How do you trim a cat's nails?
Quick answer
Trim your cat's claws every two to three weeks, taking off only the clear hooked tip and stopping well before the pink quick that carries blood and nerves inside the nail.
The full answer
Use a proper cat nail clipper, either the scissor or guillotine style, plus styptic powder or cornstarch in case of bleeding, and work in bright light. Hold a paw in your palm, press the pad gently with your thumb to extend one claw, and look at the nail. On white claws the quick shows as a pink core; on dark claws look at the underside, where the quick appears as a darker, opaque line, and take off tiny slivers at a time. Clip straight across or at a slight angle, roughly two millimetres from the tip, and never cut in the middle of the curve.
Do one claw at a time, praise or treat after each, and stop the session the moment your cat struggles; front paws one day and back paws the next is perfectly fine. If you accidentally cut the quick, press styptic powder or cornstarch onto the tip for a minute and stay calm, because the bleeding usually stops quickly. Never squeeze the paw hard, and never punish a cat that pulls away.
Declawing is an amputation and is not recommended; provide scratching posts and offer nail caps instead if scratching is the problem. If your cat resists strongly, ask a vet or groomer to do the job, and see a vet if a claw is ingrown, split, or if the nails snag on everything, which can signal overgrowth or an injury.