My thoughts are the earlier you start the better so kitty can get used to be handled in this manner.

My cat was previously declawed by her former owner (I feel so bad about that so I rub her front feet for her often ha ha) so we only have the back toes to worry about. If someone else is holding her I can get them done in about a minute. She is not pleased with this scenario, but tolerates her manicure...especially if I follow up with a treat. :o)

verycarrie, out of curiousity and gathering info., which treats do you use? I'm thinking of getting some Wellness treats.

Thank you,
Carla

Although my last 3 cats have been declawed by previous owners, I remember from the other cats that the best thing to do is to get them while they're sleeping...really deeply sleeping, like right after some intense play and a meal. Just watch you don't get down to the quick. I never worried about the hind claws (and still don't with my current declawed cat...she has her hinds clipped at the vet and thats it)...they don't seem to grow as long and sharp as the front.

And no, I never had a cat who "liked" having their nails clipped. Although I will say that vets have a much easier time of it than we do.

L

I usually trim while they are sleeping. You have to be careful about not cutting too far. You could cut the quick/blood supply. You should have some steptic powder just in case any bleeding. Its actually easy to see the vein on cats, You can see the vein through the nail. If you havn't done it in a while start by just cutting the tips off. I use the guilatine(sp) style rather than the scissor style. I have seen it said that using people nail clippers and the scissor style pet clippers can crack claw, but I had used one for years and never had a problem.

i just bought the pedi paws becuase while my tabby is EASY to trim, my torty hates it. Her quicks appear to be really shallow especially on the back feet. We started her at 6 weeks weekly trimming but now it's a death match.

I will let you guys know how it works. We're trying it out on the easy tabby first to get used to it. It vibrates a lot so we have not gotten thru all the toes just yet but taking it slow and getting her used to it.

I would also like a treat recommendation, as Pedipaws recommends a post-trim treat.

NO, none of the three will let us do it...Our Persian went to the "beauty shop" every 6-8 weeks and they would do it, but we've never had any luck....
Just the other day, one of our local TV stations had a "try it" episode and they were using that Pet clipper thing they show on TV. The one where the cat or dog just sits there and they use this machine and it more or less sands the nail...Well, the thing doesn't work like it does on the ad...These cats/dogs would not let their owners near mostly because of the noise...One little dog kept showing his teeth and would try to attack the thing...They did have a groomer try it and what she could do normally in 5 minutes, took forever with this thing....It was very funny.....

My oldest female (5) will just lay there and let you trim her nails. My other 3 are not so cooperative. I have to hold all of them tightly and trim their nails. My male used to growl at me and cry in protest while I did this but he's learned I'm not going to kill him with a pair of nail clippers so he's getting better. Just make sure you never cut too far and always give plenty of love and maybe even some treats afterward so they associate the trimming with something positive.

I have had five cats in my life, and I have trimmed the nails on all of them (2 of my cats have passed on; I have 3 now). I do give the manicures while they are sleeping or sleepy, and relaxed. Two of my cats are still kittens, and their nails grow REALLY fast and need trimming every 8-9 days. As cats get older the nail growth slows down so they need trimming about once a month or so. I do the back nails too as I find that if I don't, my furniture gets scratched as the cats push off the furniture with their hind legs when jumping.

The key is to do the nail trimming while they're sleeping, and to start doing it young. Also, I do use the human nail clippers, as I find them much easier to handle than the specialty cat clippers. One of my cats (who passed away at 17) liked a gentle paw massage prior to nail clipping. She'd spread her paws out really wide, and purr as I rubbed each toe. Sometimes she'd just jump on my lap, and stick her paw out, toes spread, as if to say "foot massage please".

Carla17 - I would start your cat with one or two nails at a time, rather than trying to do an entire paw or two entire paws at once. Clip just after the nail curves, so as not to cut into the blood supply and cause bleeding. At first, maybe just cut the little tip off until you feel more confident to cut a bigger piece. So do one or two nails, while the cat is sleepy, then come back a few hours later, or the next day, and do a couple more nails. After doing a couple of nails, try giving a little foot massage. Your cat may jerk its paw back at first, but over time, will grow to like the massage. My routine, after having done cat manicures for so long, is to do the two front paws, then wait a day or two, and do the two back paws.

I use anything natural I can find at the pet store. The one thing my cat loves to do is eat so she is not too finicky with treats. She does like Wellness treats, so I would give those a try.

Feliz is a mellow calico who doesn't mind having her nails trimmed. I think she considers it part of the "spa" treatment! I wait until she is sleepy and on our bed (easier to reach her paws), pet her thoroughly, and then spread one front paw at a time, clipping with human nail clips. Her claws are almost clear, so I can easily see the vein. Her back claws are darker, so I only take off just the hook. We didn't clip her claws until she was 8 years old, and we moved to the farm. With predators about she could no longer be an outdoor/indoor cat and wear her claws down naturally, and she refused to use a scratching post. Try petting a sleepy cat, being very careful during the clipping, and then telling the cat what a good boy/girl it is. Be persistent, and your cat will learn to tolerate, if not enjoy, the procedure.

Our one cat is a complete monster about it. It's a two person job -- my husband holds her in his lap, and I play "dodge the claws and teeth". It's...not fun. We usually only manage to get one paw done at a time before we decide that both she and us have had enough.

I did trim one yesterday. They are clear up to the white part you're avoiding.
Rivkadr, I know it's not humorous to you but it is funny to read.
I'm hoping she'll be easier since the poor thing has been having oral meds for about a month.
Thank you all for your help.

Carla

:) I think your best bet, as others have mentioned, is to start young, and keep at it. Try to play with her paws a lot when you're not cutting her nails, i.e. knead her toes gently between your fingers (if she's relaxed and just sitting in your lap), and just touch her feet a lot. Get her used to you touching her feet as much as possible. We obviously did not do that enough with our monster kitty, and we can't get anywhere near her toes without a battle.

Someone on this forum suggested "sitting" on the cat (not exactly); putting her between my kneeling legs on the floor. I was beside myself as I didn't want to declaw and I have lots of leather furniture. I can quickly do her front paws now, she hardly fights me anymore. I give her a small piece of sandwich cheese which she loves and it's the only time I give it to her as it can give her diarrhea. It's harder to do the back claws but they don't get as sharp or as long. She's so used to it now that sometimes I can just hold her on my lap to check her claws out and trim if I need to.

My cat is most resistant to rear paw clipping and I have also heard of the kneeling approach but can't picture how it works for rear paws. Do you do it with her belly up or down?

If you start when they are kittens, it becomes easier with time. It really depends on the type of personalty the cat has.

My Jasper (male tabby, going on 3 years old) is very laid back when it comes to clipping his nails. I got him when he was 6 months old, and I started clipping his claws myself then. I started holding him in my arms as if he were a baby and I was cradling him. Now, he's a BIG boy and it's more difficult to hold him like that (he still loves it, but he's just too big), so I put him on his back in my lap and I swear he almsot sticks his paw up for is manicure! He purrs the entire time.... if course he purrs whenever I touch him and usually when I'm in the same room with him, so it may not be the nail clipping specifically. Though, I just did it today before work, and he almost seemed to enjoy it.

Now try to put him in a car, and he goes crazy.... he's not THAT laid back.