I`m just too curious....there`s a thread on here about about someone being sneeky :-) in how they get their cats to co-operate with getting their nails clipped......and I`m neither pro or con, since I`m sure getting your nails clipped does`nt hurt......and i`ve known that some people do that.....and now...I HAVE TO KNOW "WHY DO PEOPLE CLIP CATS NAILS"????
Like "the cat"....my curiosity is killing me to know the answer!!!!
And while i`m at it with the asking....how do you keep them from resharpening them after you`ve clipped them???
Linda

i asked the same question a while back heres the link http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=127006

I HAVE TO KNOW "WHY DO PEOPLE CLIP CATS NAILS???


Since they grow fast and my cat is indoor and plays with dogs and climbs on humans. I don't want anyone getting hurt with her claws just in case.

how do you keep them from resharpening them after you`ve clipped them???

I don't worry about that, I clip them every week so they stay at a nice place. Doesn't hurt or bother her at all. She has cat trees and lots of things to naturally sharpen her claws, but I clip just to keep them shorter, less snags, less change of hurting the dogs. I also dremel dog nails weekly as well.

You should ask this in the care and grooming section. They will be happy to answer your question. :)

BTW: I clip my cats claws, since he is an indoor only cat. This helps him from getting his nails caught in things all the time, so they don't get too long, and so he doesn't scratch ME too much. :)

I would've assumed as a cat owner, you might already know the answer :)

Clipping their claws stop them from becoming too long and ingrown, scratching up furniture and attacking anything else in the way. They sharpen AND keep their claws shorter by scratching on logs/scratching posts etc. None of our cats ever had their claws clipped, they kept them well looked after in the outdoors. And as Charlie is now indoor, i've chucked some logs into his outdoor enclosure for this reason. Some other people use Soft Claws to cover them (also good if your cat had a nervous disorder and scratches themselves bald) and then some declaw. But that is an entire thread in itself :onfire:

I would've assumed as a cat owner, you might already know the answer :)

Clipping their claws stop them from becoming too long and ingrown, scratching up furniture and attacking anything else in the way. They sharpen AND keep their claws shorter by scratching on logs/scratching posts etc. None of our cats ever had their claws clipped, they kept them well looked after in the outdoors. And as Charlie is now indoor, i've chucked some logs into his outdoor enclosure for this reason. Some other people use Soft Claws to cover them (also good if your cat had a nervous disorder and scratches themselves bald) and then some declaw. But that is an entire thread in itself :onfire:

i had an idea why people cliped their cats claws, but because iv never ever had any problems with any of the cats iv cared for i thought it may have been for selfish reasons:blush: (sorry everyone) that is why i asked in the care section a while back :lol3:

Since they grow fast and my cat is indoor and plays with dogs and climbs on humans. I don't want anyone getting hurt with her claws just in case.


I don't worry about that, I clip them every week so they stay at a nice place. Doesn't hurt or bother her at all. She has cat trees and lots of things to naturally sharpen her claws, but I clip just to keep them shorter, less snags, less change of hurting the dogs. I also dremel dog nails weekly as well.


Couldn't have said it better myself!!

Couldn't have said it better myself!!

Ditto!!!!!!!

Well I can see why if there is a problem of some sort.....I guess we`ve been lucky with our 3....and i`m GLAD, cause that does`nt sound like something any of them would probably stand still for very easily.
Only time we have been clawed is when one of them is on us and suddenly gets scared about something unusual happening and they are making a 'get away".
I`m home most of the time, so they have trained pretty well about not clawing things they are`nt supposed to, and the occassional time sombody does scratch something they are`nt supposed to is far and few between....so guess i`m not going to put myself to the bother. (I doubt I`d be as well loved by them if I tried at this late date)
Linda

This story (my own) is the main reason I clip nails starting at 3 weeks old on kittens....and cats.

Had a litter of Russian Blue kittens. They were about 2 months old at the time, wrestling and playing as normal. Suddenly one of the boys let out a scream! I rush in to find blood everywhere.

Trip to the vet found out that the boy had been scratched in the eye very near the cornea and he was almost blinded! The vet cleaned him up and examined the eye - thank goodness the cornea was not punctured and it was only a top surface scratch, but he had to stitch the eye shut for a few weeks so it could heal without being bothered.

Kittens usually don't retract (or can't) claws till older. I'm pretty paranoid when they play rough at times cause of this incident.

In addition I cannot STAND razor sharp nails when I'm picking them up or holding them. Those nails can be daggers :) So they are clipped or checked every week and done as needed.

I have 2 cats who knead on me, run over me, and wrestle with each other.

I have a 2" long permanent scar on my foot from where Sonic ran across me and caught my foot with one of the claws on one of his hind feet - I have another 1/2" permanent scar 1 toe width away from it from another claw. I'd not clipped his claws for 2 weeks because I lost (or he stole and hid!) the clippers, and therefore I have 2 scars on my foot as a result which will be there for the rest of my life, and not through any act of aggression! I'm very lucky they didn't get infected.

