Nail trimming time!

@ElicBxn (63194)
United States
May 23, 2008 8:24am CST
So, last night we decided to do some nail trimming. A few had gotten really bad and we had been saying we needed to do their nails for about a week. So, the roomie sat in the kitchen while I went around and caught cats to drag to her for trims. And here's the list of who we did: Tuti, Nef, Scamp, Blossom, Flower, Oliver, Rygel, Ping, Pong, Gabby, Timus, Sassy, Booboo, Tony, NiƱo, Taj, Roxie, and Solo That is just about everyone we can handle to trim nails of. Don't know where Kit was, and didn't want to get Rio since it would've disturbed Star. We don't trim Star, Ronnie or Gizmo because we are attached to our skin and Chalube BITES! So, do you ever trim your cats nails or even the back ones of those you have ripped the front ones out of? Or do you ever put off doing a chore until it all has to be done. Some of these cats weren't too bad, but other's I took a half inch off their tips.
5 people like this
19 responses
@ayrin03 (318)
• Philippines
23 May 08
some cats are not that bad..i tried my cats trimmed but i was wrong..i shouldn't done that..because what if they were on the fight..They can't fight because they haven't nails to protect themselves..Try to train your cat and i know cat has a brain to remeber anything you trained them.. believe me
3 people like this
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
23 May 08
Actually, by taking off the sharp tips, you are not interfering with their ablitity to defend themselves.
1 person likes this
@tess1960 (2385)
• United States
23 May 08
I've never trimmed out cats nails. We had them declawed, front only, and they are house cats. We never let them outside and if they should ever get out they would need those back claws for defense. We have taught them not to use those claws to scratch us. I was told by our vet that they will take care of trimming on there own. They run races on our basement steps and the vet said that would werar them down somewhat. I don't envy you the job of trimming that many animals. I couldn't imagine owning that many. Trying not to trip over the two I have is a chore enough. LOL
2 people like this
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
23 May 08
You didn't offend me, I even have one we had to declaw, but it can be a cause of pain and future bad behavior with cats. I just think you should do some research on this painful proceedure.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
23 May 08
Declawing is the same as cutting off the last joint of your finger. Some cats have phantom pain, just like amputees do. Some countries have outlawed declawing, some towns in the U.S. have too. Some consider declawing animal abuse.
2 people like this
@tess1960 (2385)
• United States
23 May 08
I apologize if I offended you. I assure you I use a very knowledgeable and reputable vet and my cats are treated like royalty. They have good lives and receive all the special care they need. I also have never heard that declawing is outlawed or so awfully painful. Thank you for enlightening me. Thankfully I have never noticed any awful ill effects in any of my cats. Again I apologize if I offended you!!!
2 people like this
@blackbriar (9076)
• United States
29 May 08
Even thou I train all my cats to readily accept nail-trimming from wee kittens, I seldom trim their nails. Once in a while if I happen to notice one of them have long nails, I'll fetch the clippers and do them on the spot. They sure love to beat the crap outta the stratching post thou. I've been reminded by Tigger several times I need to make some new ones. lol
2 people like this
• United States
29 May 08
Simba can fall into that catagory. When he manages to sucker us into letting him snuggle in our shirt next to our skin, he will start kneading like mad while upping his motorboat. Then will settle down for a nap. He's always cold and discovered at a young age that we produce the desired heat he so craves.
2 people like this
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
1 Jun 08
That sounds like Tony. He spent one cold night outside before he was rescued by another myloter. She was going to take him to Walmart and give him away, but I said I'd drive down and get him. He hates cold, he would climb under the covers this last winter to stay warm. Now he's discovered the playpen, he's out there in the heat all the time.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
29 May 08
We have a few heavy duty kneaders. So, those we need to trim regularly. Gabby, on the other hand, we sometimes let go too long and she has daggers to take off.
1 person likes this
@luvnlife (31)
• United States
31 May 08
I can trim jazz's nails, but Max runs and hides, or pulls when I try. Daisy was given to us and only has back claws and bites hard when I try to trim hers. I take the 2 and have them done by groomer. They then hate them instead of me LOL. Daisy holds a gruge forever. You have quite a few cats/kittens are you a breeder?
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
1 Jun 08
We have sisel scratchers too, but after a while they are just too long and SHARP! No, not a breeder, a rescuer. We have one declawed, but because he sent the roomie and me to the hospital 3 times!
1 person likes this
• United States
31 May 08
I forgot to mention, I use Sisal scratch posts and they help with their nails. They seem to really love the texture etc.. which leaves my furniture safe also.
