Do you clip your cat's claws and brush its teeth?

Wow, lot of different opinions on this one. Yes, you can clip your cat's claws. They keep their claws trimmed naturally when they claw on things. But unless you want your furniture ripped apart, an indoor cat doesn't have a lot to do this on without a scratching post. So it's a good idea to get one.





You can get special animal clippers and you can trim them yourself. Be warned they generally won't like it and you may have to restain them. (And they don't like being restained either. But if you practice and get good at this, you can do it in a short time and then let them go.) Be careful of the quick. (Or however that's spelled.) That's the blood you will see, and yes it will hurt if you hit it. If you don't, it doesn't hurt anymore than you trimming your nails. When nails are allowed to grow long, they can get very sharp and the quick will go out further towards the end. So starting out you may have to trim just a tiny bit off. Once the quick starts moving back, you can trim further. If you are totally uncomfortable with doing this or feel you are doing a bad job or hurting your cat, then do as suggested and use a groomer. This is something that's very dependent on comfort level. If you're comfortable and know how to do it, no reason you can't. (Those groomers are just people who learned how, after all.)





As for brushing teeth, I don't do it. No one in nature brushes a cat's teeth for them. They clean their teeth by pulling muscle apart and chewing bones. Dry food, contrary to popular belief, does not imitate this and clean teeth. You can give them something like RAW turkey necks to chew on. Cats do just end up with dental problems, regardless of dry food or dental diet foods or snacks or anything. You have to face that you may have to get dentals later in their life, because bad teeth cause all kinds of nasty problems. So have their teeth checked regularly. You can brush their teeth if you like, but they may need a dental eventually anyway. Cats don't particular like it, so I just get dentals when needed and leave it at that.

Do you clip your cat's claws and brush its teeth?
don't have a cat, but I bruch my dogs teeth!
Reply:I clip my cats' claws (sometimes) but I don't brush their teeth! That's what the hard biscuits are for...
Reply:no
Reply:dont be stupid
Reply:No i dont, thats what going out is all about.


Besides, you wouldnt wanna put your hands near my cats mouth, he'd have it off, lol
Reply:I clip my cats claws but i don't brush it's teeth
Reply:i clip all seven of the family's cats claws i am hated by my sisters adult cats but thankfully not the kitten (i hand raised them). i don't brush their teeth they get treats that do this including raw chicken breast once a week. dry food doesn't clean teeth as well as what natural foods do ie raw meat but my lot have got good dental health and their breath doesn' smell. i could not hold my cats long enough to brush teeth it is bad enough doing claws but it is worth the fight in the long run.


* edit* DO NOT declaw your cat it is senseless mutilation and inhumane. it is also illegal in the uk thank the lord.
Reply:it is very important tocut your cats nails so they don't ruin your furniture and not to be scratched as far as the brushing of the teeth very important you don't want your cat to get dieases in their mouths and not to get plaque on their teeth the vet bills are unreal .
Reply:I personally used to have cats in and out of my life, but when i had them I never clipped there nails even once nor brushed there teeth for them because in there instincts they know that they have to do it somehow or else they will hurt them selves Thats why they claw a things, its there way of cutting there nails.
Reply:I have clipped my inside cats claws. But she hates it...and I hate it because its really hard and if you cut the cuticle it WILL be painful. The best thing is to get them a scratch pole... they will keep them short and you won't have to clip them.. or... take them to a groomer and pay $5... then its done.(and the cat still loves you cause you didn't do it)
Reply:no
Reply:OMG i have never heard anything so ridiculous.


I'M GUESSING THAT ALL THE PEOPLE THAT THINK IT'S STRANGE NOT TO CUT A CATS CLAWS LIVE IN AMERICA, IN ENGLAND I HAVE NEVER EVER HEARD OF ANYONE DOING THIS BECAUSE MOST CATS GO OUTSIDE AND WEAR THEIR CLAWS DOWN NATRUALLY
Reply:WHAT ARE PPL TALKING ABOUT THEY DONT CLIP THEIR CATS CLAWS? IF YOU DONT CLIP YOUR CATS CLAWS THEY WILL OVERGROW BACK INTO THEIR PAWPADS!!!! DUH! AND IF YOU DON'T WANT TO DO IT THEN I SUGGEST YOU TAKE THEM INTO A GROOMER SO THEY CAN DO IT, ITS LIKE 4 BUCKS! WOULD YOU LIKE TO B HELPLESS AND JUST LET SOMEONE NOT CUT YOUR NAILS??? AND I DO BRUSH MY CATS TEETH, BUT THAT IS JUST BECAUSE I LOVE HER, AND I HER BREATH SMELLS BETTER....I MEAN I WOULDN'T WANT TO NOT BRUSH MY TEETH......
Reply:I clip my cat's claws because when they get too long, they tend to get caught in fabrics, and if the cat can't retract enough to get loose, it ends up twisting a toe or even the whole paw. Keeping them trimmed helps to avoid all that. Not to mention that sometimes they to that thing where they shift from paw to paw. When they have overgrown claws, it hurts when they try to cuddle.





I don't clean my cat's teeth, mainly because cats are touchy about that sort of thing, and usually don't allow it.
Reply:You only clip the front claws but don't cut too far in or you'll hit the nerve in the nail. That would hurt and might kill them. And you don't have to brush their teeth. They have special dental food. The vet I think also brushes their teeth.
Reply:No ! what would I look like trying to brush my cats teeth ? lol - thats really funny.





And seriously, I dont think your supposed to cut their claws either..
Reply:clip the claws, but don't brush their teeth.
Reply:I've never tried to brush my cat's teeth. I used to clip her claws regularly (she likes to knead and tends to draw blood) but I clipped too close one day and now she won't let me. Very unfortunate since her long claws now snag on my skin and clothes regularly. :(
Reply:Yes to both. The claws need to be clipped to keep them from getting to long, and impeding the cat from walking properly. I also clip them, because if they are too long, I could accidently get scratched. Brushing teeth is a must. I do it almost everyday.
Reply:I take my cat to the vet to have his nails clipped. We have a groomer here, but I'm not sure how well they do. I haven't talked to anyone that has taken their pets there so just to be on the safe side, I take him to the vet. I have considered brushing his teeth, but I'm still looking into it.
Reply:I'm with Hollie20 on this one. In Britain, we don't cut our cat's claws. We let our cats use scratching posts and trees outside which keeps the claws healthy. We train them not to scratch our furniture and put colour matching 'throws'/covers on our sofas so that the furniture isn't ruined. And we rarely have a problem with them getting their claws caught because they learn how to retract them.





If someone doesn't want their cat to behave in the way that a cat should, they shouldn't have one. It's totally cruel to declaw and unnecessary to cut the claws. Let cats be cats.
Reply:I do trim the front nails - I don't do the back because....I don't feel like it.





I don't brush their teeth. I really really really meant to and I rrr tried...but I failed. I hang my head in shame.





But I do give them chicken necks which I figure is just as good if not better.
Reply:uhh i cant slip my cats claws cuz my cats declawed and no, i dont do that
Reply:NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! dont clip ur cat's claws cuz that might hurt it! If u need to get rid of his claws, get the declawed at the vet! Also, i sometimes brush my cat's teeth if it stinks but its not normal.