I love our new kitty, and she loves me. But her claws are lethal. When she climbs up on me to be petted, she flexes her paws, and I have little red pockmarks all over my legs and chest from the points digging in, through my clothes! A few minutes ago, she took a gash out of my hand while jumping down. It freakin’ hurts!
Our other three cats don’t have this claw thing going on - you’d never know they had any. Is there something we can do to blunt the impact of her claws? Declawing is not an option. Is there anything else?
Clip them, just like you clip your own nails. Any pet store sells claw clippers. Get the kitten used to it early, and they won’t fight you (much) for the rest of their lives. Whenever you can, massage the kittens paws and press out the claws without clipping. That gets the kitten used to the manipulation necessary when clipping. Then clip them (carefully) every other week or so.
One of my cats is like that too. Being a dog person, I was really surprised at how easy it is to get a nasty injury from cat’s claws even when they’re not trying to hurt you. :eek: I clip the claws, but another option is a product like this: http://www.softpaws.com/
I clipped my cats’ claws with a regular nail clipper, though there are clippers designed for the purpose. I found the cat nail clippers available were not sharp enough and so tended to split the claw so I just used my own clipper which was sharp.
You have to hold kitty still and you have to watch out for those back claws while you are at it. For my cats who objected I sheeted them up to the rib cage (this means you wrap them in a towel or sheet) and tucked them under my left arm. I have had a number of cats who did not object so I just tucked them in the same position.
With your left hand (if you are right handed) you hold the leg and press gently on the pads under the foot to make the claw extend. If you look at the claw from the side, you will see a pink or dark colored area (the quick) with a blood vessel extending from it. Don’t cut that. Then you just cut the nail. If you can’t see the quick, just cut off the points and you’ll be fine.
There are also claw sheaths or little tiny nerf balls you can glue on, but I never had a cat I thought they would stay on so I never tried them.
If you’re worried about cutting into the quick, you can get a bottle of Quick Stop or similar product from your pet store. It’s a yellow powder that you pack lightly into the wound that does tend to stop the bleeding quickly. I’m told that you can substitute a little bit of flour if need be but I haven’t had the opportunity to try that.
If you’re nervous, have your vet show you how to clip the nails next time you take her in for her check-up or shots.
I too, clip my kitties claws, but I also taught them not to use their claws on people. Starting in kittenhood, every time one would use his claws on me, I’d gently hold the offending paw and say “No claws” in my bossy voice. They don’t scratch people, even in play. Now, why didn’t I teach them the same thing for the back of my desk chair? :smack:
Thanks for all the suggestions and information, everyone! I think we’ll be taking her to the vet ASAP, because she needs to have her claws trimmed. We don’t want to have our arms shredded by back claws the first time she gets clipped, and the vet must have a good technique. After that, we’ll look into doing it ourselves.
The “slipcover” idea is brilliant. I can’t see her agreeing to wear them, though!
Mind you, if you clip your cats’ claws (which I did with my cats), that means each claw will now have four sharp corners rather than one point. And of you can get those Softpaws things on them, they will chew them off within 30 seconds. And I am not going near the declawing issue.
So, make up your mind: you have cats, you will be scratched and bleeding, your clothing and furniture shredded and fur-covered, for the next 10 or 15 years if you’re lucky.
It’s a real battle to clip a cat’s claws and it is best started early to get them use to it. I sit on the floor and wedge them between my legs the first time out and reward them with a good long back rub. Eventually they’ll tolerate it knowing there’s a reward afterward. A good nail clipper designed for it is mandatory.
Cats sharpen their nails one at a time by drawing them through their teeth. Left alone, a cat will sharpen each nail to a needle point. I try to remove as much as possible without damaging the nail to increase the interval between clippings. Instructions.
It’s not the bleeding you worry about when it comes to cutting the quick, it’s getting your arm or other valuable body part ripped off because it hurts them. Really, you’re much better to do it carefully and avoid the quick altogether unless you want an even worse battle on your hands every time you try to clip their nails.
I never clipped a lot off the nails; just chopped the pointy tips down.