Why is my cat suddenly skittish and won't let me clip her nails?

Sometimes cats and dogs can have personality changes like this especially if she had a bad experience with with restraint, pain or something else fearful happening while she had a nail trim (ie a car back firing while she had the nails cut). It is possible that she may have some pain in that foot that she did not show the veterinarian. Cats can get a epinephrine rush when they go to the vet and they may not show pain at that time. Watch her very closely for limping on that paw. You can try to create a positive association again by having her look at the trimmers and then get treats. Then have the trimmers touch her and get treats. Then cut one nail and get treats. Build up from there. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hello. This could be a behavioral issue, or a behavioral issue plus paronychia ( skin infection around the nail/claws ). Even though you do not see anything unusual, a veterinarian can examine the skin, do a skin impression to see if there is a population of bacteria or yeast organisms present around the nail beds. An appropriate treatment can then be started. Often, this could also be an indication, & the only evidence of, an allergy. Allergies can come from the food or the environment & can be challenging to distinguish in cats with mild symptoms. So it is very helpful to get professional help with this. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

If she won't let you trim them, you will need to take her to a vet and have them do it. They can give her some sedation, if needed, to make it easier for them to trim the nails.

A complete physical exam and lab work may diagnose any underlying medical condition or nutritional deficiency. If she is eating a good quality can or dry food, she is likely getting enough nutrients. Pet-tabs FF (Feline Formula) or Pet-Tabs Daily Vitamin-Mineral Supplement for Cats are options for vitamins. You can buy either from your veterinarian, online or in the local Petco. Increase playtime if possible and incorporate "automatic" toys as well as a variety of toys to keep her engaged. Correct any nipping immediately. If she stops, praise her. If she persists, stop all interaction and ignore her until she settles down. This may mean leaving the room or placing her in a different room. A pheromone product, such as Feliway Spray or plug in diffuser, may decrease any anxiety or aggression.

Some dogs and cats actually bite their nails out of stress or habit. If the nails start to bleed or show Hestia signs of discomfort, like lameness, she should be examined by her vet. Consider cutting her nails frequently to see if that deters her self-inflicted damage. If Hestia begins to display other signs of anxiety, such as urinating outside of the litter box or hiding more, talk to her vet about anxiety medications. Otherwise, just continue monitoring her because this may be a habitual behavior for Hestia.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Poor girl! There could be something that has spooked her. Or she could be not feeling well. Or there could even be an internal conflict with another cat in the household. The first thing I would do is make sure she is healthy. I would see if your vet can look at her and make sure she isn’t painful, no infection, no fever, no urinary tract infection, etc. if she isn’t feeling well, this definitely can cause a change in behavior. If everything is normal then I would make sure she is getting along with everyone in the house. Make sure there are plenty of litter boxes as this is something they commonly will become territorial over. You can even put out some feliway diffusers which are pheromones they help calm down cats. Unfortunately these don’t work on everyone. You make also look into vetriscience composure treats as a natural calming supplement. I hope this helps!