If there’s one thing that’s unnerving about owning felines, it’s having to go through the ordeal of trimming their nails. Most flee at the sight of clippers, while others bare their teeth in a way that sends a shiver down the spine.
With the right techniques and training, though, this process can be easier than you think, which is what we’ll discuss in this post. We’ve put together a comprehensive guide that walks you through all the steps to nail trimming, including a guide about clicker training your Maine Coon to tolerate the process, if not look forward to it.
So get ready to dive deep into the topic so you can have a more positive nail trimming session with your Maine Coon.
Contents
Why You Should Trim Your Big Maine Feline’s Nails
You may be tempted to leave your cat’s nails as they are – after all, who wants to go face-to-face with a feline who doesn’t want its paws touched? But trimming their nails can prove beneficial and is often essential for their well-being (and your safety).
1. Long Nails Get Caught on Things
You may have noticed that your cat’s nails often get caught on your clothes. While this may not seem like a big deal, it can actually result in some serious consequences. Because of their hook-like shape, long nails can easily get stuck on any fabric, whether it’s your clothes, a curtain, or the carpet.
If you’re not around to unhook it, your cat can start pulling and tugging on the nail to free itself. This might cause them to rip out their whole nail from the nail bed. It’s a very painful situation for the cat to be in, often resulting in serious blood loss.
For your cat’s safety, it’s always better to keep their nails short.
2. Cat Nails Can Grow Inwards
When a cat’s nail grows too long, it can actually grow inwards into the paw. Due to their sharpness, your cat can be in a lot of discomfort when walking. It may even tear the paw pad, causing pain and sensitivity. Your cat will also be at risk of infections as it uses the litter with a tear in its paw pad.
3. Cats Can Scratch Their Eyes
Believe it or not, cats scratching their own eyes isn’t very uncommon – they’re more clumsy than you think! The sharp claws could accidentally poke the eye when your cat is trying to satisfy an itch or clean its eyes or face.
This can be very painful, and results in a corneal ulcer that must be treated by a vet ASAP. If you live in a multi-cat household, trimming nails becomes a necessity to avoid trauma in case a conflict occurs.
4. Cats Can Scratch YOU (and Your Furniture)
As cat owners, we need to perform grooming duties for their well-being. But not all felines tolerate it, and if you want to emerge unscathed from the grooming session, you’ll want to have those nails trimmed. There have been some reports of cats accidently scratching their owner’s eyes too, and that could result in partial vision loss.
Long nails will also destroy your furniture, whether it’s your sofas, armchairs, or curtains. You simply can’t stop cats from climbing stuff.
5. Older Cat’s Need More Trims
As your Maine Coon grows old, it will use the scratch post less and less, which will allow their nails to grow dangerously long. For such cats, it becomes necessary to trim the nails.
Should You Trim an Outdoor Cat’s Nails?
When it comes to outdoor cats, you shouldn’t be trimming their nails – at least not as often as indoor cats. Outdoor cats need sharp long nails for climbing trees and fences, and defending themselves against other animals. Short nails will hold them back and possibly make them unsafe.
For indoor cats, the situation is quite different. They don’t really need to defend themselves, nor do they have any trees to climb.
So if your Maine Coon goes out on its own often enough, you should only trim the very edge of their nails, so they aren’t too sharp but are still long enough for gripping and climbing. Trimming once a month should be enough for such cats.
Note: if you notice any swelling or redness around your cat’s nail bed, it’s probably infected. Do not trim that nail or even touch that paw. Take your cat to a vet to get it treated first, as that nail could be peeling, splinting, and making the surrounding area very sensitive.
How to Trim Maine Coon Nails in 6 Steps
The procedure is quite simple itself, but you need to have the right supplies and know the proper techniques to do it safely.
1. Gather Your Supplies
- Nail clipper: there are two kinds of nail clippers out there: a guillotine shape and a scissor shape. The guillotine kind tends to make cleaner cuts, but finding a small enough size for cats can be difficult. The scissor-shaped ones can be used on kittens and cats and are more readily available in cat sizes. However, they can be a bit wonky and aren’t as sharp.
- Styptic powder for pets: in the unfortunate case of clipping too deep, this powder will help stop the bleeding.
- Treats: to reward your cat for tolerating the procedure and help distract it. Explore our recommendations for the finest treats beloved by Maine Coons right here.
Note: do not use scissors or human nail clippers, as they can cause pain by splinting the nails.
2. Prepare Your Cat
It’s important to choose a time when your cat is relaxed and/or sleepy, preferably after a meal that’s not too filling (so it’s still hungry enough for treats). If it’s in an active or hunting mood, you won’t be able to calm it down.
Gently place your cat on your lap, or approach it as it’s lying down – whichever way your cat is more comfortable. Note that being on your knees beside your cat may make it feel more safe.
Now offer its favorite treats, during which you should try touching its paws and holding them. Let it sniff the clipper as well to mentally prepare your cat for what’s coming next. Make sure you’re in a quiet room and you’re talking softly to your cat the entire time.
You can try wrapping your cat in a towel whilst exposing one arm, but most cats don’t like being restrained. Unless your cat likes to become a burrito, let it lay down freely in a comfortable position.
3. Grab the Paw
Gently hold one of the front paws, and press down at the top with your index finger while pressing the bottom or the pad with your thumb. This will expose your cat’s fingernails.
At this point, your cat will probably start swishing its tails – they don’t like it when their nails get exposed. The best way to distract them is to ask a second person to offer squeeze tube treats to the cats, which are easier to feed than kibble.
