If you have ever returned home to find your favorite sofa clawed to shreds you might say your Ragdoll cat is misbehaving; while your favorite sofa may be ruined, this is perfectly normal behavior for your cat. Your Ragdoll scratches to remove the dead husk from their nails so that new nail can grow. This is part of their grooming regiment. In spite of this, there are several steps you can take to save your furniture.
Scratching posts are a necessity for your home; keep at least two on hand in different parts of the house. Next, clip your Ragdoll’s nails at least once every two weeks. If you start clipping your cat’s nails when they are a kitten your Ragdoll will be used to trimmings. If you wait until your Ragdoll is seven you’re going to have some resistance. Cats don’t fancy having their nails clipped; if this becomes overly traumatic for both of you it may be necessary to have your groomer or veterinarian do it.
Regular clippers from the pet store work fine for trimming your Ragdoll’s claws. Your cat has retractable nails which can make trimming tricky. In order to trim the nail you need to extend it upward to expose the claw. Grasping your Ragdoll’s paw in your hand, position your index finder on the pawpad of the nail you wish to clip. Position your thumb against the corresponding toe and press together. This will expose the nail until you release your fingers. Using the clippers you got from the pet store clip the nail just above the pink area. The pink area of the nail is the dermis and if you cut this area you’ll cause your Ragdoll cat pain and bleeding. This could cause a problem for future nail clipping sessions as your cat will remember what you’ve done.
Nail trimming is much easier with a Ragdoll cat because they have transparent nails; this makes it very easy to distinguish the dermis from the rest of the nail. If you are having trouble identifying the dermis on your cat’s nails, simply cut the nail before it starts to curve. You may wish to consult your veterinarian for hands on practice before you start trimming your cat’s nails on your own. Once you get the process down and have established a routine with your Ragdoll you’ll find nail clipping to be very easy.
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