2 people like this
@luvstochat (6907)
• United States
23 May 08
I have been thinking about trimming my kitties nails they just 5 months old but man are their claws every sharp! I am going to go buy some kitty clippers somtime this week I have been putting it off. I think one kitty will do really good but the other one will freak out.
2 people like this
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
23 May 08
Blossom and Flower are only about 8 weeks old, and this is the second time we've trimmed them. Those baby nails grow so FAST!
1 person likes this
25 May 08
I was also thinking about trimming my cat's nails but I am afraid they will run away from me. I am afraid they will get hurt and I need to be careful with them when trimming my cats nails. I love them so much. They are so meaningful to me.
2 people like this
@GreenMoo (11834)
23 May 08
"So, do you ever trim your cats nails or even the back ones of those you have ripped the front ones out of?" I'm sorry, am I reading that right? If I am, it's no wonder you have to drag the cats for their trims and suffer the occassional bite! I've been known to trim the very tips of my cat's front claws before, but I've only ever found it necessary with the older ones who aren't so active and don't wear them down naturally any more. I guess outdoor cats will wear them down more quickly than indoor ones. I really don't agree with the practice of declawing cats.
2 people like this
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
23 May 08
I'm talking about people that declaw their cats. We have one that is declawed, but it was because the former roommate was on blood thinners and he is unpredictable. This cat sent me and the roomie to the hospital 3 times. I tip the nails, and the cats are all indoors only.
1 person likes this
@GreenMoo (11834)
24 May 08
Apologies, I obviously misunderstood. Declawing is a practice that I strongly disagree with. However, there are exceptions to everything and I think your roomie's medical condition is one of those.
2 people like this
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
31 May 08
That's 24 cats in total! and 18 that were trimmed...thats 72 paws to be trimmed. Holy cow! I love my animals but I don't think I could look after that many. I wouldn't be able to afford to feed them or keep track of them. A part of me would just love to surround myself with critters...but I can't even keep my Banjo at home. Just how do you trim a cat's nails...I just tried to look at Banjo's and he would not co-operate?
1 person likes this
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
8 Jun 08
Ahhh, 4 lots of hands and elbows and an extra lap. That would be a big help...
1 person likes this
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
4 Nov 08
Again! BR! Tops.....thanks my friend....luv ya
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
1 Jun 08
I think I forgot to add one, maybe we forgot to trim him too.... The roomie holds them while I trim. It isn't easy, but we do it. We hand out pets when they ask for them. Some ask for lots more pets than others.
1 person likes this
@AmbiePam (84649)
• United States
23 May 08
Hello ElixBxn! How are you today? Well my dog needs his nails trimmed badly. I need to take him to the vet to get his new set of shots, and I'm going to have them trim his nails at the same time. I have a friend who is a lot like you. She takes in any animals that need a home. She has trimmed Sherlock's nails in the past, but she is super busy right now and I don't want to bother her. I don't try to trim my dog's nails because he hates it, and I don't want to hurt him trying to hold him still. The vet manages to do it much better than I could.
2 people like this
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
23 May 08
As I said, there are some of the cats I won't trim. I don't do dogs either, not the least because Zoe, the roomie's dog, has bitten the VET when she tried to do her nails. She has to be muzzled to be trimmed.
1 person likes this
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
23 May 08
That is nice that you can do it yourself. We do our dogs nails also unless it is time for him to go to the vet to get groomed. We do his grooming sometimes too. When we don't have the time to mess with, it we take him to the groomer. We put off doing his hair too because it is so thick and layered and it takes forever to groom him properly. He gets groomed in the summer because he gets hot with all of that hair and he sheds some of his winter coat. I have never groomed a cat though. We only own a dog right now and a hamster.
2 people like this
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
23 May 08
Rio - my easter kitty
We only have one long haired cat that has been groomed once. She's Rio, one of the ones we didn't get last night.
1 person likes this
@jillmalitz (5131)
• United States
23 May 08
yikes! That is a lot of work. So far I don't have much trouble with my younger dog, Daisy, cause she and I walk on the streets around our neighborhood which helps to keep her nails short. But my older dog, Lady, does not like to walk much any more and I always have to fight with her to trim her nails. I admit I will put that off too long for just that reason.
2 people like this
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
23 May 08
I don't do the dogs, just the cats. As I said, I don't do all of them either, but I do most of them.
1 person likes this
@twallace (2675)
• United States
23 May 08
I know that the cat didn't like that one bit. Has there been a time when you have clipped to far and the cat bit you ?
