Clipping Cat's Nails?

Ayla

I feel kinda dumb asking this, but the nails on our cat's back paws are starting to click as she walks & I'm wondering if we clip them or if it's a job only for a vet? We have experience in clipping nails so will do it if it's a home job; we've just never run into this before. Are there special cat clippers or can we use the tips of the clippers we use on our dogs?

SillyMangoX

I just use a normal nail clippers, like a human one, on my cats. I wait till they fall asleep then push out a claw and take the bare tip off it. I only do it to front claws as they keep the back ones worn down themselves but im sure its the exact same. Be very careful not to cut too far though because if you get the quick its quite painful and it bleeds a lot!

Solair

There's normally no need to cut a cat's nails. They are very unlike human nails. The nail grows in layers like an onion and the cat removes the old damaged / worn outer but by shredding a scratching post / tree or whatever.

Your cat also needs those nails for climbing,self defense and hunting.

They are nearly more like teeth as they've an internal blood supply and nerve.

The only time you normally need to clip a cats nails is to prevent scratching of a skin wound.

Cats nails normally click a bit on the ground as the walk. I'd just buy a decent, large, annoying rope scratching post and introduce the cat to it.

The cat will maintain its own nails

If you don't provide a post, the cat will use carpets, mats or worse : your expensive sofa to so the job!

Ayla

She has a scratching post, which is how her front nails are kept short. She doesn't go outside so doesn't require nails for hunting, climbing trees, etc. Her back nails have only started clicking & becoming visible in the last couple weeks, so whether she's stopped doing something or they've just grown that slowly that it hasn't been an issue for the last 8 months, they're definitely longer than they were.

Solair

Ayla wrote: »

She has a scratching post, which is how her front nails are kept short. She doesn't go outside so doesn't require nails for hunting, climbing trees, etc. Her back nails have only started clicking & becoming visible in the last couple weeks, so whether she's stopped doing something or they've just grown that slowly that it hasn't been an issue for the last 8 months, they're definitely longer than they were.

Our guy does summersaults on the scratching post to do the back paws. He basically tries to disembowel the post.

Maybe encourage her to play with bigger toys, or somehow get the back feet involved?

spank_inferno

It's ok to clip their nails if need be.
As mentioned, just clip the tips as it will be painful if you clip too much.

They will shed layers of nails however they can still get long, despite the scratching post.

We have a pet nail scissor that does the trick.

The wife picks them up and holds them on her lap (like a baby) and they are mostly fine with it.