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Perhaps consider Soft Paws? You'd have the same battle as far as getting them on, but they might last longer than a month (depends on the cat.)
Otherwise, I think you might try working to desensitize him about his paws. Right now he's associating touching his paws with a traumatic (to him) event. You need to change the association.
I'd try clicker training it even. Start off touching his shoulder...if he sits still and calm, click and treat. Each day move down his foreleg a little bit. Take it slow- you have a month until the next time he needs clipping, so no need to rush. If he's generally good about letting you touch his shoulders and legs though, you don't need to take it by millimeters...just depends on him. Once you work down to his paws, just touch for a second or two...click and treat. Increase how long you touch until you're maybe touching for twenty seconds. Then try holding his paw for just a few seconds, then lengthen that. Then hold and pick up the paw- well, you get the idea.
The other thing to remember is that you don't have to clip all of his claws at one time. If the above process works, I would clip one or two a day, every day...that way he's constantly used to having them handled, and you're not overwhelming him by doing them all at once. Just keep track of what's been clipped and do them in a pattern.
Then repeat the whole procedure on the hind legs.
Softpaws? His claws need trimming monthly because they OVERGROW and curve like a fishhook and snag on things, not because he's scratching us or the furniture. If they were covered over, they would grow even faster and be more of a problem because then there would be no wear on them at all.
He would have to sit still for me to even get one claw clipped. He wont eat treats by the way, so getting a treat would mean nothing to him. None of our cats will eat treats. I have no experience using a clicker with cats or dogs. He already allows us to touch his legs and all over his body and head. He doesn't like being picked up at all though. I can touch his paws when I'm reading in bed and he's on my chest and stomach purring away. It's the only time he allows his paws to be touched. He knows the clipper is kept in the kitchen. It seems it's the clipper itself that makes him go into fight/panic/anger/terrorist mode. One day for example, he was sitting on the cat tree between the dining room and kitchen, I picked up a few small items to wipe the counter. He watched.... as soon as I picked up the clipper to move it aside, he flew off the cat tree like a bat out of hell. The girls who seldom need to be clipped have no reaction to the clipper. Immobilizing him by scruffing is only partly effective, even with the "tail to leg hold" laying on his side. That makes it harder for us also. It really takes an experienced person to immobilize him to the point his over-growning claws can be safely clipped with no one, including him, getting hurt.
Just being held in any way or even picked up upsets him, and as he gets older he's getting worse about it. He's a large strong muscular cat. I plan to pick up a different type of nail clipper when next I go to town, but don't think that will really help.
My advice is to do Paw Work with him every day, rather than go at the claws once a month. It has to become part of his daily routine.
Every day at the same time, hold him in your lap in the position you will hold him to trim. Have something wet and tasty at the ready, even just some wet food. Wipe a little wet food on his mouth and as he licks it off, touch one of his paws. Do this for each paw, then release him and give him one final treat.
(another alternative is to use something like PureBites, which is freeze dried chicken. Just give him tiny slivers of it)
Gradually, work up to holding each paw and pressing on it to express the nails. Once he tolerates that, start snipping. At first you may only get one claw at a time, but keep on with it.
This method works. It can take a long long time. But in the end, you will have a cat who allows nail trims.
But you have to do the Paw Work every day, so it becomes part of his life, and he learns to accept it, and that nothing bad happens, and that good things happen (the treats)
I have one cat who absolutely hates having her paws touched for any reason. It took 3 years of daily Paw Work as described before I was able to snip a claw (I took her to the groomer every six weeks in the mean time) However once I got one claw, progress was quicker and eventually I was clipping one whole paw in one sitting, then a few months later, two paws at one sitting. After another three years I was able to do the hind feet. She now allows all four paws to be done in one sitting. She growls and growls and growls (the sounds she makes when she is making yummy noises from the treat and growls to warn me are hilarious)
It took a long time but was totally worth the work. I don't even have to do daily Paw Work with her any more, but I did do it, every day, for many years before getting to this point.
Tips:
~Stay calm. Using a soft voice, tell Zebulon what you are doing and why. Praise him constantly. Tell him you know how much he hates it and how much you appreciate him letting you touch his paws. Use his name a lot.
~Whatever treat you use, use it for ONLY that, he only gets the PureBites or whatever, during Paw Work.
~Do all three cats. Let him see the other cats staying calm during Paw Work too. Do one cat before Zebulon, and one cat after him. Every day.
PureBites are nothing but chicken breast. One piece is one calorie, so you could use one per cat, per day.
