Can I get my cat to trust me with his paws?

Question

Me and my bf have a 2.5 year old, male, neutered cat.

He is a really good character in many ways, except one thing - he has been traumatized with trusting people with his paws and claws.

When he was about 1, the vet (idiot), clipped part of his claw skin while clipping his claw. The poor thing was limping for a while due to that. Since then, it has been impossible for us to get anywhere near his paws to clip his claws. We have to take him to the vets for it to be done (different vet, of course). I've tried for the past week to get him to trust me through giving him treats as I pet the top of paws and gently hold his leg, but eventually he starts attempting to scratch and bite (though he makes more of "back off" gesture rather than actually scratching).

What I am asking is, is it possible to ever gain his trust in something that he associates with agony? I completely understand where he is coming from, but I'd really like to be able to cut his claws myself rather than visiting the vets for something like that.

Many thanks to the cat-lovers reading this.

P.s.: I know it would have been good to get to treat giving earlier, unfortunately we hadn't moved in together yet and my bf just resorted to getting him to the vets for nail clipping.

Answer 1

Well let's see here... You might be able to get him to trust you, but this will take some time.



You need to start paw-touching where he feels the absolute safest first, like his tree or a bed or somewhere where he KNOWS absolutely NO HARM will ever come to him. Sometimes, this is next to you or on your lap. DO NOT look at him at all while you're touching his paws. Don't even make a blink of eye contact.



Start by very briefly and lightly touching the tops of the paws, then stop, drop a treat, and walk away.You have to understand that while he is traumatized with nail clipping as a whole, he believes that ALL humans are the culprit behind this cruel act, not just the vet. EVERY human is out to get him. So touch, stop, drop, and walk.



Keep adding touch time every few days, but still, never make eye contact. Just a light touch and walk away. I know it seems like SO little, but you're BUILDING trust with your kitty. He will know that touch doesn't always equal blood and limping and he gets a tasty treat for something so little? WIN-WIN!



After he seems comfortable with a 5-10 second touch on the paw, you can try to sit him next you and hold his paws, little at a time, same thing: no eye contact, lightly massage, stop, then treat. Now you're getting him used to paw-holding, which is needed for the dreaded task of clipping. After a few days/weeks of this and him getting used to it, see if you can try to push the claw out, stop, then treat. A few more days of this, get out the clippers, cut ONE AND ONLY ONE, stop, treat.



I know, I KNOW this is a long, LONG process to win your cat's trust, but it's something that has to be done if you want to conquer his fear of getting his paws touched. Good luck.



EDIT: I also agree with the energy thing. You need to act confident and a little care-free. Go into this thinking, 'alright, touching your paws, no big deal. Eh.'

Answer 2

Play with his feet w/o the clippers all the time - pet and be gentle. Massage his legs and feet. Since he's had a bad experience it will take time. I'm sure your bf is not helping by taking him to the vet to have it done because this would not be a weekly thing. It would be monthly or longer which makes things worse.



So as often as weekly do one paw at a time. Clip a nail or two. Stop. Play a liftle in your lap, give treats, then clip another nail. If you do this weekly your cat will be more cooperative then waiting long periods of times between nail clipping.



I start my kittens at 5 or 6 weeks old and do it weekly.

Answer 3

Yes, it is possible for you to get his trust about his paws.

You are doing really well by giving him treats as you touch his paws. The moment he starts to pull away, let him go. By forcing him to stay there when he doesn't want to is removing any trust he had given you. He needs to know that the moment he pulls away he will be let go. You will need to do this every day. Try it with a treat that he realy likes too. My cat will do anything for beef jerky or hard boiled eggs, so when I was training her with nail clipping, I would use those. She loves to sit in my lap, so i would wait for her to sit. Once she was there and comfy, I would take a paw and give her a treat, then let it go. Once she was ok with he just holding a paw, i would start by touching each of her toes, with a treat after each toe. Then I would push the claw out of each toe, then give her a treat. Any time she backed off, I would let her go. She wouldn't get a treat though. She had to sit still for the treats, so she did. I started this with her as a kitten, so it wasn't terrible and she got the hang of it pretty quickly. Using a treat that your cat loves is very helpful. He he doesn't like the treats, he won't do much for them.

Answer 4

You need to pet his feet only and only while he is completely relaxed. He needs to associate "good" petting with you. Do not attempt to force his claws out, just kindly, idly, while you are watching tv. pet him and stroke his paws nicely and work to ensure it is when he is fully relaxed. He may never trust you to touch his feet again. With cats it takes a lot longer to forgive than dogs, but if there is one person who is not working to hurt him in that spot, it may help.

Answer 5

Honestly I doubt that this cat will EVER let you do this. It wasn't a one time agony, there is continuing trauma every time he goes to the vet to have his nails cut so you will likely NEVER be able to train him to accept it.



What about getting him a scratching post and allowing him to have natural nails? It would be easier to train him to a scratching post than to train him to allow the nail cutting at this point.



If he is allowed outside at all clipping his claws is removing his best defense if he is attacked. Most people DON"T clip their cats claws, I have always had cats and have never done so.

Answer 6

The cat is feeding off your energy. Either calm yourself and get over your sanctimonious attitude or have a competent friend do it.