Conference misery::feline_v1

    Easy to do, but so hard to explain without demonstrating....
    
    Where do you live?
    
    Lynne

    
    	You can buy little cat claw clippers, they look like scissors
    	with a notch at the end, or if you feel adventurous, you can
    	use people fingernail clippers...in either case, take the paw
    	gently in your hand, squeeze the toe to extend the claw .You
    	will see that part of it is white ot clear, and you can see
    	pink in the middle - what you want to clip is the clear part,
    	the pink part will bleed. The cat clippers are easy to use,
    	just put the point of the claw in the notch and snip. If you
    	use people clippers, use them sideways on the claw, or you will
    	cause the claw to split when you cut it. For your kitten's claws,
    	people clippers will be easy to use. 
    
    	The biggest problem is getting them to STAY STILL!! Be firm,
    	don't let her get away with struggling until you let her go
    	or you will never get her to allow you to do her nails... :) 
    
    	Good Luck...
    	Sherry
    

    Buy the pet clippers with the safety stop.  I got mine through 
    Jeffers Veterinary Supply (Catalog) for under $5.
    

    First few times you do it, it may be helpful to have someone hold her
    while you trim the nails.  Any good cat book will have illustrations on
    how to do it.  It is best to start them young and do it once a week 
    since it gets a lot harder to control them when they get older and
    bigger!  Try not to be a pushover like me, the minute I hear the first
    cry or hiss I stop doing it (although I'm getting better at ignoring
    this).  Scissors designed specifically for cat claws are the best, you
    can get them at any pet store ($5-10).

point 1:  the first time you clip the cat's claws, she/he will fight alot...
	  as the cat doesn't understand what you are doing.  Be firm and
	  gentle, and clip just to, but NOT INTO, the pink "quick" area.
	  Be sure to clip the dewclaws on the inside of the front legs
	  as well - sometimes these can curve up so far they get back into
	  the cat's skin.

	  Once the cat knows you aren't going to hurt him/her...and that you
	  ARE going to get the job done, it should get easier..at least, it
	  has been so with Mandycat.  Protests, but no major fighting.

point 2:  I find that young cats and kittens grow claws real fast while the
	  older cats don't.  I clip the kitten's claws once a week...the
	  4 year+ cats get done twice a month.

point 3:  If noone can hold the cat for you, use a large bath towel.  WRap
	  the cat firmly in the towel - roll her up in it...and then reach
	  in and pull out the paw you want to work on.  I find it works best
	  when I hold the cat on the kitchen counter with a large flash
	  light turned on and resting on it's side on the counter.  I use
	  the flash to shine through the nail and see where the quick is
	  before clipping.  

expect protests, but you are doing something to make the cat healthier and
keep your home in one piece.  

	Are you sure they need clipping? I've only ever heard of this being
	done on an odd occaision.

	This prompted me to check my moggies claws last night, neither of them
	have much claw past the pink bit, they're 2.5 years and 4.5 years old, 
	and have never been clipped. 


	Heather

    And should you accidentally clip the quick, don't panic.  You can
    buy steptic powder at a grooming shop prior to trimming her claws
    or, my old vet suggested, use talcum powder. Put some into the palm
    of your hand or into a bottle cap, then with the claw extended, push
    the bleeding claw into the powder.  That should clot the blood.
    
    Unless you clip up into the quick pretty far, you won't do any 
    serious damage to the cat.  Its just messy while they're bleeding.
    
    And CC still chews on my hands and bitches to beat the band when I
    trim her claws (She's 7 months old) but I just "out stubborn" her.
    I'm told by others that the best time to trim claws is just after
    the cat has had a nap.  They're still half asleep.
      N
    

    Some cats just need clipping more often than others do.  Cats who go
    outdoors often probably wear down their claws enough on their own to
    not need to be clipped.  My older cat, JFCL, never needed to be done
    when she was younger and more active than she is now, but the younger
    one, Nebula, always needs clipping: her claws grow very fast, so now I
    clip both of them (so Nebula doesn't decide to "get revenge" on me by
    making a mess somewhere - her idea of revenge is to deliberately not
    use her catbox for a day, picking some carpeted area to use instead, or
    the bathmat (ycck) if she can reach it to pull it down on to the
    floor).
    
    I clipped one of Neb's back claws too close one time, and she bled, and
    has never quite forgiven me.  She still gets real jumpy when I do that
    particular foot, so I have to move quickly before she gets too panicky,
    poor little critter.  JFCL is a lot calmer about the whole affair,
    although she will growl the whole time.  Doing their claws is a lot
    less tramatic for them than brushing their teeth, which I also have to
    do now that they are "older" kitties - they REALLY hate that one!
    
    /Charlotte

even if your cats go outside, they may not keep their claws down if their
environment does not include "claw wearing" surfaces....if they don't have
trees to climb or other sufaces to work off the claws - and incentive to
use them! - they may need clipping.  It is best to check on a regular basis.
If your cats claws (including the dew claw) are not much longer than the
quick and your cats can walk evenly on the "balls of their feet", then don't
clip.  During the winter when they are mostly indoors, you may need to trim
them more than during the summer.  If you cats don't run loose, then you
probably have to clip regularly.

	Yup, my moggies are always climbing the trees, or the fence, and even 
	the 8 foot brick garage - they like it on the roof!

	Would an indoor scratching post help, or would you still need to clip?

	Heather

    I would think that an indoor post, especially the type with sisel
    rope on it, would be a big help.  I know that I always see many
    pieces of claw around the bases of all our posts.
    
    BTW - Mao loves to climb trees!  (even with her harness on which
    is one reason we keep them supervised outside :-)

    
    	With an indoor scratching post, Missy has been able to 
    	cultivate needle sharp claws that are nearly a half inch
    	long!! We just clip everybodys nails when they leave 
    	marks from jumping into your lap.... :)
    
    	Sherry