Mani-pedis for cats

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

When I got Pete, I had assumed and sort of hoped that once he settled in, he'd be going out to play most days, but since his fight and split ear, he's hardly left the flat at all unless I encourage him and go down to the ground floor with him, and even then he doesn't go out out, he just sits on the front steps with me and has a look at the world. So despite him shredding his scratching posts/scratching mats/my furniture/my legs, his nails are getting long^*. I don't think he's been used to having his claws clipped by whoever had him before me, and he doesn't like me touching his paws at all. I've managed to clip a couple of his back nails by scratching his head and then snipping the rear claws off while he's distracted (and he hasn't even noticed  ) but he won't let me near his front paws. So I think I need to take him to a groomer/book a mobile groomer to sort him out.

Have any of you used a cat beautician before?

^* He does seem to have sticky-out nails or not be very good at retracting them. I got him a play tunnel a few months ago and ended up giving it away because he kept getting stuck in it because he doesn't always retract his claws, the big thicky.

[Kim]

No, but one of our cats was rubbish at scratching, and generally had to have her nails trimmed whenever she started to sound like she was wearing SPDs on the kitchen floor.  Clipping cats' claws is best done as a two-person job: One person holds and distracts the cat, while the other does the clipping.  We found that cradling her in your arms, legs upwards, while standing was the best approach - it made her a bit less wriggly, and gave good claw access.  Use a proper claw clipper, it's quick and easy.

Loosely related Top Tip: If anyone asks you to help them clip their cat's claws, make sure that you volunteer to be the one working the clippers and fetching the elastoplast.


(Guinea pigs, on the other hand, are a different matter entirely.  As they're basically tribbles, they're much more cooperative, unless you trim too far and hurt them, at which point they'll use their super rodent teeth skills to share the pain.  See above about using proper claw clippers, and in the case of dark-clawed animals, a decent torch.)

[Pingu]

The nurses at our vets will do nail clipping for a fee. Have you asked your vet?

Agree with Kim that it's easiest done as a two-minion job.

[Jaded]

Getting a cat to accept nail cutting is best done from kittenhood.

Holding by the nape can also work a bit.

Definitely do it when they are dozy or asleep. I've tried foot massage to get a cat used to having feet messed with. It has partially worked.

[Mrs Pingu]

When we did Mojo and Pippin we used to only do a couple of claws a day as any more than that just ended in tears.
I first bought a set of Mikki clippers - they are shite because they're too big to get between the claw and the pad (if you cut across the claw as you're supposed to).
We then got a 2nd set of clippers http://www.groomers-online.com/product.php/1128/karlie-cat-claw-clipper ordered from the vet after Mojo had his done by the nurse there and I saw that theirs were a lot smaller. Still wasn't that easy until they both got a bit too aged to fight. Haven't tried doing the new recruits yet.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

No, but one of our cats was rubbish at scratching, and generally had to have her nails trimmed whenever she started to sound like she was wearing SPDs on the kitchen floor.  Clipping cats' claws is best done as a two-person job: One person holds and distracts the cat, while the other does the clipping.  We found that cradling her in your arms, legs upwards, while standing was the best approach - it made her a bit less wriggly, and gave good claw access.  Use a proper claw clipper, it's quick and easy.

He'll let me pick him up for a few seconds at a time, but never on his back, he has to be sitting up. I think it's a job for a professional, in gauntlets.