Wondering what is the right way to trim a cat’s claws?
I know what you are feeling.
You know we see all these videos where the cats are just sitting there quietly getting there nails trimmed.
While what is shown is true but that doesn’t paint the entire picture now does it?
I mean not all cats are the same. Some will just sit there like a little queen thoroughly enjoying the process of getting groomed.
While others will hiss and growl the moment they perceive you are upto something funny.
Today this post is going to cater the needs of the second type of cat owners.
In the subsequent sections I will give you 5 tips to follow if you wish to know how to trim an angry cat’s claws.
Is It Necessary To Trim A Cat’s Claws?
So if you are a new cat owner you may wonder is it at all necessary to trim a cat’s claws?
In essence, not all cats need to have their claws trimmed especially if she is an outdoor cat because she will need her claws intact to defend herself, hunting climbing and marking her territory.
For indoor cats that do not get into conflict that often a scratching post is sufficient to allow for daily claw maintenance.
What happens if you don’t trim a cat’s claws?
While the questions are apt and yes nail clipping is not an easy task with some cats but in certain situations it’s a necessary evil.
Some of these situations include,
- Your cat is scratching your furniture a lot and is causing a lot of damage as a result of it.
- Maybe for some reason, your cat has turned aggressive and is scratching you a lot. And in the process of treating her, your vet may suggest trimming her nails.
- Another common scenario is when your cat is old and is unable to maintain her claws as efficiently as she used to when she was young and agile. And in order for her to not develop infections, as a result of it, you may have no option but to trim her nails.
So whatever the situation maybe its important for you to be ready, knowledgeable and well-versed on how to trim an aggressive cat’s claws if need be.
How To NOT Trim An Angry Cat’s Claws?
Before I go ahead and tell you how to trim an aggressive cat’s claws it is very important for you to know how to NOT trim your cat’s claws.
Because understand this your cat’s behavior is determined by rewards.
If you want her to do something you have to associate that doing with something pleasant.
That is basically how we train our pets.
But if there is a perception of reward in her mind, there will be a perception of unpleasantness as well.
So for example, do not try to lure her in with a treat if you wish to do something with her that you know she doesn’t like.
Just simply go and get her.
Or else she will associate the reward or treats in this case with bad memories and will stop listening to your calls or will start hiding altogether.
One other thing that you can do is start developing these habits of getting used to nail clipping and general grooming when she is young.
Once the patterns become strong with age, it increasingly becomes difficult to inculcate these habits which invariably creates problems for you and her.
But if for some unknown reason your cat has indeed associated you clipping her nails with unpleasant experience, that is when it becomes over difficult to trim an angry cat’s claws.
But don’t worry.
Here I present 5 tips that will be invaluable for you to know how to trim an angry cat’s nails.
1.Create A Comfortable Environment And Be Very Cautious
First and foremost ensure that while you are trimming her nails you are not doing it in an environment which may excite her or make her anxious.
And secondly once you have ensured a secure and stable environment make sure you are paying attention while trimming her nails.
I say this because one of the reasons why your cat may be reacting aggressively is because of the simple fact that you may be doing it wrong.
If how you trim her nails is causing her pain of discomfort in some way she will bite, hiss, scratch or even growl in some cases.
Here are a few pointers to keep in mind.
- Be very patient while trimming your kitty’s nails. if you are not you may cut the quick beneath her nails.
- Quick is the little pinkish dense tinge within a cat’s claws where all the blood vessels reside.
- If you by mistake cut too deep where the quick is, her claw is going to blled a little bit and cause pain for her.
This will then be a sure shot way of ensuring she never lets you trim her nails.
Here is a good video for you to refer.
2.Consider Routine Grooming Of Your Cat
Cats as alive as they are, you have to understand the simple fact that they are creatures of habit and memory.
Cats are very territorial beings.
This means anything that is not in the borders of what they know is new and potentially resistive in their psyche.
That is why we see pet parents finding it difficult to introduce new pets when they already have one.
So, things like grooming and trimming the nails in this example, will produce resistance from within them if its new.
Try and make them get used to you touching their paws.
You can for example massage the paws everyday softly so that she gets used to the feeling.
Take your time with this and never squeeze too hard or she will associate your touch with pain and start becoming aggressive when you do that.
When you observe that she is okay with you touching/massaging her feet press the paw gently to reveal her claws.
But don’t trim the claws just yet.
Enforce the sense of comfort by rewarding her with a treat.
This will be an indirect way of training her to let her handle her paw without being defensive.
Never try to brute your way into doing things with her.
It will do more harm than good.
When you repeat the cycle often you will observe your cat will stop observing the action as intrusion and will let her guard down and not pull her claws back.
In other words, patience is the key.
3. Make Her Familiar With The Sound Of The Clipper
Many cat parents have observed that their cats do not like the sound of the clipper.
If your cat behaves in a similar way, the next thing that you need to do is make her familiar with the sound of the clipper.
So, what do you do to do that?
The solution is a but funny but it works.
You cut a spaghetti in front of her.
Cutting an uncooked spaghetti with the help of a trimmer closely resembles the sound of nail clippings.
Here is what you need to do.
- As mentioned before firstly create a comfortable environment that doesn’t excite or make the cat anxious.
- Make the cat sit in your lap and wait till she is calm, quiet and comfortable.
- Massage her paws slowly and when you observe that she is okay press gently to extend her nail.
- Don’t try to clip her nail yet.
- Take some spaghetti and cut it with the help of a clipper.
- Take a pause and gave your cat some treat.
- Repeat the process till she is comfortable with the clipping noise.
I think you now get the idea behind the whole process.
