tiny toby
This handsome little fellow is 5 month old Toby, who lives in Chorley, Lancashire.
Toby is such a sweet, playful little boy and came to see what was going on, and checked out all the bags and equipment.
We’d been called in as Toby is a house cat, and as such it’s important to keep a check on his nails. Introducing kittens to the nail clipping young so it becomes the norm is ideal.
Many cats don’t like have their paws / pads (underneath their paws) touched or handled. Get them used to this by fondling / gently massaging the paws during cuddle time. Once they are happy with the fondling, protrude a nail (rest your thumb on top of the paw, and fingers underneath and very gently add pressure with your thumb). The nail will slide out of the sheath. When you release, it will slip back in. Then, if nail clipping is necessary at any point, your cat is used to the paws being touched. There are 4 toes and a dew claw (thumb) on each front foot, and 4 toes on each of the back feet. Some cats (polydactyl) have extra toes.
This was the first time Toby has had his nails clipped, and it’s fair to say that he wasn’t keen on the idea. We clipped his front nails, but the back ones weren’t long nor sharp, and therefore didn’t need cutting.
A few minutes after the session, Toby was back to his normal, inquisitive self helping us wash hands and sort things out. Well done Toby … !
