Why you don't you give your vet a call and see if there is a vet tech
available to come to your house after their shift, trim your cat's claws
the first time and show you how to maintain them. Offer to pay $10-$15
for their trouble and I'm sure you'll get the help you need. :-)

Megan

                                   

You should be able to clip his claws and they certainly sound like they need
to be done. I really like the "scissor" type like shown here
http://www.petsmart.com/cat/shopping/grooming%5Fsupplies%5F%5F%5Ftools/nail%
5Fclippers/products/product%5F19480.shtml
I did use regular people nail clippers for years until Tiggers claws got
thick in her old age but you guy's may be too long for them. Make sure you
have good light so you can see what you're doing. Just clip the white part
of the nail. You can see a pink line in the nail toward the toe - avoid
getting too close to that. You may want to attempt this when he's in a lazy
curl up in your lap mood. If he doesn't tolerate having all of them done at
one time just do one or two at a time and get the rest later.

Okay, I mentioned this before, but I guess it got overlooked somehow.

I am kinda helpless with this one:
My old boy Charley (17 this year) has stopped scratching - completely.
Even his fave Tablefront he wont touch. Hes absolutely as always in
every other way, a totally laid back ever-hungry cat, as Garfield-like
as one can imagine. When he sees the two "younger" ones scratching its
as if he thinks "I am over such childish behaviour".

Of course I dont mind him not ruining my furnitures, but his claws are
getting pretty long, and curling close to the pads.

As I said hes an old cat. He does not like to be taken to the vets at
all and I dont want to if its not urgent, not until his next routinely
visit later this year.

Now, should I shorten them with those clips? I ve never done that and
I am not sure... If I was shown (or told) how to I guess I could
manage. Hes not at all peculiar about touching paws.

If you think its better to go to the vets I guess  I will, just that
he always overreacts badly when he has to be brought outside, and hes
not as young as he was.

Yours meaowingly,

Alex

suggestion:  See if you can find a Vet to come to your home  (I do).
If you try to trim them yourself, be sure to clip only the sharp tip.
Do not cut into the vein ( little dark streak) or you will hurt him
and make it bleed.  Be sure you have a good pair of clippers.  You can
buy these at a pet store and are easier to use then people clippers
IMO.  I  used to trim my Siamese but don't dare do TuTu's.  The nails
will grow into the pads if left untrimmed.  Good luck

My Pepper decided I wasn't going to clip her claws any more. Then the thumb
claw started growing into the pad and I had to.  Now I'll do one or two a
day until I get them all done.

--
  Barb
  I can only please one person a day.
  Today is not your day.
  Tomorrow doesn't look good either.

I would get cat claw nippers and nip them. You can also use human toe nail
nippers. Most importantly, do not cut the pink "quick" or else it will hurt and
bleed. You may need to slowly over time clip them back as the quick may have
grown long because the nails are so long.

Sounds like he walks on carpeting all day long and his claws won't file down
naturally. Does he like catnip? Put some on his cat tree. If he's old, he may
have arthritis and reaching up to a cat tree is too much for his old joints.
You can get a scratch mat so it'll be easier for him to scratch. Reward him
every time he scratches on the scratch mat.

I used to hold my old kitty on his back and clip his nails real quick. You can
also pin them to the floor with one leg over them and clip them that way.
Obviously, don't stress him out too much and reward him afterward.

circa 22 Jan 2004 07:01:54 -0800, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav,
Alexandra (PurePhilomath@aol.com) said,

Absolutely you should. I use human toenail clippers on my cats' claws
just because I find them easier to work with, but whatever you're
comfortable with that cuts cleanly is fine. Just don't cut the quick
(the pink part), and don't let the claws grow so long that they curl
into the kitty's pawpads. That's very painful for them.

Laura

We clip our cat's nails every one or two weeks. Originally we bought
these special cat nail clippers but we found them awkward to use and
instead used large human nail clippers which are excellent for the
purpose.

You just need to gently press the pad near the nail you want to clip
and then cut but not too close to the 'quick' of the nail - the
lighter/thicker part of the nail closer to his paw. Stay well away
from that part but if you only clip the 'sharp end' and leave most of
the nail then it is a once-weekly job. Once the cats got used to it it
was no problem. We had more trouble clipping the back paw nails which
in the end we only clipped once per month or so.

Usually one of us holds the cat and distracts her by nibbling her ears
and telling her how gorgeous and so much sexier than the other cats
she is while the other does the clipping. One of our passed-away cats
ODIE used to just lie on the couch and give you her front paws and let
you clip them.

We have a new rescue-cat called BISCUIT whom we are planning to clip
nails this weekend for her first time. She is a wide-awake rough
player and I have the arm wounds to prove it!!! This will be
interesting 'cos she already knows how sexy she is!!!

Iain.H

My heart says 'Kant' but my head says 'Hobbes'