Q.  I am interested in having education about nail cutting. We have a six year old cat who HATES going to have her nails cut. Recently, the place that cuts her nails told us they are going out of business. All the vets won't touch her as she is aggressive and several have said 'we can give her anesthesia and put her to sleep' in order to cut her nails. To me, this is terrible to do every month. Although she has been 'not liking her nails cut', two of us have been able to do so. Recently, a vet told me to purchase a spray called phenomone (?)  and to spray it on a towel then put the towel in her cage and then put the cat in and she will relax and I can take her to have her nails cut. Can you provide any information on this and if it is used frequently. I have researched on the net and found that this is a calming agent for cats. Thank you

A.  Trimming cat’s nails is almost always a two person job, and sometimes it helps to put them on a table or counter where they are on unfamiliar footing. Wrapping the cat in a towel helps. You could try the pheromone spray -- it is called Feliway and can be found at most pet stores – but I have not had a lot of success with it in these situations. I definitely would not recommend having your veterinarian put the cat under anesthesia for every nail trim. Here is a link to some good information on trimming the nails yourself.

http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientED/cat_claws.aspx