Trimming a cat's claws regularly is an important part of maintaining your pet's health. Not only does a quick trim protect you, your pet and your family, it can also save your sofa, curtains and other furniture. In general, indoor cats need their nails cut every two or three weeks. Kittens’ nails grow more quickly and may need to be trimmed every week, while some older cats will only need trims about once a month. While it's ideal to start trimming your cat's nails when they're still a kitten, you can teach an adult cat to tolerate their nails being clipped with a little patience (and a few treats).
Let's Get Trimming: A Step-by-Step Guide
Gather your supplies. Make sure you have everything you’ll need within reach before you start. You don’t want to have to interrupt your nail trimming session—especially if your cat isn’t a huge fan of nail trims.
You will need these items for cat nail clipping:
Nail trimmer or grinder
Cat treats
Styptic powder (recommended), flour or cornstarch
Towel to wrap your cat in (optional)
A helper (optional, but handy)
Calm nerves and plenty of patience!
Be sure to use a pair of cat-specific nail clippers, and make sure they're sharp. Dull clippers can cause the nail to split, which can be painful for your cat.
Find a quiet spot and a comfortable position. Trimming your cat’s nails in a quiet area of your home, away from kids, other pets or startling noises, will help keep your cat calm, making cutting their nails easier.
Practice first. Before you get out the clippers, put your cat in position and practice extending their nails one at a time.
With practice, you will find the best way to hold your cat—one that’s comfortable for both of you. If you’re a beginner, try these positions:
Seated and holding your cat lengthwise across your lap
Standing and holding your cat on a flat surface that you don’t mind getting scratched, such as a padded ironing board
Reclining with the cat lying on your chest
Seated with the cat lying face up in the valley between your legs.
You can try several different positions until you find what works for you.
If your cat is especially squirmy, one way to keep a secure hold on them is to wrap them in a towel like a burrito, with only one paw outside the burrito at a time.
Isolate the nail to cut. Take a paw in your hand and use your thumb and pointer finger to gently press down on the top and bottom of the paw on the joint just behind the claw. This will cause the claw to extend so you can quickly but carefully snip off the sharp tip and no more.
If your cat has long hair around their paws, make sure it’s pulled back and out of the way so you can see what you’re doing. This is especially important if you choose to use a nail grinder, since that tool can grab hair and pull hard.
Beware of Quick. Don't get too close to the pink part of the nail called "the quick," where blood vessels and nerve endings lie. Just like the pink part of a human fingernail, the quick is very sensitive; cutting into this area will likely cause bleeding and pain. Since most cats have clear nails, it’s relatively easy to locate and avoid the pink part of the nail. As long as you only trim the white part of the nail, you’re in the clear.
Cut at a 45-degree angle. Rather than cutting straight across, aim for a 45-degree angle, which lets the nail rest comfortably on the ground when your cat walks.
Use firm, decisive pressure to cut the nail; a softer, more tentative approach can accidentally crush the nail, rather than cut it cleanly.
It's common to only cut the front claws, but take a look at the rear claws just in case they've gotten too long, especially if their sharp tips hurt you when your cat leaps on or off your lap.
One at a time. If you aren't able to trim all 10 nails at once, don't worry. Few cats remain patient for more than a few minutes, so take what you can get, praise your pet for cooperating, perhaps give them a little treat, and then be on the lookout for the next opportunity—maybe even a catnap—to cut things down to size.
While trimming, look for warning signs such as tail twitching, growling, body stiffening or panting. These indicate an angry cat who may scratch or bite. If you see any of these signs, take a break.
Reward your cat. Once you have finished the nail trim, reward your cat with plenty of treats, cuddles, playtime or anything else that will end the experience on a positive note.
If you get on a regular schedule of cutting your cat's nails every few weeks, they will eventually get used to it. Just be sure to keep the process positive and rewarding for them.
What Happens If I Cut The Quick?
If you accidentally nick the quick, don’t feel too bad—it happens to the best of us! Your cat may be too angry to continue, though, so it’s OK to stop and try again another day. If you happen to hit the quick, apply a styptic powder to the affected nail and apply pressure for a few seconds.
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