Cat Nailclipping

Our cat vet just upped the cost of nail clipping from $20 to $48. Assholes. Only one of 6 vets in this area who decided to do this. So me and Rosie decided to try it on our own. It worked out ok she held him in a towel and I clipped but I missed the two thumb claws cause first-time rookie. Anyone here do their cat's claws on your own? I'd like to hear some different techniques if there are any. He was squirmy likely cause he didn't know WTF we were trying to pull.

 

We always start when they are little so they grow up with it. You can start by petting and rubbing his/her paws to get used to that feeling, also I don't know how you did it but hold the cat upside down on his/her back so they are use to it and we always have some wet food or baby food on a spoon to district them seams to enjoy that part. We do ours about once a month the more you do it the better it gets. Also $48 is crazy expensive for a nail trim, our vet charge $14 and our cat is a polydactyl has extra toes almost another paw on each paw.

 

That extra paw/nail thing-since this was the 1st time I ever clipped his nails, I too noticed that on a couple of his, he had an extra nail further in! But these didn't need a clip because of their position, I figure him walking keeps those honed-down.
Far as the sudden price hike, I don't know what they're thinking-they probably drove more than just me away.
Thanks for the tips

 

Just got to watch the extra toes if you don't keep them trimmed they can grow into the pad and or paw

 

check petco or something similar I dont think they are that high priced. We get our chihuahua's nails trimmed there since they are so good at it.

 

Ever consider using a dremel? We have a dog specific one (it spins slower) and we just sand his nails back. Not sure if that's applicable to cats, but worth researching.

 

Every cat will be different. I have three and each has their own "needs" for how I can clip their nails. On is pretty docile. She hates it, but l lay her belly up between my legs while I sit on the couch and just put a little pressure on her sides to keep her from rolling over. She complains, but lets me clip all her claws and I give her a treat afterwards. A second cat needs the towel technique. We use a couch throw and wrap her up and just pull her legs out and clip away. She puts up more of a fight, but also can get all her paws in one sitting. The last cat is a complete asshole. No way in hell you're going to hold him down without one of you getting hurt. The best way we've found is to wait for him to fall into a deep sleep and just creep up on him. He wakes up midway and you have to stop, but my record is one paw before he fully wakes up. He gets fussy and I let him walk away. Makes the ordeal less traumatic for him, just have to be patient.

 

I trim my cats claws using a standard nail clippers by myself with no issues !!!! . I've been doing this to both Rascal and Gizmo since they've been kittens and takes no more than a couple min per cat

I just say " do you want your claws trimmed " and whatever cat it is jumps up onto the bathroom counter and sits there . I then lift one of there front paws up and start trimming and while I'm doing this they wait patiently. After they're done I reward them with treats

The trick is to make it a fun experience for the cat and not to scare them and to reassure them . Theres no need to wrap them in a towel as this only scares them more . Also talk to them while you're trimming their claws and give them love and it'll be less stressful for you and your cat

 

Wow all such cool replies! Thanks everyone Yesterday's little clipping session wasn't so bad for first try-only a couple minutes and I only missed two. I used a toenail clipper. One of his nails I noticed kind of split or cracked when I clipped it like it's brittle, but I saw that when the vet did it too. I gotta remember which one next time so I can hit it at the right angle.

 

Also make sure not to cut to closely to the quick of ea claw , the quick is the pink section nearest to the pad think of it as the cuticle of your fingernails

 

If you do cut to close and it bleeds, put some flour on the end to clot the bleeding.
We have to hold ours by the scruff of the neck and keep one hand behind the elbow to keep him from pulling back. One holds while the other clips with cat nail trimmers. This is usually done over the dinning room table. Is a slippery wood surface and he can't dig claws in to it.

 

Declaw those furry jerks.

Attack now!

 

My cat is super chill and it's very easy to clip his nails...my wife's cat though....that thing becomes a lethal weapon if you attempt to do his. Seriously, he'll flail around with his razor sharp claws like a rabid animal and its dangerous. We just let him have his sharp claws lol.

 

I did that to an old cat I had 10 yrs ago , I will never that to another cat ever again !!!

 

Seriously though. We have a 15 year old cat we did all 4 to when she was a kitten. Has been happy and healthy all
15 years but now our new partner kitten has claws after more info that it’s bad for cats...
don’t know if it’s a peta thing of if it’s really bad. Our 15 year old with no claws has NEVER seemed to have any issues.

 

Declawing a cat is something most veterinarians won't even do anymore...it's considered inhumane/abuse for good reason. Equivalent to having your fingernails pulled off, so they say.

 

Actually it's up to there 1rst knuckle

Yes it is now considered animal abuse

 

Makes me sad that some people still get it done, I would hope that they at least use anesthesia now. My parents got it done to our first cat when I was a kid, that cat was constantly pissed off and looking back that was probably a big reason why lol.

 

$48?? That's it? I would charge $700-$800 to clip some kitty claws.

 

Dang, the vet down the street from my house does it for $5/cat. Why would anyone pay almost $50 for something that takes 20 seconds.