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Another Newbie Question

L

Louie'sDad

Guest
If I don't have Louie declawed, and I walk him a few times a week, is that enough to keep his claws trim?
 

admin

Paige
Staff member
If I don't have Louie declawed, and I walk him a few times a week, is that enough to keep his claws trim?

I don't think so...why don't you just trim his claws? What walking him on a hard surface may do is lessen the frequency of trimming...I hope you are not thinking of declawing...

I trim all the cats/kittens claws at least once a week...I walk Taj every day in the spring/summer, but still have to trim his claws.

Hope this helps
 

Kristin

Animal Communicator
Walking on hard surfaces probably wouldn't work for cat claws as they can retract their nails.
If you are worried there are also nail covers at the pet store. I haven't had any trouble with Zeddie scratching anything...I think I've been really lucky. She only scratches her cat tree and is very gentle with us (for the most part :p)
 

Brigitte Cowell

Moderator
Staff member
No, as Kristin says, they retract their nails so the hard surface won't be trimming their nails. Basically, you need to keep Louie accustomed to you handling his paws and trimming the claws.... most find it helpful to approach them while napping, clip a few and if they then wake up and struggle then let it be, and wait for the next nap to get a couple more...eventually it will become routine and not a problem...
 
L

Louie'sDad

Guest
No, as Kristin says, they retract their nails so the hard surface won't be trimming their nails. Basically, you need to keep Louie accustomed to you handling his paws and trimming the claws.... most find it helpful to approach them while napping, clip a few and if they then wake up and struggle then let it be, and wait for the next nap to get a couple more...eventually it will become routine and not a problem...

Gee, and I thought I was pretty slick because I was able to do that a couple times.:eek:
He doesn't mind having his paws rubbed and touched when he's fully awake and a bit tuckered out. But, once he sees the clippers his guard goes up and he pulls them away. I guess there's no easy way, but I'll keep on trying to see if he accepts his pedicure when he's awake, otherwise it's back to stealth mode. Heh, heh.:big grin:
The treats I offer him, and the words of praise have so far had no effect.
 

Brigitte Cowell

Moderator
Staff member
Be sure to keep your mood relaxed and happy when doing this, if you look tense about the procedure, the cat senses and reacts to it. Make sure you are exuding the sense that this is commonplace routine stuff and nothing to get upset about....it can make a difference!
 
L

Louie'sDad

Guest
Be sure to keep your mood relaxed and happy when doing this, if you look tense about the procedure, the cat senses and reacts to it. Make sure you are exuding the sense that this is commonplace routine stuff and nothing to get upset about....it can make a difference!

OK.
 

NikkiA

Site Supporter
Two of our boys will lay on their backs for their weekly manicures; our third boy, Jarvis, hates to have his paws touched. He has never liked having his feet handled. We started the week after he arrived, and we made two mistakes you want to try to avoid:
1. I knicked him when I clipped his nail, so it was a painful experience for him.
2. He was squirmy, and bating at us with claws out, so we scruffed him. Our other boy, Diablo, responded well to this, but Jarvis on the other hand gets upset when he is scruffed.
By doing those two things, we gave him a "dislike" for having his paws handled at all. We have been working to make that process go better for months now.
We now do nail clipping once every other week with Jarvis. Mike holds him, we feed him treats as we go, and we do it VERY quickly and tell him what a good boy he is while mike cuddles him. This is far inferior to having a kitty that does not mind having his nails done.
Go slow, be relaxed, and above all, try not to upset him or get upset yourself. It is much better to do a nail a day than have a cat that mistrusts you when you go to handle his paws because you pushed him too far when he was a baby.
 
L

Louie'sDad

Guest
Two of our boys will lay on their backs for their weekly manicures; our third boy, Jarvis, hates to have his paws touched. He has never liked having his feet handled. We started the week after he arrived, and we made two mistakes you want to try to avoid:
1. I knicked him when I clipped his nail, so it was a painful experience for him.
2. He was squirmy, and bating at us with claws out, so we scruffed him. Our other boy, Diablo, responded well to this, but Jarvis on the other hand gets upset when he is scruffed.
By doing those two things, we gave him a "dislike" for having his paws handled at all. We have been working to make that process go better for months now.
We now do nail clipping once every other week with Jarvis. Mike holds him, we feed him treats as we go, and we do it VERY quickly and tell him what a good boy he is while mike cuddles him. This is far inferior to having a kitty that does not mind having his nails done.
Go slow, be relaxed, and above all, try not to upset him or get upset yourself. It is much better to do a nail a day than have a cat that mistrusts you when you go to handle his paws because you pushed him too far when he was a baby.

Thank you.
 
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