Do you need to cut cats claws ? if yes can you do it your self or will you need it to be done at the vets?

Question

my cat seems to be catching her claws on her blanket pluss other things i have not noticed this before she is 14yrs old i have had her for 6yrs Thanks,

Answer 1

You can trim them yourself or you can have your vet or a groomer do it. Just clip the tips but not into the pink area of the claw

Answer 2

If you meant 'without' permission and his claws are like completely removed then there is something to worry about. This would mean your cat has been declawed. They usually do this at the same time of a neutering. Just check that and make sure... Otherwise, a trim of the nails is good. Keeps kitty from clawing off anyone's faces.

Answer 3

You can definitely do it yourself if you feel comfortable. If not, your vet or a groomer can do it for you. There is usually a small fee, but nothing too outrageous.



Basically, hold the kitty and gently push on each paw to get the nails to come out. Take a look at the nail - most of it will be clear, except for a pink part. That pink section is called the "quick" and contains all of the blood vessels that feed the nail. If you cut into the "quick", it will cause pain and bleeding. It's best to cut off just the sharp end of the nail, but as long as you do not cut into the quick, you can cut back farther. Don't forget - there are 5 nails on the front paws. The 5th nail is located off to the side of the main nails - almost like our thumb.



You can use human clippers since a cat's nails are about the same thickness of ours, but it's best to use clippers designed for cats. The blade is shaped differently and helps prevent splitting of the nail when cut.



If she goes outside at all, you probably won't have to trim them as often. If she's strictly indoors, I would recommend doing it every few weeks, and also getting her something to scratch on, like a post or cardboard.

Answer 4

Take her to the Vet, she may have problems retracting her claws (due to age) and if her claws need attention they will show you how to cut them without hurting her! Only the very tip should be cut as a cat can bleed excessively if the living 'quick' is cut accidently. They will also be able to show you which clippers are best. You may find it quite difficult to do yourself though as it will be new for her and fighting with an angry spitting cat isn't fun. They don't LIKE having them clipped but people do it to 'blunt' them and normally start it when they're kittens.

Does she have a scratching post? That helps keep the claws at the correct length.

Answer 5

You don't have to, you can get a scratching post which should keep the claws at a good length. If the claws continue to snag, the pet stores sell clippers for cats and dogs so that you can do it yourself. You have to make sure you do not cut them too low (to the vein) which is easier with clear nails.

Answer 6

Sounds like she may need them trimmed. If you are able to hold her still, wrap a towel around her apart from the paw you are dealing with, this helps if she wriggles alot.



Use proper nail clippers from a pet store as they will cut clean and safely with no tags. Do not cut below the red line or the nail will bleed. Only remove the tips if neccesary as usually cats manage to scratch their nails down by themselves.



If you arent comfortable clipping them yourself ask at your vets, I doubt they would charge much.

Answer 7

cut only the tip off but to be honest if she has never had her claws trimmed before take her to the vet my vet charges about £5.50 for this and they will show you how to do it properly and safely. buy clippers made by mikki they are the best as they have a safety gaurd so you can't cut away to much. i have cut my cats claws since they were twelve weeks old even tho they have a scratching post as they are totally indoor cats but we have had cats for years and i am on about sixth pair but only really my second since moving away from home. so was taught by my mum who was a professional feline groomer. when you do trim stay away from the quick it bleeds alot and is painful for the cat it is usually pink / reddish clearly seen in light coloured claws but more difficult in dark ones. gently press on paw to extend claw and trim the tip just before it curves downward or just trim the tip of what ever is nessecary. it sounds like she can no longer retract them properly due to her age. hope this helps

Answer 8

Sure, you could probably cut them yourself. Just make sure that you don't cut it to close to the pink part! If you aren't feeling to sure for yourself then I'd have a vet do it, though. And our cats claws get caught even in our T-shirts. So don't be alarmed if while your holding her her claw gets stuck in your shirt. So I would recomend doing her claws as soon as possible.

Answer 9

It does need to be done if cats don't wear them down themselves or if they tend to scratch on things excessively and you want to protect furnishings. I also keep my cat's trimmed because he sometimes (rarely) takes a swing at our dogs and it protects them from being hurt as seriously. You can have a vet or groomer do it or you can do it yourself. The important thing is to not cut to close to the quick where it can bleed. I taught my cat to tolerate it by giving him a treat each time I trim a claw. Now he thinks it's a game. This works well if a cat is very food motivated. Some cats fuss but he doesn't anymore.

Answer 10

You can cut them yourself. I cut my cats' claws all the time.



One of the items I found that works best is a set of these clippers:

http://www.petmountain.com/show_product/509670



I got them at the local PetSmart, and they are only $3. I use them for my rabbit and my cats and are very safe and easy to use. Plus it has a magnet on the back of the holder so you can stick it on your fridge!



