How Often Should A Cat's Nails Be Cut

Cat nail trimming is something we're very ofttimes asked about at our clinic, and for practiced reason! True cat'south nails are retractable, pregnant they're kept hidden until the cat needs to utilize them. These nails can grow back fast sometimes! About every cat needs to take their nails trimmed regularly; others, non and then much for a few reasons.

Regardless, it's a proficient idea to gear up your cat for boom trimming by using certain strategies in your true cat'southward regular grooming routine. For y'all, the cat parent, you volition need to larn how to trim their nails safely. Here is what you lot need to know.

Why Do Some Cats Not Need to Take Their Nails Trimmed?

Trimming or non is generally dependent on your cat's lifestyle.

Outdoor Cats – If your cat is an outdoor true cat, it may be a bad thought to trim his or her nails because they are needed for important tasks:

• Climbing – Cats need to climb to navigate their territory and also to escape danger when pursued past other animals.
• Scratching – Cats nails are e'er growing, and scratching is an instinctive deed that keeps the nails trim and sharp.
• Marking Territory – Cats have odour glands in their paws, and will scratch equally well as urinate to help them marker their territory outdoors and keep other strange animals away.

Indoor Cats – If your cat is an indoor true cat, y'all may need to trim your cat's nails more frequently:

• If your true cat has a scratching post and likes to employ it, his or her nails may need merely occasional trimming when immature, especially if his or her nails grow very slowly.
• If you regularly take your indoor true cat outside for walks on a leash, he or she may have opportunities to scratch and wear downwards his or her nails and reduce the corporeality of trimming needed.

Why Do Near All Cats Need to Have Their Nails Trimmed?

1. An indoor cat may not exist very interested in using a scratching post then their nails may grow too fast and too long to be curbed by the postal service.
2. As an outdoor cat ages, he or she may become and then much less active that the nails abound out. This increases the risk of their nails growing into a curve that drives into their footpads, and in turn causes your cat pain, mobility problems, or fifty-fifty infections.
3. Both indoor and outdoor cats need to accept their nails trimmed because their nails can be snagged and caught in soft surfaces, or the cat may lose their power to retract their claws altogether.
4. Arthritic cats, indoors or out, unremarkably don't exercise enough to continue their nails short via scratching.

How Often Should My Cat's Nails exist Trimmed?

• For indoor cats, nail trimming in general should exist done every ten days to 2 weeks.
• A senior indoor or outdoor cat will often develop thick, brittle nails that need to exist trimmed more frequently than when they're a kitten. Stay alert.
• Declawing cats was made illegal in BC in 2018 by the B.C. College of Veterinarians. Information technology is at present understood that declawing means that the ends of the toes are amputated during the surgery, which has been stated as "ethically problematic and not an appropriate means of dealing with feline behaviour problems". And then now if you lot alive in BC you must learn to trim your kitty's nails properly, or either pay a groomer or visit your cat's veterinarian to perform this job.
• An outdoor cat may become more than of an indoor cat when he or she is old and arthritic, and so regular nail trimming will become a necessity.
• Normally information technology is merely the forepart paws nails that demand to be trimmed, but if y'all observe that the back paw nails are digging into you when your true cat jumps up into your lap, yous should trim those nails besides.

Here is the Nail Trimming Procedure

1. First Things Showtime

• Most cats don't similar to have their nails trimmed and some volition absolutely not tolerate it. If your cat won't even allow you to hold his or her paws, you may have to rely on a pet groomer or your cat's vet to trim your pet's nails.
• If you take a boring and easy approach, you can succeed in time, particularly if you have treats ready, and your cat may associate the nail clipping routine with yummy treats.
• Don't attempt to clip your cat'south nails if your pet is upset or if you are upset.

2. Organize Your Supplies:

• Towel – You can gently wrap your cat loosely in a towel if yous are afraid he or she might suddenly bolt off your lap and scratch you.
• Sharp true cat blast clippers – There are a diverseness of good smash clippers for cats. Some of them are designed to make sure you don't clip too close to the vein that runs into the thick role of the claw.
• Styptic Powder – If you have clippers that aren't designed to protect the vein and you accidently cut into it, yous can apply a small amount of pulverization to stop the bleeding.

3. Rehearsals are Important

• Even an outdoor cat should get used to the idea that you lot can concord and massage his or her paws and extend the nails when your cat is seated on your lap. It's easier for a young cat to become used to a routine rather than introduce information technology when your cat is older and it becomes a necessity.
• For several days prior to the first blast trimming, concur your cat in your lap facing abroad from any windows and abroad from y'all in a placidity room. Gently massage your cat's neck so the front end legs and paws. Talk quietly to your footling pet as you do this. Gently press on the footpad to extend a nail, then chop-chop release it, and give your cat a treat. Do this every twenty-four hours on a different toe. Annotation the pink office of the nail, called the quick—this is the extra sensitive part of their smash consisting of nerves and claret vessels.

4. Practice the Deed!

• When you and kitty are used to this routine, pick a time when your cat is sleepy and relaxed after eating, and fix to clip only one or ii nails—no more. Exercise everything the same as usual, only this time, cut the tip off one of the nails. If everything goes well, cut the tip off one more nail and give your kitty a care for.
• Proceed until you have clipped all of the front paw nails over a catamenia of v days or so, and your cat will presently adjust, specially to the regular treats! Yous will and so be able to trim all the nails on the front and back paws at one sitting.

Many cats don't demand their nails trimmed, but if yours does, learn how to do the job safely. If it will help, make massaging the toes and extending a nail part of their regular grooming and intendance. If you lot know you must trim your true cat's nails, rehearse with your pet until yous are both comfortable before attempting the task. Expect to trim your cat's nails every 10 days or so every bit office of your cat's regular preparation routine. If all else fails, enquire your true cat's groomer or your veterinarian to exercise the job for you.

Artistic Commons Attribution: Permission is granted to repost this article in its entirety with credit to Hastings Veterinary Hospital and a clickable link back to this page.

• Hastings Staff
• True cat, Pet, Veterinary Dispensary
• cat care, true cat intendance tips, cat dispensary, cat grooming, true cat nail trimming, cat nail trimming routine, cat vet, true cat veterinarian, how often should I trim my cat'southward nails, how oft to trim cat nails, how to trim cat nails, when should I trim my cat's nails, when to trim true cat nails, why should I trim my cat'southward nails

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