Here's how it goes for Kato and I these days...effortless. For more info, see my other nail trimming posts, or this excellent Nail Trimming 101 article. I didn't actually have a nail day today - this was from the weekend while we were getting ready for Ava's arrival.
A couple days ago I asked an Aussie-dwelling Canadian acquaintance how his 6 month old kittens were doing. The response was along the lines of 'Great, apart from one scratching my kid's face. But I reassured my wife we don't need to get rid of the cats, if worst comes to worst, we could get them declawed.' It was obvious that this person didn't know the laws in Australia, or the reason why declawing is illegal here - it is considered inhumane as the end bones are chopped off (not just the nail). That's like amputating a finger or toe for a human. It is easy to understand why people think this is a simple, humane procedure if they believe it is just the nail, or have lived in a country where vets offer this as part of their 'kitten-health' package. Thankfully, many countries recognise the cruelty and health problems it causes, and have made it illegal. The good news is that declawing, and getting rid of the cats, is unnecessary. Two kind and practical options for clueless active kittens, are nail trimming and Soft Claws, which are gel covers glued onto the cat's nail. If you click on the picture of Kato to make it bigger, you will notice that his claws are short and blunt. This is because we trim them. At first we trimmed Kato's nails with human nail clippers - easy to control, but tended to squash the nail and splinter it. We also tried cat nail scissors - awful, they just slid off. Finally, we found a guillotine action cat nail clipper. To give you an idea of what it looks like, it's a bit like this. No more splintering. A little bit of mental configuration to hold them the right way (but I'm a bit spatially-challenged!) We also had to train him to be ok with us fiddling around with his paws. We occasionally touch them when he's relaxed and cuddly. We went from a touch, to gently pressing out a claw. Then came the cutting part. At first I needed to approach it when he was relaxed - after a play and the come-down, or after waking from a sleep. And I would get maybe ONE nail done! So it would take a few days to get them all done. But like every new thing, you keep it slow and gentle. Then I tried treats. Eureka! One nail equalled 2-3 treats! And Kato would wriggle out of my arms for each treat, and I'd gather him back up for the next nail. The love of treats won out over the disconcerting pressure on his nail. By the way, back paws are more touchy and have thicker nails. But after a year with this method, Kato and I are happily zooming through a paw of nails before each treat set, and I can get them all done in one sitting. He gets to inspect both the clippers and the treat box before we begin - no surprises, no tricks. If you want to do this, google for some videos or diagrams of the cat nail. There is a red bit. Don't cut it or near it - it's blood and your cat will yell. If you're hesitant, you could also book an appointment with your vet/groomer/vet nurse for a 'how to' session. But once you and your cat are on track with training, there are many benefits to trimmed nails; one is that there are no accidental scratches on frail human skin (important if you have a leaping shoulder-riding Kato, or a clumsy clueless kitten). Ok, Soft Claws, or Nail Caps, or Soft Paws - I think they go by a few names, or I'm just making things up! I haven't used these and I've only seen and heard of them from American sites. But they are indeed available here in Australia: http://pawspoint.com.au/cats-25/soft-claws-nail-caps-315.html. This was just from a quick google - I'm sure you'll find other places. From what I'd heard, these caps were something that should be done by a vet, while this is a do-it-yourself kit. I think I'd ask my vet first for their recommendations. I do hear that they work very well, including as a measure to prevent damage to furniture...but I have other tricks for that! Here's Soft Claws (professionally applied) in action on season 2 episode 3 of Jackson Galaxy's My Cat From Hell Lastly, having well-liked and used scratching things are important for cat well-being. A cat's scent is deposited when they scratch - it makes them happy to smell their territory. It also helps blunt down the sharp edges after a nail trim. But it won't act like riding a horse on hard surfaces to wear down the nail! Instead, it works a bit like a knife sharpener or a pencil sharpener, whittling down a broad face into a sharp point. So you need to keep up with the nail trimming by just taking off the sharp tips approximately every 2 weeks (for Kato in any case). And don't be frightened if on the floor around your scratching things, you see a sliver of cat nail in a perfect claw shape - it's natural to shed these. |
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