Importance of regularly attending to your cat’s claws & ears

Joan Henderson
Cats and kittens need to have their claws attended to. The best way to keep the claws clean and short is to have a good scratching post in one corner of the house. If your cat plays outdoors, trees can be a good natural scratching post.
 
Sometimes a cat will go ahead and claw the furniture or carpets and that is totally unacceptable. My suggestion has always been to use an emery board. Lightly file the claws on a regular basis and clip the tip of the nails whenever required. Don’t use the basic home scissors to clip the nails of your pet; instead use proper nail clippers to avoid any injury. Make sure you go slow and don’t trim too much at a time. Do not cut the quick – the soft pinking area about half an inch inside the claw.
 
A team of two better
It is a good idea for two people to do this task as cats can often object strongly and might not be willing to get their claws trimmed. Simple trimming of the claws should only be performed when necessary, and remember not to overdo it. Most cats are very fussy about keeping clean and will generally spend a lot of time grooming their coats and nails as a daily chore. It is wise to just keep a close eye on their nails and only step in when needed.
 
Careful cleaning of ears
Another thing pet parents need to be careful about while grooming their cats is cleaning their ears. Cleaning ears is best done with cotton buds moistened with baby oil. Using two buds for each ear to remove any dirt and excess wax from inside the flap is a good idea. It is never wise to really poke into the ear but just carefully use the cotton bud to cleanse the ear on a regular basis. You can also ask your vet for an ear cleaning solution and use it with cotton buds.
Keeping them healthy, happy & clean
Cats give us so much love and affection, so it’s our duty to return the love by taking care of them and keeping them healthy, happy, and clean. Your pets will appreciate that you care for them in every way you can. As I have said so often— it is far better to keep our wonderful cats inside and well cared for rather than allowing them to roam outside where they can be lost or injured.
(Joan E Henderson is a retired international all breeds cat judge based in Melbourne, Australia)