Clipping Your Cat's Nails

By Amy D. Shojai
from The Purina Encylcopedia of Cat Care

Most cats attend to the nails themselves, but claws can overgrow, tear, and split, causing painful infections. Trimming your cat's nails regularly reduces the chances of these problems -- and tempers his urge to claw furniture.

Human nail clippers work well on some cats, particularly kittens with tiny claws. Commercial cat toenail clippers are available from your veterinarian, pet-supply store, or mail-order catalogs. These are designed to cut kitty claws at the proper angle without the risk of splitting or crushing the nail. There are trimmers designed like scissors as well as guillotine-type clippers. The best clipper has very sharp blades and is one you're comfortable handling.

Get your cat used to having his paws handled while still a kitten. A good time to clips claws is when your cat is relaxed, perhaps after a nap. Often, it's easiest to have two sets of hands available during nail clipping -- one pair to hold and calm your cat, the other to trim. Trimming nails single-handedly works well with trusting cats who have confident owners.

Grasp the paw and gently press it between your fingers and thumb to express the claws, using your other hand to clip the nails. Don't forget the dew claw, located in the "thumb" position inside the lower [front] leg. And don't forget that cats can have extra toes -- referred to as polydactylism -- that will need to be clipped, with some cats having as many as seven toes on each foot. Trim only the ends of each nail, which is usually white, and avoid the pink quick, which will bleed. If you cut too closely, use a styptic pencil or cornstarch on the nail, or rake the claw through a bar of soap to stop the bleeding.

Work quickly, and if your cat begins to fret too much, let him go even if only one or two claws are done. You can finish later. Reward the cat with a play session or special treat, so he'll associate nail trimming with good things. Always trim your cat's nails before bathing him.

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Last Updated: October 24 2004
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