I have a cat who I think could do with a manicure ... she can't seem to withdraw her claws as easily as most cats, and when she walks across a carpet she has to sort of yank each foot out every step. She stretches up to claw the curtain, and then finds herself swinging in a rather undignified way when she can't detach herself.

I've never heard of nail-clipping for cats though .. any advice?

Yes, some cats do need their claws clipped - one of ours could probably do with it, but I'm not about to try! If your cat is amenable, and you're confident, you can buy clippers and do it yourself, but you need to be careful only to clip the white part - there's a blood vessel running up the nail in the growing part that will bleed like mad if you nick it. If you don't fancy trying it (and I certainly wouldn't!), the vet will do it for you.

My friend has two pedigree cats and she trims their nails regularly.

Thanks. Vet, I think.

I clip my cats' claws fairly regularly (every couple of months or so) but they are used to it - from kittenhood (still doesn't stop one of them from sounding as if she's being murdered even though it doesn't hurt) especially if they have a period of not going out much.

Mr P is my laziest cat and because of the recent cold where he refused to leave the back of my new sofa for a month his claws got very long-all the better to tear shreds out of the sofa We had a thaw and warmer weather for the last week and he's been outdoors climbing the shed and trees etc again and his claws are back to normal. The whole bunch of them have stopped fighting so much too-cabin fever causes so many problems

The vet nurse should be able too do them for you

Don't attempt it if you've never done it before. The vet or vet's nurse might be willing to show you how it's done, you can only ask!

A breeder or someone who regularly shows cats will also know how to do it.

I have two pedigree cats and never trim their claws. They don't go out but their scratching post activity seems to be adequate to keep them in check.

The Vet or Vet Nurse should be able to show you how to do it safely, just make sure you get a decent set of clippers

It's usually just the front claws that need doing. There's usually no need to do the back paws - and these shouldn't be done at all if they are outdoor cats. (They get most of their 'grip' to get up trees, fences, etc. from these so they need them to be able to escape from dogs/marauding neighbourhood cats, etc)

Mine have been used to it since kittehood so it's so big deal for them (usually ) but some cats take two people to do it. I help a mate with hers but it's more that she lacks confidence in doing it on her own rather than needing two people - but like with anything - if in doubt - DON'T!!!

Just remembered a tip: if you gently press the middle pad, they tend to automatically spread their 'fingers', making it easier to get to the claws.

And don't forget the after-manicure treats

I'm not totally sure why she trims the claws. Both her pedigrees are show cats, so maybe that has something to do with it.

My cat has a double claw growing out of one of her thumbs which occasionally catches on everything. When it gets bad, I flip her onto her back on my lap and give her a neck and head rub which she generally loves (never knew I could do this to my cat until my brother who has had cats for years did this to her on first meeting). Once she is relaxed, I then get an emery board and give her claw a bit of a go. Sometimes she takes it for a while, sometimes only a little. I don't know if I could do all of her claws though. When she is going through an 'avoiding me' phase, I catch her when she has just woken up.

They need them cut if they don't scratch them down too good on their own at the vets.

You may also want to look at this thread:

getting a cat's nails trimmed

yes some do. One of my parents cats is really old and needs hers clipping as she doesn't scratch anything to shorten them and another one has extra claw's on each of his paws and has to get them clipped otherwise they grow into the pads, he also has double claws (he is a bit of a freak) and I think he has trouble scratching things.

I'm lucky I've never had to trim either of my cats claws. But then I'm not lucky in the sense they like to scratch my furniture despite having a scratch post

I trim Amber cats claws on a regular basis when they start to hurt me. I was shown how to do it and now just pick the clippers up and call her and she jumps up next to me......She is a bit odd though and comes running for tablets as well

My cats are fine with their scratching post (and the settee, and the garden shed, and the side of the bed...) and going outside sometimes. My mum's cat needs her claws trimming regularly now though, because she's a very old lady and refuses to go outside or to do anything more energetic than getting out of bed to walk a couple of steps to her food bowl.

I've never trimmed my cat's claws, they are a bit longer than normal at the moment (and very sharp) as she hasn't been going out so much because of the snow but that should come back down now the snow has gone.

I have 2 pedigree indoor cats so do have to clip their nails every couple of months. I just use a normal pair of nail clippers.
Both are ok with it as have been doing it since they were kittens usually try to do no more than a foot at a time and when they are nice and sleepy and relaxed is always the best time.

Update on the claws situation: I finally went and got them clipped by the vet, and she is like a new cat. She has been in a hysterical mood ever since, doing all the things she couldn't do before, like stick her paws down behind the cushions on the sofa, and racing at top speed across the carpet in the living room.

The vet did say though that her claws weren't particularly long before, and it was more likely that she can't retract them fully.

So are you counting down the days until they grow back?

Only joking - it must be great to see your kitty on top form again

Why dont you build yourself a proper scratch post.
Go to b&q buy a 90cm bench leg wrap the sisal rope around it tightly and fix it to some 50cm square mdf with a carpet tile on like I did.
It lasts ages and because its tall the cats can have a really good stretch, mine love it.

The other bought scratch poles never get used as theyre too small..