Cat's Nails

ElleEm

Are you supposed to trim/ have a vet trim cat's nails?
My little man is 1.5 yrs old and the nails in the middle of his two back paws seem quite long. They're nearly touching and seem a bit "curly" (for want of a better word).
I'm just wondering are you supposed to get your kitty's nails trimmed or do them yourself?
He has plenty of things in/outside the house to scratch but he only does it to his front paws.

Any help would be appreciated!

anniehoo

Cats nails have a sheath that sheds constantly but the underneath doesnt and just continues to grow. If they grow too far without being trimmed, it'll start to curl just like whats happening with yours and eventually grow into the pad. Ouch! You can imagine thats going to be fairly sore. So, yep you can trim your cats nails yourself (avoiding the quick, the main blood supply) or go to your vet. It shouldnt cost much and is a quick procedure.

If you're confident doing it yourself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YLDQMvskH8

ElleEm

Thanks a million for that, Annie!

sherryb

Is this safe to do? My girl is 6 months old, have a scratch pole which she does use but her nails are also getting "curly". They look the very same as the cat in the video. I asked my vet at last visit do I cut her nails and she just said "no, she takes care of that". They are so sharp now they are like razor blades.

The Sweeper

Cats' claws are quite curly. Taking the sharp tips off can help protect your furniture some, but make sure you don't cut too close to the pink centre of the nail or you'll really hurt the cat and they can bleed quite a bit from a cut like that.

And they're supposed to be very sharp. A cat's front claws are extremely sharp. Giving them a scratching post helps them shed some of the excess layers and keeps them off your furniture, but it's not 'bad' that they have sharp claws from their own health point of view, it's totally normal.

Soodle

Hi,

I studied animal care (including grooming), cats nails are not meant to be trimmed, cats should be provided with naturual means of treatment for their nails such as scratching posts etc, but if there is a reason your cat is not wearing down it's nails, like the above is not provided them trim just the very tip off them very gently and carefully and then get a scratching post for your cat.

Aru

You can trim cats nails safely..loads of videos on youtube on how to do it....heres a good one with pictures of where to cut and avoid in it.
http://www.softpaws.com/article.html
In america its an often used alternative option to declawing(they still amputate the nails off cats over there...its illegal in europe thankfully)

However it should only be done if its a 100 percent indoor only cat as blunt nails will prevent them from climbing as effectively and give them no defense against predators.

Softpaws are also ment to be very good as well. They are a soft film you put over the nails to blunt them and save your furniture/legs/general body parts from cats sharp claws .Plus they come in a cool range of colours

http://www.softpaws.com/

Ambersky

My kitty is indoor only having access to outdoors on a lead. He has the tip of his nails clipped regularly with an ordinary human nail clippers and he lays on his back and purrs while I do it. He gets his done about as often as I do mine.
I think it makes playtime better as we can be more physical without trying to avoid accidental scratches.

Soodle

NEVER use scissors or nail trimmers used for humans on cats or dogs, it can splinter the nail causing long term effect.