Sonic also walks, and sometimes runs, over my face when I'm in bed. I have had scratches on my face from him doing this.

Radar has left claw sheaths embedded in my arm like thorns after a cuddle session.

The boys also rabbit kick each other, pin each other down, and generally get involved in a lot of rough and tumble. Sonic currently has a bald spot and a scab on his chin as a result of this play-fighting.

I don't understand how anyone can't keep their cats claws trimmed. If I didn't do it I would regularly have wounds from where they have raced over me chasing one another during a 'funny five minutes', or from overenthusiastic kneading.

Possibly some cats are less active than mine and it doesn't really become an issue, but when every night you have a cat stand and turn around on your face at least once in his search for affection, you have to keep claws short unless you want to end up with scars!

you have to keep claws short unless you want to end up with scars!


BTW: I have a scar on my forehead that goes between my eyes. It was very close to scratching my eye. It's gotten pretty light, and you can't really see if unless your up close. Wonder where that scar came from? :rolleyes:

Since they grow fast and my cat is indoor and plays with dogs and climbs on humans. I don't want anyone getting hurt with her claws just in case.

I don't worry about that, I clip them every week so they stay at a nice place. Doesn't hurt or bother her at all. She has cat trees and lots of things to naturally sharpen her claws, but I clip just to keep them shorter, less snags, less change of hurting the dogs.

I agree completely with this. I do the same thing, especially since we have a small child. Not to mention I have several scars from cats over the years, and, personally, I don't want any more. :)

Ummm, it would hurt for me not to trim Trouts nails...she kneads like crazy..and it even hurts with nail stubs:lol3:

Its pretty easy...you just stick the cat between your legs, facing down and grab the paws one by one:)

I trim Stumpy and Smudge's claws because Stumpy likes to run across our dining table and dining chairs and leaves big scratches if we don't trim them. She also leaps up walls and tries to open wardrobe doors with her paws, and we have scratch marks in the walls and door from where she's gone psycho on them :rolleyes: She also tries to "catch" our feet if we dare move our feet while in bed - she uses her paws and claws to grab our feet which hurrrrts! She needs hers clipped regularly. And yes they grow back and get sharp, we just clip them regularly.

Smudge decided she liked to climb up me when I was least expecting it - this has curbed that behaviour. She still leaps onto us if she's near shoulder height and can jump up (if we're sitting on the bed, or if she's on her cat tree, or if we're bent over scooping the litter tray :rolleyes:). At least this way she hurts us a lot less :lol3:

Lily doesn't really scratch at anything or damage anything, and gets scared if we try and hold her, so we don't do hers too often.

Well I do Ping and now Pong's for a few reasons. Clawing the couch was never an issue because we buy gently used furniture. Mainly for Ping is because he likes to attack feet. And being asleep does not stop him. As clipping makes it a little more bearable. Pong (and well Ping) is because he/they are inside only cats and they have no way dulling down their own claws so I just clip them. Pong is still young so I am getting him used to it.

Well I do Ping and now Pong's for a few reasons. Clawing the couch was never an issue because we buy gently used furniture. Mainly for Ping is because he likes to attack feet. And being asleep does not stop him. As clipping makes it a little more bearable. Pong (and well Ping) is because he/they are inside only cats and they have no way dulling down their own claws so I just clip them. Pong is still young so I am getting him used to it.

Off topic, but does this mean Pong is staying?!?!?!?!? :clap:

Now do you think either of us could give that baby to someone else? No he is staying and adjusting quite well as is Ping.

I clip my girls nails about once a month. It keeps them from scratching us and things. Especially when they decide to run across DH or I!

I clip Gizmo's claws because 1) It's hurts like you what when he tries to use my leg as a climbing post and 2) to protect my furniture. It's not so much because he scratches the furniture but more so because when he gets in his crazy mode and runs and jumps on the beds/chairs/sofa his claws tend get snagged on threads and such.:nod:

I agree completely with this. I do the same thing, especially since we have a small child. Not to mention I have several scars from cats over the years, and, personally, I don't want any more. :)I have had numerous scratches in many many locations over the years, snags in sweaters, blankets, even jeans, and I've had Tuxie get her claws stuck in the carpet on more than one occasion, and she tends to panic when that happens. So for their safety, as well as the safety of my baby girl, I started clipping their claws when I found out I was pregnant. That's not to say they like it all that much, and I do have one that the vet has to do for me every other month, but it gets done.

I don't care about getting scratched (although I'd be happier if I didn't) and I could care less about my furniture.

I clip because I've seen first hand what can happen when a cat gets a claw stuck in something and panics.
It's very bloody, and very painful for the cat.

I clip my guy's nails. I know 2 of mine will scratch the furniture, so clipping reduces the damage. Ophelia's get clipped because she has this tendency to attack. All my foster kittens get their clipped in hopes the new owners will not declaw.

Shami likes to knead my neck. I'm not quite sure why he choses to knead my neck all the time, but I wouldn't want to know what it would feel like if his claws were never clipped. Even with his claws clipped he leaves scratch marks on me.

