Just like human nails, cat’s claws grow constantly. The new ones are protected by an outer layer that the cat usually will remove herself my sharpening them. When you see her stretching out and clawing at her scratching post, now you know what she’s doing.

Typically, for younger cats, grooming their own claws by scratching isn’t a problem, but as they become older that can change. A cat’s nails can become brittle and dry with age and therefore be prone to cracking and splitting which may cause trouble such ass getting stuck in the carpet and pulling out which may cause them pain and more damage.

You can help keep your cat’s claw’s healthy when she’s older by trimming her nails for her. If she is older and you have never trimmed them, it’s a possibility that she may be scared of the nail clipper. If this is the case, ease her into the idea by just holding her and playing with her paws occassionally. Massage them like you would if you were going to be trimming each individual nail, but don’t do any trimming yet. Simply get her used to the idea of you controlling her paws.

Once she is completely comfortable with the paw control, you can attempt a trimming.

You will want to extend the claw out so that it is easy to cut without harming your cat . You can do this by using your thumb and index finger to very hently squeeze the the top of the paw (index finger on bottom of paw pad and thumb on top).

The very tip of the claw that you want to trim doesn’t have any nerves so your cat doesn’t even feel it. However, you want to make sure that you do not cut in too far near the center of the claw. This live center is known as the quick and contains both nerves and blood. This is why it is important to extend the claw and also have good light in the room.

Fortunately, the quick is darker than the rest of the claw and you should be able to see it clearly and avoid it.

If you can only get one paw or even one claw the first time before your cat starts to squirm, then just let her go and try again soon. Always ease her into something she is afraid of and be gentle and talk calmly to her so that she knows you are caring for her.

Is your cat scratching your furniture or causing other damage in yuor home? Before you get angry, or even take action on getting your cat to stop scratching where she isn’t supposed to, it’s important to know why cats scratch and claw.

There are several reasons that cats may be scratching different objects around your home. Sometimes your cat is doing it to communicate with you and get your attention. They also may be scratching certain items in the home to mark their territory. Beyond those behavioral reasons, cats need to scratch to keep their claws healthy. It keeps them strong and also removes the dead layers on top of the new ones.

Scratching is an instinct for cats and instead of trying to stop it, the best thing to do is direct your cat to an object that she is allowed to scratch. This should be a scratching post or a scratching pad. Don’t use an old piece of furniture as then she might get confused as to why she can scratch one but not the other. It’s easer if she just has her own unique scratching object.

Once you have something that your cat can call her own to scratch her claws on, take her over to it and even gently put her paws out and do the motion in a friendly manner. Every time you catch her scratching on anything else, just pick her up and bring her over to her scratching object. Once you’ve done this consistently for a while, your cat will understand and change her habit.

As with humans, cats have personality and preferences. There is a chance you might have to switch her post ot a pad, or try a different style before you get one that she loves and actually wants to scratch on. One thing you should make sure of is that the cat can stretch out her whole body to it’s full length when scratching on it.  Scratching pads usually are a hit with most cats and are fairly cheap, but it’s up to you to see what your cat likes the most.

The important part is the consistency during the transition period in teaching your cat that this new object is the only place she is allowed to scratch.