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January 9th, 2009
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Before you ever start trying to trim your cat’s nails, take the time to get her accustomed to you touching and examining the feet. Once she’s relaxed about that, hold the clippers against her claws without using them. Examine her claws so you get comfortable seeing where the “quick” is inside the nail so you know where not to cut when you do eventually give her a pedicure. |
That probably works for most cats. My boy cat, part Siamese, is so hyper-sensitive and reactive he still, after 2+ years with me, won’t tolerate me holding a paw and pressing even one claw out. So far, the only way I’ve been able to trim his claws is to have someone else hold him down, which isn’t pleasant. Any suggestions? I’m thinking maybe a cat-dose tranquilizer, because I’m desperate.
I think it’s worth trying the Spirit Essence called Stress Stopper – you can see all these homeopathic Bach-flower based remedies on my website http://www.TracieHotchner.com where I gave Spirit Essence a page. You use this liquid be rubbing some on his paw pads and on his ears and in his food. I’d use it along with Nervous Nelly, which has transformed my over-reactive, always-worried dog into a much more relaxed fellow. Use the stress Stopper about 10 minutes before you want to cut a nail.Put the Nervous Nelly in h8is food dish at both meals. You also want to associate having his feet touched with something positive, so get some very small pieces of chicken and hold it between your fingers while lightly touching a paw with your other hand. You want to make a positive association between letting his foot be touched and the presence of a tasty treat. Once you can get him relaxed – a desensitization that could take weeks, I should warn you – then you just need to exert upward pressure UNDERNEATH his paw pad and the nail will slide out. With a HUMAN nail clipper, snip just one nail and take a break, offering that cheese or chicken tempting bait. Little by little he’s going to accept this – but turning it into a wrestling match will only make the whole experience worse.
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