Cat - Trim Your Cat's Nails With Ease

Quality Cat Supplies available at Low Prices and Free Shipping! Many people find it challenging to trim a cat's nails. In the wild a cat will use trees to scratch. This helps stretch the cat's back and promotes old dead nails to fall or scrape off. With indoor cats, it's important to keep nails trimmed. However, you can hurt your cat if you don't know what you are doing, so I encourage you to visit a veterinarian at least once and have them show you which part of the nail is dead. Once you are clear about the potion of the nail that should be trimmed, the five steps below will simplify and speed up the process at home. A couple of guidelines to keep in mind-never cut a nail too low, you only want to trim the tip-the area free of tissue. You must be able to see through the portion of the nail being trimmed. When your cat is asleep, you can lie down next to your cat, and gently squeeze one of their front toes. This will cause the nail to extend. The area that should be trimmed is the tip which will be free of any color, or inside color. If your cat's nails are clearly see-through, you can trim using the following technique. You may want to pretend your trimming your cat's nails right now. Once you feel confident with the steps below, use them the next time you need to trim your cat's nails. 1. Purchase an appropriate size pet nail trimmer from a pet supply store. My favorite brand looks like a small scissors but has a round section for the nail. These scissors cost about $5. You always want a sharp nail trimmer. I replace mine every 6 to 8 months. Do not use a human nail cutter or regular scissors. You can cause injury to your pet. Place the scissors on a floor or table top in a quiet room. 2. Pick up you cat and pet it like normal. Place one hand underneath the ribs as you continue to pet the cat and walk toward the room where the scissor or nail trimmer is located. 3. Continue to hold the cat and kneel down next to the scissors in the following manner. Spread your knees approximately 10 inches apart (this is approximately two or three fist widths). As you kneel, place your big toes side by side and flatten you ankles on the floor if you can. Next sit back on your heels, keeping your knees apart. You hips should be directly over your feet or ankles. 4. Place the cat so that it's feet are on the floor, it's butt and tail are facing your belly or hips, and it's head faces forward'the same direction as yours. Do not sit on or put weight on your cat. If your right handed, slip you left arm against the left side of the cat's body, and firmly but gently hold the cat's chest. With your right arm grab the nail trimmer, and drape your right arm or wrist in front of your cat's chest to prevent them from bolting. 5. Bend forward a little bit and place your right elbow on the floor so your right hand can be stable. Continue to cradle the cat with your left arm and use your left hand to keep the cat from running forward. 6. Keep your right hand or wrist in front of the cat and with your left hand pick up the cat's left front paw. Gentle squeeze a toe. The nail will extend forward. Make sure you can easily see the cat's nail. With your right hand clip the dead portion (clear portion) of the nail. The cat should not scream or flinch if you have clipped only the tip. It's always better to trim a nail too long and correct your mistake, rather than causing injury, pain and possible infection by trimming too short. Proceed to the next toe. If this is new to you or if your cat gets restless, you may just want to do a couple of toes at a time then let your cat go. Trim a few more nails tomorrow. If your cat is docile and you feel fine, proceed trimming every toe, then switch to the right foot. Also, cat's have something called a "dew claw". It's an unused claw next to their front inside "ankles". These claws are not used by the cat, but grow and must be trimmed. A few things to keep in mind--cat's always like to feel safe, so cradling them without applying any weight can be helpful. When a cat becomes upset, it needs to be left alone. Its brain literally gets overloaded and an upset cat is likely to become aggressive. If you are having difficulty and your cat is getting upset, let it go. You can modify this pose however you feel appropriate. I often like to trim my cat's claws when they are sleeping on the bed or resting in my lap. If you want help, it's usually pretty inexpensive to have your cat's claws trimmed by veterinarian ($10-15). With most cats, the front claws need to be trimmed more often. Stay away from an inexperienced pet groom'I have seen and heard horror stories about nail injuries. If your pet's nail is trimmed too close, besides causing pain, an infection can occur. In some cases, these infections can require extensive (an expensive) medical care and if untreated infections may lead to a painful death for your cat. Please see a veterinarian or a certified vet tech if you need assistance caring for your pet. For more free pet care or animal welfare tips, visit http://www.PetCareRCA.com Kate Garvery is the founder and director of the Pet Care Resource Center of America. She is also a freelance writer and provides professional writing services for individuals and business owners http://www.kategarvey.net Kate is the author of 3 non-fiction books and more than 40 non-fiction articles. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kate_Garvey Cat - How To Deal With Extreme Cat Urine Problems Having extreme cat urine problems? With its strong, unpleasant scent and its dark amber coloring, cat urine stains are especially difficult to remove. In fact, they're more difficult to remove than any other pet stain. Because of this, any cat urine problem seems pretty extreme! If you have problems with cat urine, you probably have plenty of questions. What kind of cleaning product can you use? What techniques can you use to remove the stains? Why would a cat urinate outside of the litter box in the first place? And how can you prevent it? There is a lot of information available to help you, and this article will provide you with some of that information. Once you learn the basics, you'll be ready move on to more advanced information, tips, and techniques. You can start with these Frequently Asked Questions. Question: My cat urinated on the carpet. What kind of cleaning product should I use? Is regular carpet cleaner OK? Answer: No. To prevent your cat from urinating in the same place again, you need to use a product that will remove the odor of the urine'not just mask it. Regular household carpet cleaner isn't enough. Look for a product that is designed specifically for cat urine. Many of these products have enzymes that neutralize the proteins in the urine that cause the odor. Whatever you choose, you'll want to use the right techniques to keep from pushing the stain deep into the carpet fibers. Question: I did my research and found a great cat urine cleaning product. It's safe on carpets, but I want to make sure I use it correctly. What are some techniques I can use to clean the urine from my carpet? Answer: If the stain is fresh (that is, still wet), start by blotting it gently with paper towels. Don't apply too much pressure, or the urine is likely to saturate the carpet fibers and maybe even the pads below. Once you've blotted the excess liquid, use your cat urine cleaning product. It's important to follow the directions as some products work differently than others. If required, rinse the area thoroughly when you're finished. You know how to choose a product to clean cat urine in carpet and what techniques to follow, so you're ready to learn more. How do you clean surfaces such as hardwood floors and upholstery? Why would your cat urinate outside of the litter box, and how can you prevent it? There's plenty to learn, but you're off to a good start. Once you have all the information you need, you can permanently rid yourself of those extreme cat urine problems.