Keeping your cat's claws trimmed is good grooming and will reduce the damage done by sharp nails. If possible, get the cat used to having their claws trimmed while they are still young. Never encourage a cat to play roughly with hands or feet.
Cat nails never stop growing, which can mean bad news for anything that crosses their path because cats scratch to buff and shorten them. Nail trimming can prevent a cat from scratching belongings. Scratch posts or scratch mats can help as well.
The pinker part of the nail is supplied with blood vessels and if cut, it can cause bleeding. If this should happen by mistake, keep some silver nitrate on hand to stop the flow of blood. We advise you not to make a clean cut, but trim the claw little by little, to make sure you don't cut too much. Always remain calm.
Absolutely! Your cat will instinctively scratch, not just to keep their nails trimmed but to strengthen the muscles that allow them to retract their claws.
Trim Tiger's claws: While trimming your cat's nails won't stop it from scratching the furniture, it will render their nails a little less destructive by keeping the tips from getting too sharp. This is also an important part of routine grooming for all cats and should be done regularly.
If not trimmed or filed down, these nails can keep growing to a point where they are uncomfortable for the cat or may even curl back into their toe or paw pad. In some cases, long nails may get torn out and cause bleeding or other problems for the cat.
Clipping Kitty's Nails
Keeping your cat's claws trimmed is good grooming and will reduce the damage done by sharp nails. If possible, get the cat used to having their claws trimmed while they are still young. Never encourage a cat to play roughly with hands or feet.
Both indoor and outdoor cats need to have their nails trimmed because their nails can be snagged and caught in soft surfaces, or the cat may lose their ability to retract their claws altogether. Arthritic cats, indoors or out, usually don't exercise enough to keep their nails short via scratching.
Although your pets may not seem to enjoy nail clipping, it benefits their health in several ways. Many creatures need to have their claws trimmed. They include cats, dogs, rabbits, birds and even guinea pigs.
The quick contains the nerves and blood vessels of the nail. If the quick is clipped, it causes a lot of pain and bleeding. Injury is most likely the reason your cat hates getting their nails trimmed; once they feel that pain, they know what to avoid. A well-trained cat will not mind getting its nails trimmed.
For the most part, cats require nail cutting about every 2-3 weeks. Mature cats usually need more frequent nail clippings than kittens. Make sure you provide a scratching post to support your cat's instinctive urge to claw and to keep those nails trimmed between clipping sessions.
Nail clippers are also an option, but you run the risk of catching the 'quick' blood supply inside the claw. Doing so causes a lot of pain for the animal and likely for you too. A pet nail grinder is a much more gentle and natural alternative to declawing and far safer than using clippers.
And because cats' claws need regular sharpening, cats scratch on things to remove frayed, worn outer claws and expose new, sharper claws. All this scratching can cause a lot of damage to furniture, drapes and carpeting!
Cats have retractable nails, so they won't wear down from walking. Cats also need their nails to remain sharp at all times, since in the wild they need them for hunting and climbing trees to escape predators. To maintain their sharpness, cats' nails grow in layers.
Your cat's nails will become sharp and will need to be trimmed every few weeks or so depending on how quickly they grow. Teaching your kitten to tolerate having his nails trimmed early in life will make the task much easier as he becomes an adult.
If you've spent much time around cats of any size, you know they all have sharp claws. You may also know that these weapons aren't visible all the time. That's because they can retract, or draw back, their claws. Most cats have this ability.
Starting nail trims as soon as 6-8 weeks of age is recommended to get them used to the procedure, even if you're only able to do one paw at a time. Start slow, offer breaks, and give them a high value treat with every nail trim: think feline greenies or other treats or canned cat food.
Cutting your felines nails should be done every 2-3 weeks and will prevent them becoming caught in carpets and fabrics which encourage a harder scratch. Check out this Wikihow article for more tips on trimming your cats nails.
Cats CAN learn to understand that their claws hurt you if you let them know gently. But a cat's claws are naturally sharp and are a necessary part of a cat. They don't think about using them, they're just there.
Many veterinarians do recommend cat claw caps as a humane and effective way to prevent cats from scratching and causing damage to furniture and other surfaces.
Are nail caps safe for cats? According to Mary Molloy, animal behavior counselor and founder of Nirvana Tails in NYC—yes, absolutely. “[The caps] do not prevent the cat from retracting his claw, and if properly applied, they do not cause any pain or damage to the claw bed,” she reports.