Oscar fights us as well and once the vet tech did it for us and hit the quick which sent him screaming for the ceiling. since then he has been harder to deal with. But usually we manage to get one or 2 at a time when he is sleeping in our lap and we casually reach the clippers and get him before he knows what is happening.
you might try a different clipper kept in a different place since he knows about the one in the kitchen.
My advice is to do Paw Work with him every day, rather than go at the claws once a month. It has to become part of his daily routine.
Every day at the same time, hold him in your lap in the position you will hold him to trim. Have something wet and tasty at the ready, even just some wet food. Wipe a little wet food on his mouth and as he licks it off, touch one of his paws. Do this for each paw, then release him and give him one final treat.
There is no way to hold him in my lap. He doesn't sit in laps. He doesn't eat treats of any kind. He's a large strong cat and there is no forcing him to sit anywhere.
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(another alternative is to use something like PureBites, which is freeze dried chicken. Just give him tiny slivers of it)
Gradually, work up to holding each paw and pressing on it to express the nails. Once he tolerates that, start snipping. At first you may only get one claw at a time, but keep on with it.
Sounds good if the cat can be forced to sit in your lap. He would have to be sedated to sit in my lap and he doesn't eat anything but a little canned food and his midnight kibble snack. For a cat his size (not fat but tall, slender and long limbed) he eats surprising little.
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This method works. It can take a long long time. But in the end, you will have a cat who allows nail trims.
How do you force the cat to stay in your lap? A large cat fighting and screaming to get away?
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But you have to do the Paw Work every day, so it becomes part of his life, and he learns to accept it, and that nothing bad happens, and that good things happen (the treats)
Ask the author of whoever wrote that how to keep the cat in your lap. A large hissing and screaming male cat with claws trying to desperately get away. And what else would work other than treats since he has no interest in treats or toys anymore. You know, you read these things, as I do, and they make it sound so easy. In reality it's something totally different. Did the person or article cover cats that will not be constrained in laps? This is what's so frustrating. They assume all cats are the same and never cover those like Zebulon. As I already wrote above, he will let me handle his paws when laying on my stomach in bed when I read at night because he knows the clippers are in the kitchen. As soon as he sees those clippers he's gone for hours at a time in one of his hiding places. I will not bring the clippers to bed or he wont go through this nightly routine anymore. When he was sitting behind me here at the computer, on the back of the chair, relaxed and purring I reached for the clippers..... he hasn't been back on the back of my chair since.
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I have one cat who absolutely hates having her paws touched for any reason. It took 3 years of daily Paw Work as described before I was able to snip a claw (I took her to the groomer every six weeks in the mean time) However once I got one claw, progress was quicker and eventually I was clipping one whole paw in one sitting, then a few months later, two paws at one sitting. After another three years I was able to do the hind feet. She now allows all four paws to be done in one sitting. She growls and growls and growls (the sounds she makes when she is making yummy noises from the treat and growls to warn me are hilarious)
It took a long time but was totally worth the work. I don't even have to do daily Paw Work with her any more, but I did do it, every day, for many years before getting to this point.
But you didn't have to sedate her or have another person immobilize her to keep her in your lap - right?
Quote:
Tips:
~Stay calm. Using a soft voice, tell Zebulon what you are doing and why. Praise him constantly. Tell him you know how much he hates it and how much you appreciate him letting you touch his paws. Use his name a lot.
~Whatever treat you use, use it for ONLY that, he only gets the PureBites or whatever, during Paw Work.
~Do all three cats. Let him see the other cats staying calm during Paw Work too. Do one cat before Zebulon, and one cat after him. Every day.
PureBites are nothing but chicken breast. One piece is one calorie, so you could use one per cat, per day.
Can you ask the author of the article the questions I posed above in this message? You and the author are assuming the cat will sit on the owner's lap and will eat treats. Have you ever tried to force a large muscular cat with claws to stay in your lap when it was fighting like hell to get away? He's so totally different from the girls and other cats I've had over the years that it's hard to believe he's the same species.
Oscar fights us as well and once the vet tech did it for us and hit the quick which sent him screaming for the ceiling. since then he has been harder to deal with. But usually we manage to get one or 2 at a time when he is sleeping in our lap and we casually reach the clippers and get him before he knows what is happening.
you might try a different clipper kept in a different place since he knows about the one in the kitchen.
