For those of you who understand how you’re supposed to clip cats nails, but just can’t for the life of you manage to do it on your cat as he or she seems to hate getting his or her nails cut, this article is for you.
On my last article on how to give medicine to cats, I received not one, but two commenters, Jean and Olivia, who requested an article on the topic of clipping cat nails.
And I’m guessing it’s not because they don’t know how to do it. If you’re at your wits end like Jean said she was, my guess is it’s because your cat isn’t co-operating, and in those cases, hopefully some of the tips I’ll be writing about will be able to help.
I’d like to start off by discussing why cats actually hate getting their nails cut before jumping into how go go about trying to trim a cat’s nails that hates getting claws trimmed, as I’ve seen some people question whether it hurts cats to have their nails cut. Let’s start there.
Why Do Cats Hate Getting Their Nails Cut?
Contrary to how cats sometimes yelp, squirm, and run away from you when you do try to cut their nails, the process of trimming a cat’s nails is not painful for a cat unless you clip their nails wrong.
If you’ve seen the guides, like this absolutely amazing one for instance, you’ll know that you’re essentially supposed to cut about two millimetres away from the “quick” or the pink part of the nail.
If you’re timid, make sure you give the pink of the nail a little more clearance, so you don’t hurt your cat.
Again, my guess is you already knew this, and you weren’t even getting near that portion of the nail – heck maybe not even onto the nail itself – before your cat squirmed and yelped, then struggled to run away from you while you tried to cut his or her nails.
At this point you likely gave up to try another day, but when that other day swung around, the same process of the cat yelping repeated itself.
So what’s the deal? Why do cats hate getting their nails cut if what you’re doing is not even painful?
The answer is likely (though please do correct me if you think I’m wrong) – it feels uncomfortable and weird.
Cats typically hate their paws touched to begin with.
If you have a cat who won’t even let you touch his or her paw and you’re doing your best to try to cut his or her nails, needless to say, you have your work cut out for you.
Some of the tips I’ve included, therefore, have a lot to do with getting a cat used to his or her paws being touched in the first place, as well as getting comfortable with a bunch of other things that may be making the situation of getting nails clipped feel awkward and uncomfortable to a cat.
Let’s get into those, and if there’s absolutely any other ideas you have on making clipping nails easier to do on cats who hate getting their nails trimmed (especially for those that dislike their paws touched in the first place), please take a moment to leave your ideas in the comments below.
If a pet parent made his or her way over here, it’s pretty obvious your comment would absolutely help him or her, as this is a tough cookie to crack, and the more tips you can try, the easier it should make the process.
How to Cut Your Cats’ Nails When They Won’t Co-Operate & Hate It
Training That Will Make Trimming a Cat’s Nails Easier
1. Touch your cat’s paws regularly throughout the day to get him or her used to the sensation.
Since a lot of the issue around getting nails cut, in my experience, has to do with cats hating their paws being touched, try touching your cat’s paws throughout the day as often as possible when he or she is relaxed so they get used to the sensation, and no longer find it so alarming.
You can do this when your cat’s asleep, when your cat’s relaxing, basically any time you find your cat calm, try to touch his or her paw, stroke it, and even hold it and gently squeeze every so often.
If you manage to do that with no struggle or upset, you’re making progress.
To push progress, you might also want to try to press down on your cat’s paw in a manner you would need to do were you to snip a cat’s nail. All without any trimming.
The more used to the sensation the cat is, the easier the actual trimming will be.
2. Train your cat to be more used to being picked up and held
This is another thing a lot of cats really disdain initially because they’re so unused to the sensation.
While I have cats who absolutely disdain being picked up, I also know that over time, with repeated picking up and putting down, I’ve been able to get them to acclimate to the sensation.
My advice when it comes to this is to do it often, but for very short periods of time, and if you can, reward their good behaviour and lack of resistance with things like snacks or play straight after.
The reason I say do it for a short period of time, maybe a second or two at most initially, then increasing over time, is that it’s a lot easier for them to get used to being held if they feel you’re going to put them down after just a few moments.
Each time you hold your cat, it’ll be less alarming than the last. Especially if you do it while he or she is calm and not actively trying to play.