If you want to trim claws of an aggressive cat you need to be patient.
You cannot just trim the claws of an angry cat just like that without giving due respect to what behaviour she is going through.
You will have to take your time to first come in tune with what kind of behaviour she is expressing.
Next you need to look into different reward tactics to slowly move from the behaviours she is expressing to how you wish her to behave in any given situation.
4. Time To Trim The Claws Of Your Angry Cat
So, if you have followed the above steps properly you should have firmly established in your cat’s psyche that whatever you wish to do up to this point doesn’t pose any threat to you.
Not only do the actions don’t pose a threat to her.
But all these actions will even provide her with rewards.
In truth that is the basic essence of how you go about training your pets.
Patience, understanding and compassion.
You can go ahead and trim your angry cat’s nails now. She won’t mind.
However, make sure you are following some of these pointers.
- The best way to trim a cat’s claws is by resting her comfortably on your lap.
- Once done, press the paw gently till the claw appears and quickly but carefully cut it off.
- If your cat is overly aggressive you may be tempted to wrap her in a blanket.
- You can perceive for yourselves that a forced action like this one will lead to your cat developing bad behaviours and will add to her aggression.
- Don’t rush it. Take some breaks between nail clipping if she starts getting agitated.
- You don’t need to cut all the claws at once. If your cat is expressing aggression just manage to cut one nail and offer her a treat.
- Resume nail clipping after a while when she is comfortable and is no longer expressing aggression.
Some of you may still be sceptic of their cats sitting still and calm while you clip her nails.
That is precisely why I advise you to be patient with aggressive cats.
All the steps that we have discussed till now need to be taken with patience and giving the required time.
Think of it like this.
If you with patience are able to trim the nails of an aggressive cat.
You will have a lot of insight into your cat’s nature and you will be able to train and control her behaviour in many different areas as well.
5. Don’t Do This If You Want To Trim The Nails Of An Angry Cat
Now let’s face it, pets can be difficult sometimes.
There is no point denying it. As a matter of fact, sometimes in what we consider to be love for cats or pets for that matter we spoil and create bad behaviours in them.
Now what I am going to say may sound odd to you.
But showing our pets their place is important.
However, you can never do that with force. That’s like making a mistake and then making another mistake to cover the previous mistake.
I have seen many times Jackson Galaxy mention that our pets mirror what we feel inwardly.
So, in order for you to have a harmonious relationship with your cat you need to have a harmonious relationship with yourselves first.
So if keep these pointers on what not to do while trimming the nails of an angry cat.
- Pay attention to what state of mind your cat is in. Don’t start clipping while she is moody, anxious or excited. Look for a window when she is calm and composed.
- Use good quality clippers. I will list some of them down below.
- Never force or punish your cat in frustration. This will be bad for both of you.
- Don’t contemplate declawing. This is an indirect way of punishing the cat. It’s a very painful procedure that will render your cat handicapped for life and lead to development of bad including even more aggressive behaviours.
If your cat is taking out all her scratching on the sofa and other valuable furniture a good scratching post will help tremendously.
I have also created a separate post on how to create a non-toxic herbal DIY cat repellent spray to aid you.
But just having a scratching post won’t be enough, check this 10-day step by step guide on how to stop your cat from scratching your furniture by strategically shifting the scratching to a scratching posts.
So, after you have followed all the steps that we discussed here your aggressive cat should allow you to trim her nails.
Remember, patience and compassion is the key.
Let me know in the comments section how did it go.
Comment below if you know any other method that you use to trim the claws of your cat which tends to get aggressive when you do it.
I will be happy to include it in the post for the world to see.
As promised here are some of the best cat nail clippers you can buy right away.
- Mr. Pen cat nail clipper designs to optimize comfort and control while grooming your furry friend
- Sharp, long-lasting cutting edge helps trim nails cleanly and quickly.
- Soft grip technology features non-slip grips and an ergonomically designed handle made to fit the natural curvature of your hand
- Helps make the nail trimming process easier for you and less stressful for your pet.
- Suitable for all cat breeds and sizes
- Trim Your Pet's Nails Safely - It’s easy to make a precise, safe trim with our semi-circular blades. Your pet’s nail rests in the semi-circle - you see precisely where you’re trimming - no guessing.
- Safety Guard to Avoid Overcutting - Safety stop blade greatly reduces the risk of trimming nails too short.
- Free Nail File - Free Hidden Nail File conveniently stored in handle will allow you to polish sharp nails to perfection.
- Ergonomically And Durable Handles - Ergonomically designed non-slip handles are strong,lightweight,and comfortable.
- For Small Pets - Enjoy the simple use of our sharp claw trimmers that comes with a nail file work to maintain healthy small animal's nails like, rabbits, small dogs, cats, puppies and more.
- 🐶【PERFECT DESIGN】High Quality Stainless Steal blade Cat & Kitten and easy for cut which is Small, lightweight claw clippers ideal for cats, kittens and other small animals.
- 🐱【QUALITY & SAFE】Designed for best grip possible - left or right handed. A sharp but safe blade that will quickly cut through excess nail, allowing you to trim your cats claws quickly, without any fuss.
- 🐶【PROFESSIONAL & IDEAL】Professional Clippers ideal for both cats and small dogs. Non-slip grip that ensures you have a firm grasp of the clippers, allowing you to make a quick and clean snip
- 🐱【GOOD MATERIAL】Rubber coated handles, The smooth, curved head ensures that you won't nick you or your cat on any sharp edges.
- 🐶【UNIQUE SERVICE】Helps Save furniture without hurting your fluffy pal.
Take great care of yourselves and your cat and I will see you in the next one.
Tada!.