Examine the nails and make sure they look normal.
4. Clip One Bit at a Time
Placing the clipper at the right part of the nail is important for your cat’s safety. If your cat’s nail isn’t too long and isn’t curling much, simply place it at the very edge of the nail and clip about 1 mm. This will take away the sharpness of the nail, which is enough.
If the nail is long, you’ll have to go in a second time, placing the clipper at the part where the nail begins to widen and curl. Do not cut too far back, or you’ll cut into the quick, which will cause bleeding and pain.
The quick looks like a pink line inside nails that are white or slightly transparent. If your cat’s nails are black or brown, it might be hard to identify the quick. Try asking a helper to shine some light with a torch to illuminate the quick. Remember to clip bit by bit and not go too far up, no matter what the case.
5. Get All the Nails Gradually
If your cat allows it, continue clipping all the nails of the paw, remembering to get the dew claw as well. This is positioned higher up on the inner side of the paw, making it easy to miss. Proceed to the next front paw, and try to be quick but still careful.
Ask your helper to continue offering treats as a distraction. If you’re doing it on your own, stop after each nail and offer a small bit of treat.
Once you’re done with the front paws, you can move on to the back. However, this isn’t necessary, as the front paws are the ones that cause the most damage to your skin and your furniture. Felines especially hate getting their back paws touched, so you might want to come back the next day to trim them if your cat’s very agitated.
6. Praise and Treat
Once you’ve successfully finished the trimming session for the day, offer lots of treats, praises, and petting. After that, give your cat some space, and don’t try to interact with it too much if it’s irritated or hissy.
What to Do If You Cut Your Cat’s Quick
Accidents can happen, and for such instances, you should have styptic powder on hand. If you’ve cut too deep and the nail is now bleeding, don’t panic. Grab a towel, gauze, or even a tissue, and dab it at the end of the nail to clean up the blood.
Your cat might not allow you to hold the painful paw but try and do this next step real quick: take some styptic powder in your palm, and dip the bleeding fingernail into it. Put some gauze or tissue against the nail tip and hold it there for about 5-10 seconds, and the bleeding should stop.
If you’re in a pinch and don’t have a pet-specific styptic powder, you can use flour or cornstarch – it’s advised by vets to do so too.
How to Train Your Maine Coon to Tolerate Nail Clipping
Some cats are very nervous when it comes to nail clipping, which might make them aggressive towards you. If you’ve recently adopted a cat who isn’t used to clippers or you simply want to make your cat more tolerant towards it, you’ll have to train them to do so.
This requires proceeding in baby steps and being very patient. Typically, a couple of weeks to a month of training will get your cat comfortable with nail clipping. You’ll need a clicker and lots of treats for this.
1. Touch the Paw
The first step is to desensitize your cat to touch. Begin by gently touching one of its paws for 2 seconds, and immediately after that press the clicker. Give a treat after this.
Next, touch the other paw, click, and offer another treat. The sound of the click will help your cat remember the specific action that earns treats. Don’t treat your cat if it doesn’t let you touch its paw.
End the session and come back later in the day to do this for another 5 minutes. Continue doing so until your cat is okay with you touching its paw.
2. Hold the Paw
Now, you should try holding the paw for about 2 seconds. Immediately click and reward after this. You’ll want to do this for a couple of days to get your cat used to you holding its paw. If it doesn’t pull back immediately and doesn’t act iffy, proceed to the next step.
3. Draw Out the Nails
This is the part your cat might take the longest to get comfortable with. Gently press its paw pad to extend its nails for about 2 seconds initially, and then click and treat. After this, increase the time limit, pressing for a good 5 seconds. If your cat tolerates it, click and reward. If it pulls back the paw, go back to the 2 second limit or simply hold the paw.
4. Introduce the Clipper
Now bring out the clipper and let your cat sniff it. After this, draw out its nails and clip the edge of one of its nails quickly, but carefully. Click and reward. If your cat lets you continue, clip the second nail, and proceed with rewarding after each nail. If not, try again the next day.
5. Be Patient
You’ll want to continue training this way, getting one paw at a time. Even if you manage to trim one nail a day, it’s an achievement worth rewarding. Click and reward every time you need to trim nails for several weeks till your cat is fully comfortable with it and you can stop using the clicker.
Remember to treat even when your cat’s okay with the whole process, so it continues to associate positively with it.
More Ways to Keep Your Cat’s Nails Short
Let’s say you don’t want to trim your Maine Coon’s nails as often, but you still want to keep yourself and your furniture safe. Luckily for you, there is a way around this.
The first method is to introduce a scratching post to your cats or kittens and train them to use it. This is where they will release all their pent-up scratching energy instead of destroying your furniture. It won’t shorten their nails, though, nor will it protect your skin from accidental scratches.
The second method is to take your cat out for walks when the nails are long enough to touch the ground. Walking on concrete pavements can file them and make them blunt, and this can be an alternative to nail trimming.
In Conclusion
In summary, keeping your Maine Coon’s nails in check is essential for their health and your comfort. This comprehensive guide provides a practical 6-step approach to make the nail-trimming process more manageable, emphasizing the importance of patience and positive reinforcement.
For those unfamiliar with nail clippers or facing resistance from their cats, the included training steps offer a gradual and effective way to build tolerance. Additionally, alternative methods like scratching posts and outdoor walks can be considered to complement regular trimming, ensuring your Maine Coon’s nails stay at a comfortable length while minimizing stress for both you and your feline friend.
Curious about grooming your Maine Coon at home? Check out our simple guide for all the info you need.