I don’t advise trying to pick up a cat who’s feeling playful, it’s much easier for them to become more used to the sensation if they’re calm prior to you trying to pick them up.
Tips on How to Actively Trim a Difficult Cat’s Nails
1. Try different cat nail clippers to see if your cat has a preference to one over the others.
I haven’t actually done this for my cats when it comes to nail clippers, but when it comes to brushes and grooming, I’ve definitely done this to figure out which my cats prefer, and it make one heck of a lot of difference.
When it comes to nail clippers, I personally use standard scissor style nail clippers. I feel like I’ve had the best luck with those, and my husband prefers them to others as well.
There are plenty of other styles you can try, however. Like these nail grinders or guillotine nail clippers like these.
If you have a moment, please take the time to leave a comment naming the type of nail clipper you use and if you find your cat is fine with it/likes it over other types. You could really help a pet parent out with this advice.
2. Try holding your cat upright in your lap to see if he or she is okay with that position.
The best position, in my experience, for trimming nails is probably if you’re sitting upright in a chair, then hold your cat away from you, as though he or she is a teddy bear, one hand propping up your cat’s arms by placing them underneath and holding them firmly to you.
Cats definitely don’t like moving around, and there are ways humans can pick up cats that make it really difficult for them to be comfortable, whether the pet parent’s trying to cut nails or merely hold him or her.
I feel that very few cats hate the feeling of sitting upright in your lap, being held in place so they’re not flailing around.
There is another option, however, if you find this position is difficult for you to cut nails in, and that’s the following…
3. Try lying your cat on his or her side and snipping the nails closest to you.
If I’m cutting cat nails by myself, I’ll often sit cross-legged on the floor, grab a kitty, lie him or her on one side across my crossed legs, then cut away at the hand or foot that’s nearest to me.
I can then flip the cat to the other side and start cutting the nails on the other side, but usually I find most cats lose patience after the first hand, so I try to do one hand at a time, if I can manage.
Over time they get used to more and more nails being cut before they get antsy, which is great.
4. Try getting a helper, one person to hold the cat, the other to snip nails.
Two people makes the job of snipping nails a lot easier if you have a problematic cat.
Usually, if a cat really doesn’t like getting their nails cut, but it has to be done, I’ll sit with the cat in my lap – holding him or her upright tight to my chest and with one hand underneath their paws, then get my husband to cut kitty’s nails. This helps a lot.
5. Try hiding a cat’s face while she gets her nails cut.
If you have a cat who seems squeamish, but not particularly hyperactive, just more flighty and uncomfortable with the idea of having his or her nails cut, covering your cat’s face can go a long way in helping the process go more smoothly.
Of course this is ridiculously difficult to do if you’re cutting nails solo, so my guess is you’d only be able to use your tip if you had an assistant.
If you have a more hyper cat or kitten, the alternative…
6. Try scruffing a cat’s nape while he gets his nails cut.
While this might not work on all cats, when you scruff many cats’ napes, holding the very loose skin at the back of his or her neck, it calms the cat, and therefore usually allows you to be able to cut at least a nail or two without causing any harm (which sometimes can happen if you try to snip a nail and your cat pulls away from you).
Obviously, again, you’ll probably need two humans in order to do this, one person holding the cat and scruffing, while the other person cuts.
Scruffing is often not advised because it alarms some cats and makes some cats aggressive. In my experience, this isn’t true of all cats, however, definitely don’t scruff a cat that seems to really hate it or become in distress by the act.
If you can get away with it, don’t scruff your cat while he or she is having his or her nails cut, especially since in some cases, if your cat hates the sensation of being scruffed, he or she may begin to hate the experience of having his or her nails cut even more than before.
Also please do the next step, under all circumstances…
7. Always reward your cat with encouragement, snacks, and/or play after you’ve snipped even just a single nail.
If you’ve made an attempt to cut your cat’s nails and had even just a teensy bit of success – like getting even just a single nail cut – reward your cat with something.
The something should be an encouraging, excited, happy, “Good job!” or equivalent, paired with a reward like play or a snack (a single piece of kibble will do).
This will help your cat learn that getting his or her nails trimmed = rewards and happiness once it’s done.
