What can I use to safely sedate my cat so I can clip his claws?

Answers:
Use a towel. it is simple and you only have to work with one paw at a time. Simply wrap them up in a towel like you would a new born. Place it on your lap and start from front to back. it may take a few time to get it down so maybe have someone else there with you. If it doesn't work after the second time take them to the vet to get them trimmed.

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Don't they have pet ease at Petsmart. I heard that is suppose to calm them. I don't know about sedating them, maybe you should take him to the vet or groomer. It's seriously like 10 bucks! If you can't afford that then you shouldn't own a pet.

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We use Catnip

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Sedation is unnecessary. But anything you give a cat should be prescribed by a vet. I'm sure that same vet can show you the best way to clip your cats claws without sedating the cat. I clip 2 cats claws on a regular basis. If there's ALWAYS a food reward after and you do it quickly (human clippers work best for me) then it's over fairly quickly. It would have to be a freakishly vicious cat for me to even CONSIDER sedating the cat. It's pretty easy to overpower a cat with one arm and hold the paw with that same arm while you quickly clip off the sharp edges with the opposite hand. If you do it right, the only weapon the cat will have is its teeth %26 ability to wiggle...but if you position yourself properly the cat won't even have a chance to struggle.

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Your love! Hug him, Kiss him, give him a treat or something he likes to nibble on,whuile you gently clip the nails. Catnip moght make him go wilder, roll over and you could hurt him., I would not suggest you gave him catnip, unless it calms him down.

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I kinda agree with Teresa. It also helps if you don't go about it with a great deal of intention. Cats are great at picking up on your energy and if you come at them they sense that they are going to be subjected to something they don't like. So just have the clippers handy in some place where you and the cat relax together. Get one or two nails and then leave it for another time. You'll get them all eventually. Also when you and your cat are relaxing together take time to massage his paws - cats really like this (if you've ever had a foot massage you know how great it feels!). That will make him accept your handling his paws when the nails need clipping.

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If your cat needs sedation to clip nails, than I would consider letting a vet or groomer do it for you. Any sort of sedation medication should be prescribed and/or given by a vet anyway - not something you should do on your own. The metabolic pathways of a cat are very susceptible to medication, and many safe things for people (or even dogs), can be toxic for cats.

Vets, vet techs, groomers, or other people in the animal care industry would be able to clip the nails without much problem. Typically, they do charge a fee, but it's rather small - like $5-$10.

You can try one last thing before consulting a vet or groomer. Usually, if you scruff a cat (grip the excess skin at the back of the neck, but not too tight), you can immobilize the cat. Mother cat's do that when they move their kittens, or when they're "scolding" them. They react instantly by calming. I had to do that when I first got my male cat. I couldn't clip his nails otherwise. Now, though, he's ok.

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Please Don't even try this! Not even the groomers are usually knowledgable about this as they should. If your cat is really that bad that you feel he needs to be sedated then you should find a good groome from word of mouth. They can have more than one person hold the cat so it doesn't need to be sedated.

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A veterinarian

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Take it to the vet if you think it needs sedated. it wont cost much