Allegra and I are getting mother daughter pedicures today.  I'll be going to my local boom salon.  Allegra's nail technician makes a house call.  Yes, I admit it:  despite trimming endless cats' nails every bit a veterinary banana, and educating clients on how to do information technology, I can't trim Allegra'southward nails  without having someone assistance me.

Cats' nails, peculiarly when they're kittens, are very precipitous, and they don't just injure when they're used on y'all, they can besides harm furniture and carpet.  Having plenty of scratching posts and training your cats to employ them will help with that aspect, but keeping cats' nails trimmed is important for other reasons.  Cats' nails grow very fast, and if not trimmed, tin can grow into the pads of the paws, which is a very painful condition that will require veterinary attending.

The time to get your cat used to having her nails trimmed is when she's a kitten.  Play with her paws, squeeze the manus pads, touch the nails, but cease equally before long as the kitten fights y'all or starts to seize with teeth at your manus.  Eventually, every bit the kitten gets used to having her paws handled, y'all tin commencement using nail trimmers peculiarly designed for pets.  Do not use scissors, they tin can split up your cat'southward nails.  You'll too want to have some styptic powder on paw in case you cutting the nails too short and make the quicks drain.  If you don't have styptic powder, a black (caffeinated) tea bag applied with gentle pressure works equally well.  To avoid cut the quick, prune only the tip of the smash; when in doubt, err on the side of circumspection and have off  less than y'all recall you can.  You lot're better off doing more frequent boom trims than making it a painful experience your true cat will dread every time she sees you bringing out the nail clippers.  Yous may just exist able to do one or two nails at a time – always stop when the cat starts resisting or struggling.

If you lot've tried the desensitization approach and your cat still won't let you trim her nails, there are several options.  You tin can attempt wrapping your cat in a towel (the kitty burrito arroyo), exposing one leg at a time.  Yous can become someone to help you, so i of y'all tin can restrain the cat while the other person trims the nails.  Brand certain that your helper knows how to properly and safely restrain a true cat.  And of course, you can besides take your cat to your veterinary clinic for her pedicure.

An alternative to boom trims are soft nail caps that are glued onto the cat'due south claws and so they can't do any damage when the cat scratches.  You tin can do this yourself, or take information technology washed at your veterinary clinic.  I'g not a fan of these boom caps.  The cat'due south paws volition nevertheless take to exist handled to utilize the caps, and nails have to be trimmed prior to awarding, then if you're able to do that, and then why not simply trim the cat'due south nails, menstruation.  Additionally, once the caps are on, cats won't be able to retract their claws, and I can't imagine that feels very adept to them.

I tried the desensitization approach described above with Allegra when I adopted her at seven months old – with very picayune success.  She was a play biter and touching her feet merely encouraged her to bite.  I was using multiple beliefs modification methods to get her to stop bitter, and I realized I was pushing my luck trying to get her used to nail trims until I had addressed her other issues.  And then for now, a friend helps me, and nail trims take 30 seconds for all four paws.  There are plenty of treats afterwards (for Allegra, and for my friend, also).

How do your cats feel near having their nails trimmed?