Fostering a kitten? A Californian university wants to hear from you

Fretting about trimming your cat's nails? If so, you might be a candidate for a coaching session.

Researchers at a California university hope to lessen cat owners’ stress through a project focused on kittens. The larger goal is to improve veterinarians’ protocols and provide methods to prevent pets from becoming aggressive during grooming. 

Jennifer Link, a doctoral candidate at the University of California-Davis Animal Welfare Epidemiology Lab, said she and Carly Moody, a professor and the lab’s chief investigator, are looking for more people to sign up for the virtual kitten trimming study.

Anyone can sign up, Moody said: "It doesn't matter if it's in a groomer, at home or in a vet clinic, we just want them to have a better experience.”

The aim is to help kittens be less fearful, reactive and aggressive during grooming and teach people lower-stress methods for trimming their nails.

Link created guidelines for pet owners based on her previous research on cats' behavior. Many participants in that study told Link they needed the most help with grooming.

"I've had people find out that I study cats and completely unprompted just say, ‘Oh my God, please help me with nail trims!'" Link said.

In the new study, Link will meet participants over Zoom and show them how to touch kittens' legs and paws and squeeze them gently. She’ll demonstrate trims with a manual clipper and document the interactions. If a kitten doesn't allow a nail trim right away, she will talk the owner through the steps to acclimate them to the procedure.

She hopes to give foster parents resources to pass on to people who will adopt cats. Link learned during a pilot program at the San Diego Humane Society that many people who foster or adopt cats didn't have access to this information. Jordan Frey, marketing manager for the humane society, said some kittens being fostered are now participating in Link's nail trim study.

It's not unusual for cat groomers to take a slow, deliberate approach to nail trims, said Tayler Babuscio, lead cat groomer at Zen Cat Grooming Spa in Michigan. But Babuscio said Link's research will add scientific backing to this practice.

Moody's doctoral research observing Canadian veterinarians and staffers’ grooming appointments helped her develop ideas for gentler handling. Rather than contend with cats’ reactions, some veterinarians opted for sedation or full-body restraints.

But they know the gentle approach, vets may be willing to skip sedation or physical restraints. 

The American Veterinary Medical Association declined to comment on Moody’s techniques. However, an official told USA TODAY the association’s American Association of Feline Practitioners offers some guidance.

The practitioners’ site, CatFriendly, recommends owners start nail trims early, explaining, "If your cat does not like claw trimmings start slow, offer breaks, and make it a familiar routine." The association says cat owners should ask their vets for advice or a trimming demonstration. The site reminds caregivers to, “Always trim claws in a calm environment and provide positive reinforcement."

Moody said some veterinary staffers avoid handling cats. Some clinics have just one person who handles cats for an entire clinic. 

She hopes to encourage more clinics try the gentle approach – for example, wrapping cats in towels before grooming them. She said owners will likely feel better taking cats to the vet when they see staff caring for them in a calm manner.

Contact reporter Krystal Nurse at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter,@KrystalRNurse.