If you or someone you know is a cat parent and has ever experienced the pain of trimming a kitten’s nails, scientists in California want to talk. Researchers are surveying these would-be manicurists to better understand how people trim kitten nails.
The survey was conducted by scientists at the Animal Welfare Epidemiology Laboratory at the University of California, Davis. In the past, they’ve asked cat owners about their cats’ health old cathow good their cats are interact with othersif their cat is willing to accept a high diet Creepy crawling bugs. They’re now trying to study foster kittens, but that doesn’t attract much attention from feline scientists.
More foster kitten research needed
“This study sought to explore different methods of helping kittens trim their nails and how kittens respond to nail trimming at such a young age,” Study leader Jennifer Link, a doctoral student in the lab, told Gizmodo in an email. “Overall, there is little research on foster kittens, and no published studies have examined nail trimming methods and addressed concerns foster carers may have about this routine procedure.”
For their own sake and that of humans, pet cats should have their nails trimmed regularly. Unclipped claws can severely scratch a person’s furniture and belongings, not to mention their skin. If the claws are very long, they can even dig into your cat’s paw pads, causing pain. Like many pet-related habits, it’s best to get your cat used to trimming its young fur if possible.
So while adoptive parents may only spend a short time caring for their fluffy kittens, establishing a grooming habit in their kittens may help them for the rest of their lives. The researchers say their survey could help trainers gain some skills.
“Eligible participants may want to participate to deepen our understanding of these things and potentially gain some tools to better understand how they perform this procedure on kittens,” Link said. If this is still possible If that wasn’t enough incentive, there’s also a chance to enter a drawing for a $100 gift card.
The team hopes to recruit approximately 60 pairs of adult foster cats and their kittens, with the kittens needing to be under 6 weeks old (people wishing to foster kittens of this age within the next 4 weeks are also eligible). Kittens must be healthy and not yet neutered. Potential volunteers were also asked to provide contact information for their foster care coordinator/foster care organization, as the researcher needed permission from the organization to conduct the study.
Those interested in the study can access the survey link here .
