For any feline, their claws and nails are essential for their daily life. Walking, climbing, defending themselves from other animals, hunting if necessary… Your cat’s claws also require some attention and hygiene even if they give you more than one annoyance if they have the habit of scratching your furniture. So, how to clean your cat’s nails effectively?
Cleaning them is very simple, but the problem lies in whether your cat wants to cooperate or not. If you get him used to this grooming routine from the time he is a baby cat, he will see it as something normal, he will not be scared and he will be happy to let you take care of his paws, nails included. In adult cats it will cost you a little more to show him that what you are trying to do, is not going to do him any harm.
It is important to clean your cat’s nails and the gaps between the pads because this is where dirt can hide, carrying tiny parasites or larvae that could easily infect the animal.
Choose the time for the “manicure”. The cat must be relaxed, otherwise it would be useless and dangerous because of the risk of getting scratched. Take a paw and massage it, you will see how it likes it and calms down. In this state of total confidence in you, it is the moment to gently squeeze one of its pads by slightly pulling its skin backwards.
Cats’ nails are retractile and with this simple gesture they will be completely exposed. You will only have to remove the remains of dirt or anything else with the help of a towel or gauze, preferably dry. If it were necessary to moisten it, you would have, in a second step, to dry the nails perfectly so that no water or humidity remains.
