How to Clip a Cat's Nails

From training your young kitty to allow her nails to be clipped, to the proper hold and cut, here is a guide to helping you clip your cat's nails before they do damage to you or your home.

Training a Kitten to Allow Its Nails to be Clipped

When you get a kitten, you will spend much time playing with her. Be sure that some of that time includes pressing your fingers on each one of the tiny paws in order to extend the claws. Play gently with each joint in the paw to figure out how the claws retract and come forward. Doing this repeatedly to a young kitten will help train her that it is OK to allow you to press her paws and extend the claws. This will set the stage for her to allow you to clip her nails for the rest of her life.

Properly Holding a Cat to Clip Its Nails

When clipping a cat's nails, it is important to have the proper hold in order to protect yourself from getting cut from a sharp claw as the cat attempts to escape. The scruff of a cat is located behind its ears, right at the neck. This area has excess skin and is where a mother cat will carry around her baby kittens with her mouth. If you grab a handful of skin and gently lift the cat, you will find that not only are you not hurting the cat, but the cat becomes very compliant as well.

If your cat is not very thrilled with the idea of having it's nails clipped, you can have someone help you by holding the cat's scruff and having another hand firmly on the cat's hind quarters, pinning it to the ground safely for you to handle each paw, drawing one claw out at a time for clipping.

For a cat who is more compliant, you can clip the nails by yourself. Sit on the floor, and hold the cat over one leg with the paw you are working on between your legs. Your arm should go over the cat's back, and hold the paw, drawing out the claws, while your other hand holds the clippers. This hold gives you some freedom to trap the cat with your arm if she attempts to escape. Depending on how docile your cat may be, having your cat sit in front of you and offer a paw for clipping is also an option, just be aware that if the cat decides she has had enough, you will have to catch her again.

Properly Cutting Your Cat's Nails

When clipping your cat's nails, be aware of the quick. This is the darkened area that extends from the paw a little way through the nail itself. This is the part of the nail that is still alive and is extremely painful if you nick it. You may clip the nail all the way to the quick, just be careful to not cut it. If you do cut it, you will have to stop the bleeding and you can use styptic powder for this.

De-clawing a cat involves removing everything from the first knuckle forward, and doing this can change the cat's personality and will remove her ability to defend herself if she were to get out of the house. Learning to clip her nails is a more humane method of protecting yourself and your furniture from your cat's natural desire to scratch.

How to Clip a Cat's Nails

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