Your cat should learn to associate the experience with temporary discomfort that results in an incredibly happy experience straight after, which should make the process of trimming any cat’s nails easier over time.
When Once Just Won’t Do: Tips on Nail Cutting Over Time
1. Try cutting one cat nail while your cat is asleep.
Another pet parent once told me this is the trick she used to keep her outdoor cats’ nails cut throughout his entire life.
I think it’s brilliant if it works, but for some reason, I typically seem to struggle to do it fast enough that my cats don’t catch on to what’s going on before they’re awake and running.
If you can manage, this might be the only trick you need.
2. Try cutting one nail every day, or twice a day, to decrease the novelty of the sensation.
To get your cat used to the experience of nail cutting, you’ll want to increase the frequency of the nail cutting to as often as you can without creating anxiety.
Usually for me, this is once a day or twice a day.
The issue is if you’re trying to wait a week or even weeks before trying to cut your cat’s nails again.
I don’t think a cat can get used to the experience as easily if the nail cutting sessions are so spaced out in time.
One nail cut once a day plus a reward after, and I’d say within a month, your cat should be fine with the claw trims.
3. If your cat begins to let you cut one nail easily, increase the number to two nails, then to three, then to a whole hand.
If you started off snipping one nail because that was all you could do, and now your cat is fine with it, you can and should absolutely try to cut a second nail if your cat seems game for it.
Increase to two nails for a few cuttings, then to three if you can, then the whole paw.
Just make sure the process is gradual, and you should be able to cut all your cat’s nails in one sitting eventually.
Your Thoughts on Trimming Cats’ Nails?
Have you ever struggled to trim a cat’s nails?
Was it with one cat, multiple cats? What were their ages? Did the process get easier for you and your cat over time?
What tips do you have for those looking to trim their cats nails who struggle to do so because of how much their cats seem to hate the process?
Do you have any other advice for pet parents who need to trim their cats’ nails, but struggle to do so?
Please share any tips, advice, stories, and experiences you have on this topic in the comments down below.
Again, your advice will likely be so incredibly helpful for others in this situation.
Roxy will not let me touch her paws, let alone trim her nails. She just bolts the moment you try. It’s equally impossible to pick her up. She runs away and hides. I have a vertical scratching post and recently bought a flat one as well, so that will have to do for now, don’t know what else to do. I’ve tried all the tips mentioned above, nothing works. Can’t try it while she’s sleeping or “calm”… she freaks and runs away. Her nails are getting really long. Wish I could figure this out…
We have a cat like this. The only way to do it from my experience is to have two people, one to nape and hold the cat in place, the other sitting down trimming nails with her in their lap.
It’s still not easy, but it becomes do-able with two people. With one, it’s nearly impossible.
I hadn’t thought about changing up the kind of clippers I was using! I started using a guillotine-style clipper when I first got my kitten, and I struggled for months dealing with his long claws + refusal to let me trim them. I just got some scissor clippers for like $6 and he let me do 2 whole paws!!! Thanks for the suggestion!
I have a 5-year-old cat (Mama–previously feral) who I adopted from a no-kill shelter a year and a half ago. It took her 2 weeks to come out from under the bed (although she did come out to eat when I wasn’t around), but eventually she calmed down and although she is still skittish, she has made a lot of improvement. HOWEVER, when it comes to cutting her claws, she turns into a 7-pound demon. I was able to cut them after I tranquilized her (my vet gave me acepromazine, and I grind up half of a 10 mg tablet and put it in her canned food), so today I was bound and determined to get this done. I waited until she looked sleepy and grabbed her, screeching and hissing (her, not me) and I was able to get all ten front claws done, and have the scars to prove it. She wouldn’t hold still for me to do the back claws, so that will be another adventure. She is also a long-haired cat, which makes it difficult to actually find the claws when she is squirming around. I took her to the vet several times to have her claws done, but at $15. a visit, it adds up. so I decided to wait a couple days and then try again for the back claws. I don’t know what else to do, but I’m glad to see I’m not going through this alone! Thanks for reading.