No one has ever hit the quick to my knowledge. I know we haven't. We've had him since he was 4 1/2 months old. He wont sleep or sit on our laps. He gets panicky if we try and force him. I'm going to get a different clipper but I honestly don't think it will make much difference. The only time he allows his paws to be touched is when he's having his special time with me at night. It's the only time he likes to be petted and he purrs like crazy. He's not an ordinarily affectionate cat. I don't want to threaten that special time by taking a clipper of any kind into the bedroom and ruining this "special" time with him.
When the girls are drowsy they allow me to clip their claws as they nap on the cat trees. But not him, he'll awaken instantly and take off for one of his hiding places. I've read a lot about claw clipping but none of the information covered cats like him. All the authors assume the cats to be like the average cat and there are always the Zebulon's out there who are not. I have never in my life had a cat I had to go through this with just to clip the claws. De-clawing him is unthinkable but we're both starting to dread another possible 15 years or more of this.
I am the author of that 'article'. This is what I did, for my unsocialized cat, who sent me to the ER with bites twice, in the early days of me trying to get her to allow me to touch her paws.
It doesn't have to be in your lap. It can be however you want it to be. The point is, it is something you do every single day. You can't expect immediate progress. It may take years. But you have years with him. You know there is no such thing as a quick fix, when working with cats. I know you know that. You need to take it one day at a time.
Decide, first, how you are going to position him for nail trimmings. Whether it is on your lap or in the holding position (with you on your knees feet crossed behind you, him sitting between your knees facing out), up on a table, set in a cardboard box, whatever. Try different ways, and see which one he hates the least.
Then you start the training. Just start as slow as he needs. If at first, all you can do is pick him up and put him on the table, then release him, or kneel with him for a moment, then release him, or whatever, do that. Do that every day. Gradually, over time, and it may take days weeks or months, he will come to accept this thing you do, and then you can hold him a little longer. Eventually you will hold him long enough to touch a paw. It may take more weeks, just touching a paw, before you get to the point where you can actually hold the paw, then express the claws.
Doesn't like treats? Well he eats, doesn't he? So he likes something. Using something you can smear on his mouth that he can lick off, is best, but if you need to just use his canned food, use that. Try butter, yogurt, mayonaise, cream cheese, even vegetable or olive oil. Smear a bit, one by one on his mouth (not all at once, of course, try one one day, try another another day) and see how he reacts. Does he lick his chops, then look around for more? Have a little more ready, just in case. You'll find out what he likes, this way. You only need a small bit, less than half a pea sized, for the start and the finish of the training, at this point.
Like I said, it took my girl three years to allow me to even snip one claw. I didn't hold her in my lap in those days either. I started with her in the holding position. Then, when I took her to the groomer, I draped her over my arm, and she seemed to like that better, so I started setting her up on the table and draping her over my forearm. It took a few more years after the first snip before she allowed me to hold her in my lap.
You don't have anything to lose, to try it this way. The key is consistency, and positive reinforcement. Just do it every day. At first, just put him how you want him then release him. If you do it often enough he will begin to learn, in time that nothing bad is happening. And if he'll accept something yummy, there is positive reinforcement too.
have youtried a dremmel type tool instead of ail clippers at any point...still got the same issue if its a general "dont touch my paws" issue....but ive found some "fast crowers" als have overly sensitive nails and the shere pressure of clippers actually hurts them hence the foot shyness...these cats often improve with the use of a dremmel as theres no "pinching" pressure thats associated with the regula scissor/guilatein styles...
otherwise in thinking given his temperment it might be worth getting a "mild" powdered sedative andslipping it into his meal once a month and doing his claws while hes half high...
id also be sure to firmly wrap him in a towel when scruffing so you can acess one paw at a time but help keep the other weapons nuder wraps for saftey.
some cats NEVER become accustomed to it unfortunatly, i still wouldnt declaw...but a sedative may be your best option .
I empathize with stress you're going through (Meeko) How about trying those emery board cat scratchers. AS SEEN ON TV !!!! They sell them at the Petco near me, so I assume they would have them nation wide.
I've been thinking about trying this since I Have to keep Meekos claws trimmed, and now with Olivia, who has claws like talons that catch on everything she scratches (to show her unhappiness over whatever is not up to standards at any given moment, which also changes hourly) I'm gonna try two or five, placed all over the house.
I have to take both of them to get their nails trimmed every 3 1/2 weeks, so even if this doesn't work 100% it will probably allow me to defer their nail trims another week or so.
Last edited by leanansidhex; 10-02-2012 at 07:07 PM..
I've read more bad than good about those emery boards. Including safety issues. But let us know how it goes if you try one.
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