Tips for Keeping Your Cat’s Nails Healthy

In case you hadn’t noticed, it seems like everyone’s got a cat these days. With cats living indoors and out, it’s not such a big deal to get to play cat, so most owners are quite familiar with nail cutting and keeping their furry friends healthy. However, I also received a few questions about cat nail care while I was researching cat parenting for my book. While they definitely aren’t a topic that cats have the perfect brain for understanding, the Internet is full of infographics explaining most of it for the cat’s sake.

If your cat has a less than beautiful set of fingernails, having a pair of Nailz Brands nails ready to go can help you avoid accidents and take the pain out of some general wear and tear. The Nailz Brands cat nailing scissors will easily make your cat’s nails less unattractive, and they can still be used safely around the house.

Here are a few practical tips for keeping your cat’s nails looking their best. Read on!

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1. Wait at least an hour before trimming.

The best way to shorten your cat’s nails is to wait at least one hour before using the scissors, to ensure the cut length is just right and to preserve any microbes found on the surface of the wood. Be sure to check for other potentially harmful germs on the nail as well.

2. Don’t trim or trim frequently.

Even if your cat has a fairly neat grooming routine, your fingers may still spend a lot of time grooming their nails. Make sure to slow down the speed of your cut, so to make the cut more gentle and comfortable, use scissors more often than you actually trim. Keeping them shorter, lighter, and less pronounced will be much less noticeable, and your cat will have a simpler manicure that they won’t mind.

3. Carefully check your nails for follow-through damage.

As discussed above, tweezers and/or hair clippers can sometimes cause a bit of damage to your nails. These tools are really meant for clipping out hair rather than teeth. They don’t typically survive the cut with a clean end, so don’t assume they’re safe.

4. Keep your distance.

It’s especially important to keep the nailing scissors away from your cat’s nail beds and not all the way across the nail, where a very small cut can be done very easily by his tail or wings. Since tearing a nail is known to break the nail and leave behind much dead tissue, these abrasive materials can leave the nail behind even more damaged. Even if your cat doesn’t take to them, he should not be allowed to get close enough to make it a problem.

5. Don’t neglect your nails.

Nail clipping is kind of like piano lessons — as with music, your cat may not really understand the importance of them, but if you do it until he figures it out, he’ll outgrow them. Whether you are trimming from the ends down to the tips, or reducing the thickness of the nail, be sure to examine your nails at least once a week to ensure that you’re making the most of them, even if you just clip on one nail at a time. A healthy nail is one that isn’t curled at the base or pulled through the nail bed. Not one that’s too thick at the bottom and not flat and shiny at the top.

6. Make sure the skin is clean before trimming.

Your cat’s skin is a sensitive, itchy environment, and while it may appear to be easy enough to get to the area where you’re about to trim your nails, you may end up with a much bigger problem. Why? Once the cut line is away from the nail, it’s a little harder to preserve the skin’s integrity. If you do not prepare the skin with a great hydrating solution (hydrate with Lavanila’s Fresh, Scrubs Nails Moisturizing Lip Balm or treat with Scott’s Apricot, Mango, or Olive). A freshly scrubbed cuticle should also ensure that it’s hygienic and waterproof. Lastly, look for smooth nails, which means that your cat’s biting and scratching will not be stressed out by keeping his/her nail bed trimmed.

7. Keep cuticles clean.

While you may be with your pet 90 percent of the time, there are some places in the house where it’s not appropriate for you to be. If your best option is to cancel a date with your cat because he/she is biting off more nails than he/she can chew, so be careful with your cuticles. Immediately cleanly blot the cuticles, leaving the last notch or two of skin intact.