Anyone have any tips for doing this?

Our cat is very playful and it really hurts when she scratches. She also has a habit of ruining clothes/furniture/carpets, etc!

We've tried toys and posts and stuff but it makes no difference to her.

The vet did it for us once and it was great for a month or so. I've tried doing it myself with a thing bought from Pets R Us but didn't get on very well.

Err I'd get the vet to do it, I think you can hurt hem if you trim too far back.

Def get the vet to do it

Depends on the cat.

I can do Layla, and boy does she need it! She doesn't jump onto your lap, she digs her claws in and pulls herself up.

I only take the tips off - you have to be careful to avoid the quick otherwise it'll bleed loads. I use a clipper with a guard on.

It is a two person job, one to hold and fuss, one to trim. With RB I could manage on my own, but go near Layla and she insists on fuss.

With Stripe, I wouldn't cut her claws as she goes outside and needs them sharp. Which is just as well as there is no way in hell she'd let me trim them anyway.

Do it when they're fast asleep, that's what I do. Be prepared to just to a couple at a time though - over the course of a 3-4 days you should have them all done. I do mine when they're fast asleep and then tickle their paw causing it to flex. Clippers in one hand, I quickly take advantage and nip a couple off quick before they awake (one doesn't mind so much I can do this on him when he's awake but the other makes a terrible fuss as if I'm cutting off her paw!). Remeber to clip just above the quick (the pinky part) so that you don't hurt them. It really does work and over time their claws grow to a shorter length (not bad if they're house cats but not so great if they have to defend themselves outdoors).

Trimming is much safer than using Softpaws (nail covers), if you've seen them. Not only do they sting a bit, when they start to grow out, the cat can get string or anything caught around them and rip their claws off. OUCH!!

If you let our cat out, do NOT clip its nails, as if it riles a nearby dog it has then no method of gettign out of harms way!
House cat then all is good, get the cat used to having its feet touched, just pull the toes about, massage betwen teh toes etc, until al is good, may take some time, them when the cat is relaxed snip the end of a claw or two, do it real slow so as not to arouse suspiction,and in time you will be able to nip off all the nai ltips without to much bother.
i do wonder though, why people get a pet like a cat, then moan about what it does best, ie scratch!!
I have a staff (nooo reallyy!!?? lol to anyone who stalks me or knows my posts!) but I do not moan that he isnt fond of strange dogs!

All due respect to those who've posted to say that they actually do it - but I have never before heard of clipping a cat's claws!!

Don't they break the tips off themselves by scratching things?

No, they sharpen them to a point and they can feel like little needles!

Nope

I do Layla's because, as I said, she pulls herself up onto out laps using her claws for leverage Also, she can't fully retract them - she is very badly bred with 'no nose' and a severely undershot jaw.

RB I used to do because he was very ill when he was old and his nails grew very fast but weak so he'd snag and break them. Poor old boy

I have never touched the claws or have any intention of doing so. Leave them I say.

I think you'd only be able to do it yourself if the cat has been used to having it's claws cut since it was a kitten.

Occasionally my cats have their claws trimmed at the vets but only if they are under sedation for something else! BUT they are both indoor cats so they don't need their claws to be sharp for defence or climbing trees etc.

Besides, what's the occasional scratch between cat lovers! The claws soon get sharpened back up anyway.

If I even try to touch my cat's paws she pulls them away and looks at my hand in a menacing way. If I persist she'll grab my hand with both claws and bite it.

Not drawing blood but hard enough to say 'I don't like that.'

If we pick her up she freezes and wants to be put back down. And she won't sit on anyone's lap apart from Mrs cosmo.

She's good natured though and hasn't scratched anyone or anything like that.

We took her in a couple of years back as a stray when she was about 6 months old so I think she might be semi-feral.

Get your vet to show you.

Thats what we did.

But you need to get some decent clippers .... not the crappy ones they sell in pet'r'us and suchlike. Get some vetrinary quality ones from the vet.

It's perfectly possible to do it yourself .... how easy it is depends on the cat!

And yes, you don't want to cut them too far back. The vet will show you how far is safe.

I can honestly say that I have never needed to trim my cats claws. I had Percy for 14 years and never needed too. God, My Blackster would shed my hand and anything else he could get his claws into if I so much as tried to do his claws!!!! i will definitley leave well alone. Lily probably wouldn't be so bad as that!

If you declaw your cat you are seriously increasing the risk of it dieing if it goes outside... it won't be able to climb trees, won't be able to run away from foxes/dogs etc

Not to mention the mental problems that arise from a cat not having claws (yes cats do get depressed)

I don't think anyone is talking about declawing here ..... I hope not!

Just trimming their claws, if they are an indoor cat, is fine. We had ours done by the vet a couple of times when we used to have trouble with them tearing up the sofa. We switched to leather sofas and they now leave them alone ... they preferred the old cloth covered ones for clawing it seems.

They still tear the carpets up, but even with pretty blunt claws, they can still do that .... so we don't bother clipping them now.

No harm in doing it though, we did ask the vet for a demo. I suspect doing it on "home turf" when the cat isn't freaked out already, would have been tricky!

I don't think you should clip an outdoor cats claws though.

My partner cuts out cat's claws really easily. He likes it and just sits there. He does get a treat for being so good afterwards, mind. Personally, I wouldn't have the guts to do it myself of fearing cutting into him.

Oh, and isn't de-clawing cats illegal in the UK. The yanks do it but I think it's wrong and shouldn't be allowed anywhere.