clip too close during the learning phase, it will hurt them tremendously and bleed like a stuck pig (imagine your nail tip getting ripped off and bleed).

Since you have an indoor/outdoor cat, do not even consider the declawing proceedure. I don't suggest that for anyone, but especially outdoor cats.

Answer 4

You can take him the the vet a couple times a month and get his claws clipped for a small fee. Also, they have these really cool new acrylic nails for cats so they cant damage anything. Its a great alternative to declaw and it only has to be done a couple times a month. The vet will usually even show you how to do them yourself at home.

Flea shampoos and collars dont work, dont even waste your time! Get your cat frontline or advantage. You only have to put it on the back of their neck once a month. The medicine gets into their blood stream and when the fleas bite your cat they will die within 24 hours. I use frontline on my cats religiously and I havent seen a flea in years (and I brought home fleas all the time when I worked at an animal hospital). Just make sure your read the directions because these medications are weight and age specific.

Good luck!

Answer 5

#1 Wrap the cat in a towel and pull just one leg out at a time to clip the nails. It works better to have two people to do this. Its called toweling. Even if you cut the nails, they grow in layers called sheaths, they will claw more to sharpen them again. Get him a scratching post.

#2 Advantage for fleas is the best. It is avalable at any pet store or vet. Flea shampoos and collars do not work unless the cat has the shampoo on him and then when its washed off its no longer effective. Flea collars are effective on all the fleas they touch, nothing else. (Well, they stink)

#3 Fleas carry tapeworms. If you cat has fleas he has tapeworms and should be treated. Just purchase the pill from the vet if you think you can give it to him.

Answer 6

1. Train your cat to have his claws clipped. Start by massaging his feet and moving his claws out as if you were going to cut them. When he is feeling relaxed, it will be easier to do. Start by clipping one and praise him. Work up to all around. I also try to trim when the cat is sleepy.
2. Get some scratching posts to encourage him to scratch something other than the carpet/couch. You can get double sided sticky tape for your couch and spray to help him avoid the carpet from a pet store.
3. Fleas are a pain. Even after you bathe your cat, they may still be in the carpeting and/or his bedding and/or wherever he goes outside. So, get a good flea killer/repellent from your vet - sorry, most of the over the counter stuff doesn't work as well. Vacuum the heck out of the carpet and treat it with a pet-safe flea killer. "Seven" used to have a powder that worked well and was safe, I don't know if they still make it.
Good luck....

Answer 7

I use Cat Bathing Wipes for my kittens. Your local Wal-Mart will have them. They are only $3 for a package of 7 wipes. My kittens and I love these. You don't have to deal with the claws and teeth that come out when you get them anywhere near water. All you do is take out a wipe and wipe down the cat. It leaves them smelling great and keeps your blood where it belongs (in your body).

Answer 8

Buy him a scratching post for him to use his nails on. If he is going outside, it isn't a good idea to trim his nails too short because then he can't climb and defend himself outside against other animals. If you want his nails trimmed, your Veterinarian can trim them for you, or have a friend help you (an extra set of hands always helps.)

If he continues to go outside, he will most likely continue to get fleas from coming in contact with other animals that have them. You should treat your house to get rid of them in the environment, but if the cat goes back outside, he'll probably bring them back with him. Here is some more information on fleas: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7419.html

If your cat is going outside, he is most likely coming into contact with other cats. So, it is very important that he gets his annual Rabies, FeLV, and FVRCP vaccinations. Call your Veterinarian for more information.

Answer 9

keeping the cat indoor only will cut out the flea problem! you can try advantage or frontline drops from the vets. as for the claws, does he have a scratching post or a cat tree to climb? they need to file down there nails and that's how they do it, a groomer or a vet can also do that. oh yeah, thanks for getting your cat fixed!

Answer 10

Places like PetSmart will clip their nails for you. As for the fleas...go to a vet. Preferably get rid of the fleas before you take him to PetSmart.