• Australia
26 Jun 08
Yeah, cutting a cats nails can be pretty tricky sometimes. I actually got some really good advice from a vet on how to do it, but it still requires two people. Wrap the cat up tightly in a nice warm towel, preferably one straight out of a dryer or warming cupboard/rack. Make sure the feet you aren't working on are tightly wrapped to avoid the kick out! Next, the person not holding the cat and not clipping the nails needs to grab the scruff of the neck, to the point said kitty ends up with an instant face lift! This temporarily paralysis them. Very quickly, snip offending nails. Let cat go, catch again and restart! Oh, and don't forget the scruff holder needs to also stroke the throat of kitty too, makes them even dozier! It worked for us, and we barely ended up with any scratches, only with cats that ended up loving being treated like a baby!
2 people like this
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
26 Jun 08
Because we start with the cats as kittens, most of those are pretty easy to work with by the time they are grown. The newcomers take a while longer to adjust to the trimming.
2 people like this
@mcat19 (1357)
• United States
23 May 08
It takes 2 of us to do claws here. One holds and the other clips. Only one of our cats is exempt from this. She is making great strides in letting us handle her that I don't want to jinx it. My daughter used to trim her cats' claws all by herself. She put the cat under her arm and clipped one claw after another and both her cats let her do it.
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
23 May 08
We do most of them with the 2 of us. I do have some I can do alone just as you describe it, but its faster and easier to do it as a tag team.
• Lubbock, Texas
24 May 08
ROFL The picture of a cat that you chose to put in this post is mine, and I'd like to see somebody trim her claws!!! Not only does she have front claws and back claws (that's four feet folks) she also has teeth!! You'd have to tie her up in a straight jacket and have someone else hold her to get that task done without getting ripped to shreds. As long as you don't touch her paws she's docile and loving.
2 people like this
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
24 May 08
I think we have different cats in our interest catagory. One of our cats is the same way. Chalube is that way, very sweet, but don't touch his paws!
@TerryZ (22076)
• United States
23 May 08
Yes some cats can be nasty when it comes to triming the nails. I use to a groomer and Ive been clipping my cats nails since they have been kittens. I do them them every 2 weeks. I like to keep them short. Its bad on the feet when they get long.
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
23 May 08
Some of mine use them so they get trimmed, others are so good with them they get forgotten. But all of them that we really trim got it last night, tho a few didn't need but a couple trimmed back.
1 person likes this
• United States
27 Jun 08
Wow! That is a lot of cats! We have three cats and none of them like to have their nails done. They all fight me and bite me, but it's for their own good. If the cat has too long nails, they can get caught on furniture or drapes and injure themselves! Plus long claws make my cats act violent toward each other. Clipping makes them more docile and house friendly!
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
21 Aug 08
I don't find that trimming their nails makes them more docile, but it does make them more house (and skin) friendly. Oh, why don't you accept me as a friend?
• India
24 May 08
I think the best things is to cut the cats nails at every weekend. This helps to keep them clean and also keep the childrens in the home out of danger of any unintentinal accident.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
24 May 08
That's great, and some of our cats get trimmed more often because they use them. We don't have any children, so when they come visit the cats mostly all run.
@phoenix25 (1541)
• United States
26 Jun 08
Wow, I couldn't imagine trimming that many cats' nails. I don't trim my cat's claws, but I do trim my ferret's claws. All I have to say is thank god for ferretone. It's this liquid vitamin supplement for ferrets. I drop a couple of drops on his belly and he licks it up while I trim his claws. It makes it SOO much easier.
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
26 Jun 08
Wow, how handy is that! I wish there were something to make trimming the cat's that easy!
@Kierstal (142)
• United States
26 May 08
I'm always afraid to trim my cat's claws, because I'm afraid I'll hurt her because she tends to struggle a lot. Have you heard of that Peticure thing? It's mostly for dogs but I think you can use it on cats too, it files the claws down and has a guard so you don't injure the animal... I haven't tried it yet but I'd like to get one sometime. In the meantime, we use SoftPaws claw caps, the glue-on rubbery/plastic caps. They work well enough but if your cat is very active or if you don't get the right size, they can fall off within a week or so... so it's kind of annoying to keep replacing them, but it's better than potentially hurting my cat with the clippers.
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
26 May 08
I've heard of people that use soft paws, you are supposed to trim their nails before you glue them on. Of course, with as many cats as I have, that would really run into bucks.
1 person likes this