Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties:
I adopted an adorable tabby from the shelter 3 months ago. She is afraid of everything and spends much of her time in hiding. I can pet her but I can’t hold her. She won’t trust me. Here’s the problem. Her claws are getting very long and they must get trimmed. I can’t do this , if I try to hold her she gets mad and wants to claw me. I can’t get her to the vet because I can’t get her in a box to take her out of the house. What to do? Help?
~Adele
Siouxsie: Well, it seems like you’ve got two problems here, Adele. First, you’ve got a cat that’s scared of everything. Second, this scaredy cat needs to have her claws trimmed. The order in which you deal with these issues is crucial to your relationship with your kitty.
Thomas: It sounds like your cat is either still suffering from “shelter shock” or that she was mistreated earlier in her life. If so, your first task is to help her feel safe and comfortable in your home. This requires patience, of course, but there are some other tools you can use.
Dahlia: We’ve found that natural remedies and pheromone diffusers are the best treatments for cats in this situation. By using a product like Comfort Zone for Cats (also called Feliway), which mimics the “happy cat” pheromones of calm and relaxed cats, you can help to de-stress your kitty.
Siouxsie: “Shelter Shock” and “Past Abuse for Cats” flower essences are natural remedies that you administer simply by adding a drop or two to your cat’s water. This product is sold by CatFaeries, a company with whom we’ve done business before and been very satisfied.
Thomas: While you’re helping her get used to her new environment and understand that she’ll be loved and not hurt, get some scratching posts and scratching pads. She can use these to groom her claws until she trusts you enough to let her hold you and perhaps even trim her claws.
Dahlia: If it’s any consolation, I absolutely hate having my claws trimmed! But I’ve been able to keep my claws in shape by using the wonderful scratching post Mama bought for us. Sisal is the best material for scratching posts because it has an ideal texture for digging in and stretching.
Siouxsie: Scratching posts need to have a wide base so they don’t fall over and should be tall enough for your kitty to get a good stretch.
Thomas: Cardboard scratching pads are inexpensive and they’re great for cats that prefer horizontal scratching surfaces. You can find them at almost all pet stores and online pet outlets.
Dahlia: If your cat’s need for a claw trim is so urgent that it can’t wait for her to adapt to her new environment, consider contacting a professional groomer or your vet’s office to see if they can recommend someone who could come to your home and trim your cat’s nails.
Siouxsie: The benefits of having a professional do the job are twofold: First, the pro will have handled difficult kitties before and because they’re experienced in the art of claw trimming, they’ll get the job done quickly.
Thomas: Second, your cat won’t blame you for the trauma of the nail trim. If you’re trying to build her trust, the last thing you want to do is traumatize her with restraint and unwanted attention.
Dahlia: If you want to do it yourself, have your vet demonstrate safe restraint techniques like the “burrito” method (rolling your cat up in a towel) that will enable you to keep your cat in one place and keep yourself safe from being scratched.
Siouxsie: You may need a second person helping you early in your cat’s nail trimming career. The second person will be the restrainer, holding the cat in the burrito or keeping her in one position long enough for you to clip her claws.
Thomas: If you want detailed instructions on how to trim a cat’s nails, you can read this page or this one (which also talks about how to get your cat into the towel.
Dahlia: Pawprints and Purrs has an article on methods of restraining cats, which you might also find helpful.
Siouxsie: If you want to see it rather than read about it, Cat Henstridge, the Pet Street Vet, has made an excellent short video on how to trim a cat’s claws, which you can find at the end of this post. And she’s got a lovely accent … for a human.
Thomas: We hope this helps, Adele. Please let us know how things turn out!
JaneA Kelley is a punk rock cat mom and award-winning blogger. She is a regular columnist for Catster Magazine, and she and the Paws and Effect Gang share a home in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
The Feliway works WONDERS on a stressed out cat! My vet suggested it to me because I have a scaredy too and it really does calm him down. So much so that if I try to save money one month and not replace it, I can actually see the difference! Without it, he hides more frequently and at times runs around like a chicken without a head!. I get it from my vet’s office, because it’s actually cheaper there than at the petstore! They also sell it on 1800petmeds and the other online pet site (forgot what it’s called). It’s also helped when I’ve had to take him to the vet…since it comes in spray form too, I spray it in his carrier!
As for the nails, I can’t do my cat’s either, once a year I bring him to the vet, they sedate him and do all the grooming (he needs to be shaved because his long hair gets matted, because he won”t let me brush his belly either!). I know they also sell nail tips, that are supposed to be permanent, I’m considering those, but that requires another trip to the vet! The scratching post does help, and they have a new one out now, that I haven’t tried yet, but will try it soon. Good luck and give your baby some time and extra love and she’ll be OK soon enough!
Dear “My scaredy cat…”:
I sympathize w/your great difficulty trimming your furbaby’s claws; but it has to be done & ASAP! Whn I was a youngster, my aunt visited frm Montreal & brought her cat to meet ours! Needless to say, the two got into a terrible territorial catfight! Don’t know what she was thinking, but she tried to break it up, not with a spray of water or a loud noise, as usually recommended ~ but w/physical force ~ hers! She got badly mauled by both ~ neither had their long curved claws trimmed, and she got the full brunt of their fear & anger! She was so deeply sliced, we had to take her to hospital as sepsis set in ~ very dangerous! Not only are those long curved claws cutting machines built for taking down prey ~ but they harbour lots of bacteria!!
Word to the wise ~ NEVER EVER attempt to break up a catfight physically! You are dealing w/some very scared & upset animals brilliantly evolved to defend themselves in the wild! You will always come out the loser & the animals will be traumatized! I suggest speaking w/your vet directly & asking him for his advice. I’ve never used Feliway, or catnip to distract & calm a cat, but it is said to help. Talking calmly & soothingly, I would wrap him in a huge blanket like a food wrap to restrain all limbs & keep talking softly! You will need someone to drive you, open/;lock doors, carry purses etc… ’cause your hands will be completely full & occupied until you are able to hand your pet over to the vet & staff! They will use, perhaps a gas sedative to relax him while they trim the claws very quickly & safely… Now they are finally safe & trim but he will try and defend hinself next time you try this. My Lily is 6 yrs old… and only in the last few mos. has she allowed me to lightly & shortly massage her paws, ears, belly, tail, ears in order to examine them ~ and even then for only a very short time! Don’t attemp this every cuddle session or trust will be broken! I’ve made it into a caressing time ~ never ever teasing or playing with your pet w/your hands or fingers! Slowly when she began to trust me, I would only cut one or two claws at a time! And a few more cuddle sessions down the road, try again ~ one or two at a time. She’ll still be pissed at you, but reward her with praise & a treat immediately & it should become easier with time! Believe me ~ they have an extremely long memory & don’t ever forget a traumatic experience. Your goal is to get them to trust you ~ though this is an umpleasant task, it need not be painful, long & drawn out! The Best of Luck and I do hope that this helps! You need patience & love to train any animal! If you are NOT cut out for this, please do NOT get a pet! It’s a serious a lengthy commitment! >^..^<
~js
Calming Pheromone Dog Collar
$11.99
Up to 20% Off
Click & Compare
QuickView
SentryHC Good Behavior Calming Pheromone Cat Collar
for about $10..it goes on the catlike a flea collar. You can get it at Petco.com or at their stores. It has worked for my new cat