Filing a Cat’s Nails in your Rental Apartment in Gainesville, Florida

If you own a cat, chances are you’ve raised your voice a time or two in an attempt to get him or her to stop scratching the sofa, chair, carpet, drapes, and other household items. No matter how hard you try to stop it, however, scratching is in a cat’s nature, and they aren’t doing it maliciously, despite what you may think. One way to help minimize the damage to furniture inflicted by your cat is a regular nail filing. Filing a cat’s nails is a delicate process that requires careful attention and patience.

If you need help filing your cat’s nails in your rental apartment in Gainesville, Florida, consider the following:

• Don’t just grab your cat’s paws out of nowhere one day – get her used to having her feet touched by briefly massaging each one on a regular basis
• Also get your cat used to the sound of an automated pet nail file – these machines make a noise that could scare your cat at first
• If possible, get someone to help you – filing a cat’s nails is a lot easier when one person can gently hold the cat down while the other person operates the filing machine
• Have all materials ready to go before you begin to hasten the pace – cats don’t like being restrained, especially for long periods of time
• File the nails in a well-lit area – you’ll want to be able to see where the part of the nail that covers the nerves begin, as filing that will result in severe pain and bleeding for your cat
• Place the cat in your lap – hold her down gently, expose the nails by gently squeezing the paw, and file the nails using a specifically designed cat nail filer,
• Be patient – chances are you won’t be able to file every nail in one sitting, so work gradually

Remember, kitty nails aren’t like human nails because they cover nerves in the paw. You only want to file or trim the very top of a cat’s nail to avoid bleeding. If bleeding does occur, use cotton balls or toilet paper to apply pressure to the wound.

Bellamay Grand is an apartment community that welcomes pet-owners. For more information on our apartment homes and pet restrictions, please contact us today or stop by for a tour.