We have a sliding door with a screen. It’s a pet screen so it’s strong. We stand out side and play with a stick or leaf. She climbs up and her nails stick through the screen. We snip the tips while she’s trying to get the leaf. We usually get some but not all because she catches on to our scheme!
bah! glad to see i’m not alone. i was able to cut my cats nails with some help or when she was asleep when i first got her, but now she’ll wake up completely as soon as i touch the metal to her claw and get mad!!! i used to be able to bribe her with food (a squeeze tube of cat treat) but she now associates that with cutting and won’t even eat it, even if i don’t cut her nails. sigh. it’s seeming hopeless. i’ll keep trying but not expecting much. she doesn’t scratch me at all but she will scratch visitors if they pet her wrong
It’s absolutely frustrating. I’d try buying something irresistible to cats – there’s kitten food that’s pate, they absolutely go crazy for that in my experience – to see if a more desirable treat will lead her to be okay with it. Maybe she doesn’t like the taste of the squeeze tube cat treat enough to be bribed with it, but there’s something else out there that can do the trick because it’s tasty enough?
Good luck!
My boy Tao (3y) is very needy and loves to be held, never had a problem holding his paws and squeezing then since he lets me do it all the time. The second the clippers are near his claw he starts getting angry and growling. I only cut the sharp tips off and have no idea why he gets so mad. The other 3 just don’t like getting their paws touched and only Rhino (Tao’s brother) cuddles with us, Nala (2y, deaf but not skittish) doesn’t like being held and only cuddles with us when we’re sleeping so I never get to play with hers. The last is a skittish baby girl almost a year old who lived with the dumpster cats behind our old apartment, found her unmoving as a tiny kitten with a bad eye infection and took her in. Still warming up to us, HATES being held. It’s seriously like picking up a little gremlin she grumbles so much. Never bites, none of them have ever been aggressive towards us (save Tao when I first adopted him at 9months, he was feral and hissed at me just seeing me).
I have 2 cats and one is okay with his nails being trimmed, he’s 10 years old, and my 1 year old female haaaaates her paws being touched, much less, trimming the nails. I can’t wrap her in a purrito blanket because she won’t stay still long enough for me to wrap it properly. When I try to trim her nails she goes into kill mode where she’s biting me hard enough that I know she thinks I’m a danger to her. Scratching and hissing and kicking. I try to gently touch stroke her paws daily, but she’s not showing any improvement why having her paws touched. I’ve tried having the nail clippers around for her to see and hear without actually trying to cut her nails. She has signs of an arthritis specific to her breed (Scottish Fold) in her paws so I want to be extra careful when handling her paws for trimming, but she thrashes and fights it so hard that it’s impossible. I just finished struggling through trimming her nails now (my hands are covered in scratches and bites) and the experience seemed so traumatic for her that I broke down right after hyperventilating and crying because I felt so horrible for doing it to her. She is a food motivated cat, but not enough to be distracted for paw handling. I’m considering trying a cat cone and grooming bag because I feel like the only way to be successful without her hurting herself or me hurting her is if she’s fully constrained. Which doesn’t really sound ideal either because she hates being constrained/picked up, so that itself will still be stressful for her.
I would try and “Elizabethan (E-collar)” or by another name “Cone Collar” for pets, this way the cat will be unable to bite you, and you should be able to restrain your cat better. I hope this works, it did for me!
Has anyone here use Benadryl in order to clip their nails? My cat is somewhat aggressive and my legs are really scratched up. He’s 3 years old and I adopted him from a shelter. On YouTube an antidepressant (Trazadone) was mentioned but I feel that’s too extreme to give to a pet. Can you please share tour thoughts on this? I know plenty of people who use benadryl on their pets (mostly dog owners) who freak out during thunderstorms and from everything I’ve been reading nobody has suggested the use of benadryl for trying to make cutting their nails less traumatic.
I personally wouldn’t take the risk. Ask your vet if he or she can think of ways to calm your cat while clipping nails. Maybe they’d even be able to do it for you for a small fee (you never know!).
