I didn't have this issue with my 4 cat when i do that, i usually have them belly up on my lap, head facing me, and i trim it that way so their paw won't be in an awkward possition. They will try to get away, but i'll just grab them back and give em some head scritches to quiet them down. I sometime will grab their paw when giving them pat and ask "lets check your nail. can i trim this?" and then trim it. Usually they let me trim one or two before getting annoyed.

I did it like this on my sister's cat as well, works just fine.

[–] Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

"belly up on my lap" I'd be eviscerated trying to achieve this step with the cat I have now. All our previous cats were, well, pussycats about nail clipping compared to her. I finally had to resort to a dose of gabapentin, which barely slows her down but enables me to get one claw at a time over about 3 hours, with a toothy treat after every claw, and plenty of freedom and "da bee" playtime in between to tire her out.