I have a 7 yr old orange and white tabby who is very sweet until we go get his nails done

everytime i go to get his nails trimmed he is nasty he has this growling and hissing and i have taken him to the same person for the last 6 yrs i need assistant

Asked by Member 480364 on Sep 13th 2009 in Professional Grooming


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Izadore (Izzie)

Have you asked the person who trims his nails if it bothers them? Or, is your cat upset and traumatized for hours or days afterwards? Have you been asked to take him somewhere else because they can't handle him? To share my own "tale", I have 3 cats and I trim the claws of only one, Izzie. He's the only cat I've had since kittenhood and I began handling his paws and trimming his claws early. Delilah hasn't had her claws trimmed since visiting the groomer last summer, and Lily Rose is an outdoor cat who likes to climb trees so she keeps her own nails trimmed. But, having said that, I know that cats can pull their claws on carpeting and furniture and cause other damage with needle-sharp, untrimmed claws. I would be tempted to ask your vet to trim them. They charge a nominal fee and there are often two or three vet techs to help with frightened kitties, which is what yours is. They wrap them in a towel and before the cat gets a good hiss-n-spit on, he's done.

Izadore (Izzie) answered on 9/13/09. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


Try using a Klaw Kontrol restraint bag or something similar.

My vet rents restraint bags out so you can try them to make sure they work for you/your cat and that you get thge right size. Xena goes completely hysterical and wriggles and claws/bites if you try and do anything to her but with the restraint bag she is much calmer and I can actually do her claws on my own. It is fairly easy to get her in the bag and then only takes a few minutes to do her claws and she doesn't need a trip to the vets which stresses her out. I tried just using a towell but she can always fight her way out. The restraint bags are basically like a straight jacket for a cat that hold them gently but firmly and seems to keep them calm. It's surprising easy to get them in it and it zips up leaving their head free and there are zippers in the corners so you can pull out 1 paw at a time to do their claws.