I touch my two cat’s feet all the time. I show them the clippers. Violet sniffs them then kind of rubs her face on them a bit. Lily sniffs them then attempts to chew them (of course I don’t let her, they’re metal!) I have clipped ONE of Violet’s nails. I was finally able to do Lily’s front left paw, but it was a struggle. I adopted them in March 2021 after someone gave them to a shelter. All I was told is that she “couldn’t take care of them.” They were fixed a few days before I brought them home…they were born in October 2019! So I don’t think their previous human ever brushed them or trimmed their nails. I get bits of brushing in here and there…. I’ve never been able to do one FULL brushing to a point that no more fur comes out. They just want to get away. I have a comb that has semi-wide teeth to get started, and then I go in with the undercoat comb. Lily HATES it. She’s also the one with a very thick undercoat! Violet will let me comb her more easily than Lily, but she still isn’t much of a fan. She gives me a look, as if to say, “Hey, mama, I can groom myself! See, watch!” and then she saunters to the other side of the room and begins taking her bath.
I had to take Violet to get some matts removed from her…under tail area… $75! They had her for LITERALLY 4 minutes. That included walking from my car, getting her into the building, out of her carrier, assessing her bottom, close cropping her bottom fur and getting the two matts off, getting her back into her carrier, and bringing her back out to me. Oh! and printing the paperwork! She was extremely scared the whole ride over, while we waited, and the whole ride back home. Once in the house she seemed to calm down pretty well. I can’t do that every few weeks to get nails trimmed! I found someone online who will come to my house and trim Vi and Lil’s nails, but it’s $20 per cat. So $40 every time they come to do the service. While it is worth the money, I don’t have it. I spend a good amount on food because I want them to have the best diet possible. They have a ton of toys now (their grandma bought some, not just me!) and I found that pet insurance doesn’t seem to cover the important stuff, so I started a savings account for if/when they ever end up sick or injured because I want to give them every chance possible. I’m not a “oh, my cat has cancer? just put it down.” kind of person. I hope they never have anything bad happen to them, but if they do, I want that money in that account so I can slap my card down on the Vet’s counter and tell them to get started on whatever my furbabies need.
Lily is currently laying next to me, feet in the air, tummy to the sky. Violet was earlier. I pet their tummies, play with their toe beans. They’re fine. I go to snip the point off of some nails, and they become demon spawn. I’ve wrapped Violet in a towel, she freaks out. I’ve tried when she’s asleep… she freaks out. I gave her these treats 30 minutes ago that are supposed to be calming and make her sleepy…. shes curled up on the floor, so I’m now going to get down there and attempt to trim her claws… Wish me luck!
What works the best for me, is that I put an Elizabethan or Cone Collar on my cats when their nails need to be cut. This way I am able to control their movements a lot better, and if your cat tends to nip or bite, this makes this act quite difficult to do. I hope this helps!
There is one thing that has been a game changer for me, a cat grooming bag! These are awesome! My kitties are much calmer when in the bag. Their little heads stick out the front of the bag and there are zippers so that you can pull out one leg at a time to trim their toe nails. It makes it soooooo much easier!
Thanks for responding. I don’t think I have a choice about taking him to the vet. But then I feel bad that he’s going to be traumatized by the trip. No win situation 😊
I have one cat who hates her paws being touched, or anyone initiating any cuddle/touch other than her. I’ve been bribing her with treats (which isn’t the best method, I know). As long as she is eating, she will put up with her clipping her claws. Her tail will get all bushy and she will try to take her paws back, but she could never stop eating if there was food in front of her. Not all cats are as food motivated as her, but it has been working!
My cat absolutely hates getting his nails clipped, but I’ve found the solution that works for me. I take an old towel, lightly wrap him up, and pull out one paw at a time. He still gets angry at me during, but after bribing him with a few of his favorite treats he calms down.
