Is it safe for my 12-year-old cat to get frequent sedated nail trims?

Question

my cat is 12 years old and has been getting her nails cut every 4 or 5 months while under sedation. is this okay. my vet says this is the only way he can clip her nails. Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 8 lbs

Ann Dion, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Although frequent sedation is not ideal, sometimes this is needed for some animals. There are a few things that can be done to help decrease the frequency of the nails needing to be trimmed, and also ways to ensure the sedation is 'safer'. Firstly, make sure you have lots of scratching post options for Sweet-Tart. If she is overweight, getting that weight down as well will increase her activity which will cause the nails to file down naturally more, requiring less frequent sedation. If she is going to be sedated frequently, doing bloodwork and a urine check every year or two is a good idea to make sure her kidneys are doing ok, as sedation can be hard on the kidneys. Also, depending on what type of sedation is being used, they can be 'harder' or 'softer' on the body. So just make sure your vet is using the 'softest' possible sedation to get the job done. Best of luck with Sweet-Tart.

Is it safe for my 12-year-old cat to get frequent sedated nail trims?

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