Nail Clipping
Nail Clipping
Make sure you’ve been doing the pre-work
If you haven’t been doing the Paw Touch pre-work all along, remember that you need to go slowly in the beginning of nail clipping and it may take longer. The cat is not used to having a human touch his paws, so we need to work on that first.
If you get frustrated because this step takes a while, just remember that most cats who didn’t need socialization also don’t like getting their nails clipped so that some adopters bring their cats to the vet to get their nails clipped. We definitely don’t want a socialized cat to go through the stress of going to the vet just to get his nails clipped, so it’s good to get him used it getting it done at home.
Getting the right nail clipper is so important
You want a nail clipper that is very sharp (there are a lot of cheap nail clippers out there that aren’t sharp enough) and can clip quickly. The nail clipper I recommend in the Setup section is only $10 or so. Believe me, trying to save $2 and getting another kind isn’t worth it.
Do I really need to clip my cat’s nails & how often should I clip them?
Clipping nails is for the comfort of the cat and possibly to save furniture. But if the cat doesn’t scratch the furniture and his nail don’t seem to bother him, I don’t bother clipping the cat’s nails. How do I tell if the nails bother the cat? I check the nails periodically and make sure none of them start to grow so long that it curls in and pokes the paw pad. When I hear a “click click click” sound when the cat walks on hard flooring, I figure that may bother the cat. I clip nails about once a month or once every other month. Just like humans, each cat’s nails grow at different speeds.
By the way, I find that cats often scratch furniture because they don’t have an appropriate scratching post. You need to figure out if the cat like to scratch horizontally or vertically. To be safe, I offer both options. The scratcher needs to be tall/long enough for the cat to fully stretch out his back (stretching is one of the reasons why they scratch). The scratcher also needs to feel solid and should not wobble when the cat scratches at it. My favorites are:
Horizontal: PetFusion Ultimate Cat Scratcher Lounge, Reversible Infinity Scratcher
Vertical: SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post
Nail Clipping
We methodically get the cat used to having his paws touched then nails clipped, while creating a positive association with treats. Remember you only need to clip one or two nails at a time. Don’t force clipping all the nails at the same time if the cat doesn’t want anymore of it because that will create a negative association for the cat and then you won’t even be able to clip one or two nails.
I make sure to give the same advice to my adopters that after they get to the Nail Clipping stage (usually by week 3 or 4 post adoption), that they play with the cat’s paws with treats a few times a week for the rest of the cat’s life so that the cat continues to be used to having his paws touched.
The nail clipper I highly recommend is cheap and linked in Setup section.
Paw Touch Refresher
A refresher of Paw Touch in action.
Which part of the nail to clip
Never use the guard of the nail clipper because the length to clip depends on how long the cat’s nail is and also how long the cat’s quick is. I have one cat that has a really long quick so I only snip a tiny amount at the tip to remove the sharp part of her nail. Some cats have a short quick.
Never cut the quick (the pink part of the nail) because that is painful and will cause the cat to bleed. It is equivalent to someone ripping up your nail where the nail is on top of your nail bed. It’s the same concept for humans, if you grow your nails long there is the white part of the nail and the pink part.
When in doubt, cut less than you think you need to.
Images: Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine & Spa-4-Paws
Nail Clipping in Action
Here is an example of me clipping a cat’s nails after he completed the “Nail Clipping” step. It’s really easy and stree-free for you and the cat once you get the cat comfortable with it!