Every time I read someone’s article on clipping nails I wonder if they’ve ever met any cat that I’ve ever had. Or any of my friends or families cats because none of us have ever been able to clip or animals nails and we all know the right way and we have all tried everything. I’m sure that all of these work for some people. But they have never worked for me. I have had my current cat that’s five and a half since he was just days old. I’m super loving and caring and very gentle and I’m his mother the only one he’s had since he was the size of my middle finger. So he knows that I don’t want to hurt him . Somewhere around the time that he was 8 months old he stopped letting us want to cut his nails. And it’s gotten progressively worse over the years. Yes we’ve tried it when he’s sleeping yes we’ve tried to cover him hold him put something on his head and that makes him more aggressive very angry and even very hostile for hours after. He will physically shake sound like a raccoon hiss and bite. He will also come up and attack our legs hours after because he is still in defense mode. I hold his paws all the time I softly rub them I will very very very gently push his nails out sometimes when he’s in a good or playful mood just to let him know but the minute he sees any clippers or he even feels me start to do that when I have them in position where I can go to clip them he turns into a rabid raccoon. And all that I want to do is clip that really pointy sharp tip. I’m nowhere near the quick, I’m nowhere even near what I should be taking off. I just want to get that teeny tiny sharp tip off so he can’t scratch his eye or get stuck in his cat tower or furniture and all that stuff. But I can’t even do that. We’ve tried all the clippers’ we’ve tried regular scissors I’ve tried human Clippers I’ve even tried to let him file his nails with my nail file which he doesn’t mind and then the minute I go to push more to actually really file them he again freaks out. It is just hopeless for some cats. I’m not going to put my cat through the severe trauma I would have to to have other people hold him and wrangel him it’s just not worth it Never ever ever have we done so much as raise a voice at him let alone hurt him of course, so I don’t know what it is. My previous cat that I had for 19 years was kind of the same way. We used to have to take him to the vet every 2 weeks and pay $5 to get his nails clipped. I refuse to do that with this cat it’s just a waste and what I end up doing is clipping one nail maybe ever 6 days. And I end up with scratches all over me and I’ve tried putting him in every position possible. Some cats just are absolutely scared for whatever reason and nothing will help them. Literally unless you get them sedated or take them somewhere where they have several people hold them. Instead of putting my cat through the stress of that I just get all scratched up and watch him basically have a heart attack when I clip 1 Nail and then a few days later. I gave up years ago sigh..
I feel your pain so much!! My sweet boy acts absolutely crazy when he sees clippers. I don’t know what it is but nothing else gets him going like that, he has never scratched me before I tried cutting his nails. I am close to giving up lol
SAME. I tried everything with my sweet boy. He’s super cuddly, a real lap kitty. But then the clippers come out… He will go INSANE. The second the clippers go away, he becomes crazy cuddly, almost like he’s trying to apologize. Poor thing. I’m not doing this to him again just to save my furniture. We’ll figure something out.
Ohh, I feel you! This sounds exactly like my cat. He let me clip his nails all the way up to about 8 months and then he totally went psycho! And I don’t get it. I have never cut too close to the quick, just the tip. All was great he just sat there, I gave him treats after and then one day he just wasn’t having it. I have tried everything. A lot of this info isn’t new. And I don’t know who can clip the cats nails when they are asleep. When I tried it, he woke up immediately as soon as I touched his paw! I am currently looking into what can be done to slightly sedate him once a month when its clipping time. And the thing is, when his nails get too long, he seems kinda stressed out. He is constantly sharpening all day long, begins on the furniture even though I have a huge tree with sisal rope and then another shorter one he loves to scratch on. He gets very assertive until he gets them clipped. If I can manage to get them clipped at all. The groomer refuses to see him anymore. She says “He isn’t friendly. No more come!”. So upsetting.
You should probably take your cat to the vet. Cats are masters at hiding pain and illness and a sudden change in behavior is a telltale sign something is up.
I have put an E- (Elizabethan) /Cone Collar) on my cat and this has helped at least not being able to bite.
Thank you for the great tips! My cat became nervous even when noticed that I’ve taken cat nail clippers. I’ll try your tips, maybe it will be less nervous for him!
Thanks, Elise! We’ve tried pretty much every trick you’ve talked about EXCEPT covering our kitty’s face. I’m going to try that one right away (as soon as I get my courage up!) We’ve had so many kitties over the years and each one has reacted, not surprisingly, differently to having their nails done. I discovered the “one nail at a time while they’re sleeping” trick with one of the most recent, Jelly (short for Gelignite, a plastic explosive, so you can imagine what her attitude was)! I’m also going to try the bribery trick. That used to work when we had to give our cat Bob subcutaneous fluids. But he loved his treats! I’ll let you know how things go!
Crossing fingers these work out, then! Can’t wait to hear back!