Trimming your cat’s nails is an important part of cat care. Long nails can cause damage to more than your furniture—they can cause foot pain and infections, too. We know that it can be daunting to trim a cat’s nails, especially if you’ve been scratched before. But it’s important to know how to get the job done, so grab your clippers and read on.
Three Reasons Why You Need to Trim Your Cat’s Nails
1: Long nails make walking and jumping painful.
Repeated strikes of long nails on the ground can cause bruising and swelling, and it also places unnecessary pressure on the joints of the paw. Ultimately, the pressure from untrimmed nails will lead to deterioration of the joints and cause permanent pain.
2: Curling nails can create open wounds in the paws.
When the sharp nails start to curve into the foot this can create an open wound since this wound is kept constantly open and growing deeper from the continuously growing nail. This can lead to serious infections.
3: Long nails get stuck in furniture and fabrics.
Claws that get stuck can be pulled off in a panic. This is bloody and painful for your cat. Not only is there an open wound, but it can also cause broken toes.
Is Trimming Nails Painful for My Cat?
No! If done properly, trimming your cat’s claws is not painful. However, cutting too far down the length of the nail CAN cause pain, it is similar to when you trim your nails too far, and pierce the quick. If you’re not sure how much to trim your cat’s nails, ask your vet to demonstrate.
Three Tips for Trimming Your Cat’s Nails
- Bribery is your friend. Let’s be real—we often reward ourselves for doing the things we need to do. So why not do the same for your cat? Offering treats while you trim their nails can train them to associate it with good things, making the whole exchange happy rather than scary.
- Enlist help. This can be calling in reinforcements to hold the cat wrapped in a towel, or you can get help from a professional pet groomer. Some veterinarians will also trim your cat’s nails for you! The costs may vary, but it never hurts to ask and see if it is within your budget.
- Invest in scratching posts. They will help your cat relieve their innate need to scratch, hopefully saving your furniture. Scratching also helps your cat shed dead nails, and it dulls the tips of their claws. It’s a lot like using a nail file—daily scratching will keep your cat’s nails short, so you won’t have to trim them as often.
Whole Cat Care in Gilbert, Arizona
“Paw-dicures” are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to caring for your cat’s health. While proper grooming goes a long way, every cat needs veterinary care. Yearly checkups will detect medical problems in their early stages, and they give you the chance to ask questions and adjust your caregiving as your pet ages.
From yearly checkups to same-day emergencies, the team here at East Valley Animal Hospital treats every pet as they would their own. With our experienced veterinarians and knowledgeable technicians, your pet is always in good hands. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.
Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (9/30/24). Photo by Srinivasan Venkataraman on Unsplash.