Make sure you don't cut off too much. If your cat has whitish claws, don't cut near where you can see the blood vessel line. When in doubt, cut a little at a time.

Answer 11

Her claws probably do need trimming but it is an incredibly difficult thing to do. There is a feeder vein in each claw and if you cut too much off it will bleed and hurt your cat. The best thing to do is to get a vet to do it for you. They shouldn't charge very much to do it.

Answer 12

ok, you use super sharp dog nail clippers small size , if you notice, the claw of your cat has a brownish/reddish line towards the back, extending from the foot, do not clip into it, it is the nerve case and will cause your cat pain, stay at least 3/8ths of an inch from that and go up/down danielsan, not side side , and you will be fine

Answer 13

You can clip her claws your self,gently squeeze the paw until claw extens out,then clip it.Do not clip beyond the very tip of it,and you can use any regular nail clippers,i do it all the time for my 4 cats.Now if you mean declaw them,that will have to be done by a vet of course,though i do not recomend that.

Answer 14

You can trim the tips with a regular nail clipper but be careful not to go past the darker, shaded area (the nail quick)- has something changed about her scratching post? Her nails could be growing faster as she ages - which is what I have noticed on my cats...

Answer 15

She should have a scratching post or mat, if she doesn't go out.



One can cut a cat's nails but great care needs to be taken as it's too easy to cut too deep and cause a lot of pain and bleeding.



Best get a vet to do it properly and save your pet a lot of misery.

Answer 16

You should probably trim your cats nails regularly. You can do this yourself just don't cut into the pinkish/red line which is the blood line. It's quite simply I use a pair of regular human finger nail clippers and snip a little off the ends. If the cat is an outdoor cat you may not need to trim them because they may get worn down outside. Just remember trim a little you can always take more off as needed. If you happen to hit the blood line it's not going to kill the cat just hurt a bit kind of similar to how it would feel if you snipped your nails too short.

Answer 17

just remember when you cut their nails they will scratch more stuff trying to get them sharp again as they are their defence so say good by to the couch and carpet and curtains lol and yes it is very easy to do it your self like mentioned above in prior answer dont cut into the quick which is pink hard to see on cats with dark nails

Answer 18

If you know how to do it right, sure, trim the kitty's claws yourself. If you are not sure, ask a vet or a groomer to do it. I suspect that will save both you and your cat a lot of discomfort.

Answer 19

you can do it, just use a sharp pair of nail clippers (they do NOT need to be special animal ones) and trin off the sharp tips of the nail, do not cut too close to the pink bit, as it will bleed, and may get infected. We trim ours about once a fortnight, as he is a house cat. Just make sure it is a clean cut, or she may get the edges snagged in the carpet etc. It will take 2 of you to clip her, one to hold an one to trim, till you get used to it. e-mail me if you need more help

Answer 20

you can trim them. they have killer clippers i have them and they work great. i clip my kittens claws once a week. its a two person job though because they're nuts. The vet will do it also if you really want to pay for that.

Answer 21

Have you tried a scratch post?? Or maybe with her age, she isn't walking the pavements as often etc so the nails aren't being worn down as usual. Take her to the vet.

Answer 22

I wouldn't of thought so as they have scratching posts but being an older cat might have a bit of arthritis so if that worried take her to vets!

Answer 23

You can do this yourself, but you have to know how. You can't cut to far back or you'll have bleeding that will be hard to stop. Have a vet show you and then you can handle it on your own.

Answer 24

onyou are on the way to hell if you carry on considering cutting your cats nails. you will have a very confused and frustrated ***** cat. you would regret ever considering the idea. the best you can do is allow the cat to have something and it may take time to find the right thing! to file its own nails. if the nails are already curling over so bad that she is injuring herself then please invite a vet to help you. however i think that she just needs a post or tree stump or some sort of cat toy to file her own nails on.

Answer 25

Go once to the vet: ask him/her to explain precisely how to do it properly. Purchase (at the vet) an appropriate clipper and there you go .... you can safely do it free of charge from home ...



Rik

http://www.vetstoria.co.uk/templates/home.html

Answer 26

I'm not sure, but I don't think it's advisable to try yourself because they are quite delicate. I'm sure the vet will do it - my vet quoted me £10 for my old dog.

Answer 27

It should be done at the vets

Answer 28

you can do it yourself but just make sure that you dont cut too much nail off or you could kill them they are sensitive but if it were me I would pay to have it done professinally.

Answer 29

You can do it yourself if you are brave enough.

Answer 30

most people get their cats de-clawed... but, I guess you should take it to the bet to get its nails cut.

Answer 31

I would suggest you take the cat to your vet and pay to have it professionally declawed, unless you want to be scratched to death by attempting it yourself!