How to Cut Overgrown Cat Claws, Painlessly!

So, you want to know how to cut overgrown cat claws? First of all, the first thing you should do is have someone help hold the cat in place. There are many angry cats who do not like their feet touched, and if your cat is the type that will scratch or bite, you should bring him/her to a veterinarian so that they can do it for you properly. Keep in mind that you do not want to be bitten or scratched.

We have laid out some tips below to hopefully make the whole process of cutting your cats claws as painless as possible, for both of you!

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Quick Steps for How to Cut Overgrown Cat Claws:

1. First have someone restrain the cat and make sure that the restrainer is grasping the cat by its’ scruff. The scruff is the skin behind the neck, this is to help insure the cat doesn’t go to bite. Wrapping them up in a towel is also helpful.
2. A cat’s nails are retractable. So you will need to take a paw and gently press on each toe pad to extend the nail.
3. Locate the vein in the nail. The nail is clear and the vein is pink.
4. Take a small pet nail clipper and hook it around the nail just a little bit away from where the pink ends.
5. When you clip each nail, the nail might crumble a bit or little pieces might branch of, don’t worry about this. Some cats nails are a bit brittle and might shard off onto smaller pieces.
6. Make sure you get both the front nails and the back nails.
7. The most difficult nail to clip is the thumb nail. But it is only a little more difficult because you have to turn the paw a bit to get to it, but clipping it is the same way you did the others.
8. To get a smooth finish you might want to use a pet nail grinder.
9. If you do end up clipping the vein, hold a tissue or cloth to the nails and apply pressure for a few minutes. It may be a tiny vein, but they can bleed a lot. (There is a product that is sold in pet stores called Styptic Powder to help stop bleeding nails. It usually comes in a powder, so if you feel that you might need it, buy it before attempting to clip the nails. It’s better to be prepared!)

Be sure to have lots of your cat’s favorite treats on hand for a welcome distraction and reward. We recommend our cat approved Homemade Tuna Cat Treats!

Recommended Supplies for Trimming Your Cat’s Claws:

• Cat Nail Clippers
• Cat Nail Grinder
• Styptic Powder
• Lots of cat treats
• A towel to wrap around your cat to make them more secure for you to hold.
• Antibiotic ointment for you just in case you get scratched!

How to Cut My Cat’s Nails Without Getting Scratched?

If you are a pro, then you could even hold the cat yourself. Just press the cat against your body and with one hand hold the paw and clip the nails with the other hand.

Some cats just lay there with no concern with what you are doing. But then there are the angry cats who with fight you tooth and nail to get away.

You do not want to stress the cat out too much or it could become traumatic for him/her. So it really depends on how your cat reacts to you doing this procedure, that will determine the next steps.

Tips for How to Keep Cat Calm While Trimming Nails:

1. Get them used to you handling their paws by frequently throughout the day massaging the pads of their paws consistently. For best results you should start doing this several days before the actual trim.
2. When you are done massaging their paw pads give them a special cat treat so it becomes more of a pleasant experience for them.
3. Give a treat before you do the first paw to help soothe and distract them.
4. You can also start trimming your cat’s nails after they’ve had a meal. This usually makes them relaxed and sleepy.
5. If your cat is extra squirmy then you might only be able to trim one paw at a time and then need to take a break. That’s okay! You can take your time and get them all trimmed over the course of a couple days or so if you need to. There is no need to stress out you or your cat.
6. Be consistent. When you see your cat’s claws getting long again, trim them. The more often you do it, the more your cat will warm up to the idea. Okay, maybe not happily, but at least they will tolerate it better. :)

So in summary: massage their paws frequently, give them lots of kitty treats, feed them a meal, trim one paw at a time, take breaks if you need to and be consistent.

How Often to Cut Overgrown Cat Claws?

Some veterinarians recommend every 10 days-2 weeks. The real answer is, it varies per cat.

• The frequency will depend on the rate that your cat’s claws grow.
• Their activity level will also make their nails naturally shorter.
• Does your cat go outdoors often? Climbing and scratching trees will shorten their claws naturally.
• Walking on hard floors or concrete will wear them down naturally but they may still require occasional clipping.
• If your cat can no longer retract their claws then it is a good sign they are too long and need to be cut. A good way to tell this is if your cat keeps getting claws stuck on carpet or furniture because usually they will retract their claws while on soft surfaces.

Does Cutting Cat Nails Hurt Them?

• Clipping a cats nails is actually easier than clipping a dogs nails. Most dogs have black nails and are more difficult to clip because you cannot see the vein or “quick” inside of the nail.
• When nails are black, you are more prone to clipping them too short and causing the animal to bleed and plus it is painful.
• Luckily cat nails are usually clear and you can determine where the vein is. Cat nails are hook-shaped and it is easier to snugly fit the clipper around them.
• However, if you do end up accidentally cutting the vein or quick inside their nail it will hurt. You can help stop the bleeding by using a product called Styptic Powder, so be sure to have some on hand just in case.
• It is far more painful for a cats nails to be overgrown, so knowing how to cut overgrown cat claws is vital to their overall quality of life.

Is it Necessary to Trim a Cat’s Claws?

• You want to make sure your cats’ nails stay short.
• If you let the nails get too long it could grow so long that the nails could hook under the feet and begin growing into the paw pad. This is very painful and can cause infection and could affect walking.
• If the cat goes outdoors, you probably do not have to clip them. The nails are the cats main defense.
• Plus outside cats have a tendency to wear their nails down by climbing on things such as trees and running on concrete.

Now you know how to clip a cat’s claws as peacefully and painlessly as possible.

Hopefully this post has been helpful for you in figuring out how to cut overgrown cat claws.

Remember, if these steps don’t work for your cat you can always take them to a veterinarian or groomer. Happy clipping!

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