Posted on Tellington TTouch Website for problem solving with cats. 2001
ON TRIMMING CATS’ NAILS
By Barbara Janelle M.A.
My older cat, Houdini, is not as active these days. His front claws need trimming every few weeks to prevent them from catching on things and pulling on his legs and shoulders.
I usually start with some TTouch on his ears and body and then his feet. (1) Each foot, like each ear, has almost 400 acupressure points. I work an animal’s feet just like I work ears, and consistently find that a cat will spread its paws so that I can get in between the toes to do racoon touches. (I believe the work on the feet is a major support for health.)
I position Houdini so his feet are easy to see and nails are easy to trim and then gently squeeze each toe to extend the claw. I trim the tip with human nail clippers. It takes only a couple of minutes to do this. If he pulls back, I do a few Racoon TTouches between the toes, and
then proceed with clipping.
Whenever doing something like nail clipping, I think it is important for the human to be relaxed and breathing well. This helps the animals stay relaxed and breathing too. I view feet work and nail clipping as helping the animal and being very enjoyable. Houdini enjoys the TTouch work and is certainly more comfortable and moves better after his nails are clipped.
Note:
(1) With TTouch, it is usually possible over the course of a few sessions to TTouch
a cat’s entire body, including legs and feet.