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Questions
- Should you Trim or Cut a Cat, Claws?
- How to Know if Your Cats Claws are too Long
- How to Trim a Cat Nails
- Using the Right Tools
Cats are so good at taking care of themselves that it’s sometimes surprising when we find ourselves having to lend them a helping hand. Some cats can go their whole lives without ever needing a single claw trim. While others will need regular maintenance unless you want all your soft furnishings to be full of snag marks.
Trimming cat claws can be quite an intimidating task and sometimes it’s best left to a professional groomer to lend a helping hand. If you’re keen to learn, how do it yourself or want to know the signs of when they need their claws cutting, we’ve got you covered.
Should you Trim or Cut a Cat, Claws?
Not every cat will need their owners to trim their overgrown claws. Many young and fit felines are perfectly capable of wearing down their own claws naturally as they explore the great outdoors as they get older and become less active, that’s when it’s time for owners to intervene in their claw grooming.
Many young and fit felines are perfectly capable of wearing down their own claws from hard surface such as pavements or as they climb trees. Taking all the hard work out for their owners. For their indoor counterparts, their luxury of having plush carpets and smooth titles, won’t quite do the trick – giving an extra job for their owners. Whilst owners can provide plenty of scratching posts but the likelihood of them still needing a trim from time to time is high.
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How to Know if Your Cats Claws are too Long
Since cats' claws have a natural curve to them, it can be quite hard to distinguish when it’s time for a trim.
When a feline’s nails get too long, you might notice they start to catch on things. You might be able to hear them snag in your carpet or tap against wooden floors as they walk. If they’re kneading a blanket, they might even get threads stuck around them and make it difficult to pull away.
When claws get too long, it affects their ability to retract properly, so even when their claws are meant to be away, they might still catch on your clothing or furniture. You know then, they’re due a trim.
If allowed to continue growing, cat claws will start to curl back around and can even start to grow back into the pads of their paws. This can cause some nasty wounds and lead to infections if not treated quickly enough. Keeping nails nice and trim is the best way to avoid them getting any injuries from overgrown claws.
How to Trim a Cat Nails
Trimming a cat’s nails can be quite the experience if they aren’t used to it. It’s best to start young or when you bring your kitten home. Occasionally trimming a little length off the end of their claws will help them get used to the sensation and can do the world of good in the long run. Like most things, claw trimming is just one of those things that it’s good to have the option to do without a fight.
If you’re adopting an older cat or if you have a moggy who doesn’t like their claws even being touched, it’s best to build it up slowly. It can be a very gradual process, but it’s worth it when you’re able to easily care for your feline friend without a struggle if they ever need it.
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Trimming a cat’s nail should not hurt them. If they’re used to handling, growing accustomed to it can be a short process. You can cut your cat’s claws by following the steps below:
Take a seat with your cat and have the nail clippers within reach. You can get them comfortable, ideally sitting on your lap, you can pick up a paw one by one and you may need to hold them quite firmly, so they don’t pull away.
When you pick up a paw this should be enough pressure to be able to see the nails.
Be sure to do this in good lighting as you need to be able to see the quick. The quick of the nail is where you can see pink beneath the white nail in the thickest area closest to the paw.
Take your clippers and cut away the tip of the nail, you can take it a little shorter with a second cut if you need to but don’t make them too short. They still need to use them to grip, and you don’t want to cut the quick which will be painful and cause them to bleed.
Once you finish one nail you can quickly move on to the rest. If you or your moggy isn’t used to clipping nails it may be quite a slow start so you will want to give them a little break between clipping each paw.
If they’re an indoor cat and this becomes a regular part of their routine, even clipping all four paws can become a nice quick process followed by a nice treat or a game with their favourite toys.
Using the Right Tools
You should always use nail clippers designed for cat claws when cutting your feline friend’s claws. They need their nails to be a specific curved shape to still use effectively so nail cutters we might use on ourselves would leave their nails in the wrong position. Specific cat nail trimmers will make the job much easier for you.
Cat nail clippers are super easy to use scissor like pair of nail trimmers that cut the nail into the perfect curved shape your moggy needs. You can become a pro at cutting your own kitten’s nails faster than you know it with the right equipment. For larger cats, you may need something a little tougher like The Spa Guillotine Nail Clipper.
To find the ideal grooming equipment and all your other cat and kitten essentials, look online and in-store.