If you let the claws grow, the get to be like needles. They'll go straight through jeans and plunge a good half a cm into your skin. Very painful.

I clip for the same reasons everyone else seems to...

1. It hurts like crazy when they knead on you with long claws and all three of mine are kneaders
2. Tryon likes to move the drapes so she can watch outside the window and has occasionally gotten a claw stuck in the drapes which leads to a bloody freakout scene.
3. I've witnessed what a claw to the eye can do.
4. I've also witnessed what a claw can do if left too long - it can curl under and become embedded in the paw pad (was not a pretty sight) and yes, this cat had plenty of things to scratch on.

The dogs get theirs clipped because if left too long they can break under the skin which is very bloody and very painful for the dogs.

I don't understand how anyone can't keep their cats claws trimmed. If I didn't do it I would regularly have wounds from where they have raced over me chasing one another during a 'funny five minutes', or from overenthusiastic kneading.

!

i have plenty of scars and my DH has a nasty one on his back, and yes we get them running over us in bed when they get there nutty half hours, but weve never had any of them hurt each other nor have we had any injurys where they have caught there nails. and i can honstly say they have never caught the kids with there claws even when cuddling down with them and kneeding them.
i can understand why a lot of people trim there cats claws, but i also understand why some dont.

I'll move this to care and grooming :)

I'm pretty lax in clipping Nikita's claws. However I watch her carefully and whenever I spot her starting to gnaw and bite at her front claws I figure they've gotten too long for her comfort since she's trying to shorten them herself and out come the clippers.

I'm not worried about scratches really, just her comfort. Even if she doesn't start to bite at her claws I check them over almost daily just to make sure they're healthy and not starting to curl under etc.

I clip all of my cat's claws for all the reasons listed above. And I do have many, many scars from kitties!

I clip because I am trying to save my screens and curtains. another reason is I sometimes find scabs on them from getting stuck by the others nails. My guys are not crazy about it, but they tolerate it. If you don't, the nails get incredibly long and sharp. I can't imagine NOT clipping nails.

I guess you could say the adoption group where I volunteer promulgates the idea of clipping claws.

We get so many adopters who are on the fence about declawing their kittens. So we spend a lot of time with every adopter, whether they are adopting a cat or kitten. The bottom line is if people want to lie on their application they can probably get away with it.

So we make a big case for regular claw clipping along with other activities as a humane and reasonable way to keep from scratches and shredded furniture.

We show them how easy it is to clip the claws, and we do it right there with their kitty. We have them practice on cats at the show. We show them the cardboards that cats love to scratch on, and we tell them about the scent glands in their paws and how the kitties aren't always out to scratch as much as they are to leave their scent which only they can smell.

I don't clip my kitties' claws but there is a good case to spread the word to the general population so they don't just amputate them.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

I've never clipped because previous cats have been both indoors and outdoors, and I find that cats only scratch you when you do something to p**s them off. At first I got a few scratches from Harry until he learned to retract and now he NEVER puts his claws out at me. Yes he does scratch the furniture but I knew this would be something that would happen if I planned to get a kitten.

I'm not against clipping in any way; I just don't do it myself.

To be honest, I'm surprised that so many people clip their cats' claws. I had never seen a need for it, or even thought about it, until a few years ago. After all, cats don't have nails that keep growing longer, like people or dogs. They aren't meant to wear down. My cats learned not to scratch me or the furniture without too much trouble, and I figure the occasional accidental scratch is just part of owning cats.

However, when I adopted a 5 year old retired breeding cat who had always had her claws clipped, I soon found out that her claws would grow too long and snag on things if they weren't cut. My theory is that claws are damaged by clipping and don't grow and shed normally afterward, so you have to continue clipping them. JMO. I would not clip a cat's claws unless that particular cat shows a need for it.

I clip PHX's claws whenever I notice they need to be cut. If I don't he gets them snagged on the carpet, bed, blankets, me, etc. I wouldn't want him to get them caught on something and tear out and bleed!

I think if your cat is indoors, you should clip them! It doesn't really take all that long, and PHX doesn't even care if I do it. I usually do the front paws one day and then the back claws the next... It's really no big deal! ;)

I would've assumed as a cat owner, you might already know the answer :)

That's not necessarily true. When we got the cats, the shelter told us / showed us how to clip their claws, but they didn't tell us why and I didn't ask. I gave it a go with no success whatsoever. Once I read up on why, and talked to the vet, we decided not to clip (despite their being indoor cats). If I ever see them having a problem getting snagged on things, I'll rethink. Otherwise, except for the first couple weeks while Swanie was still young and I was still stupid, I haven't had a scratch on me from them. As for the furniture, Swanie will occasionally scratch the back of the sofa, but I figure, it's only furniture ..

One other thing that is not mentioned. If you are a show person, you are REQUIRED to clip nails before a show. Maybe I'm just in the habit of clipping and can do just about any one's cat :)

But with my experience in the accident with the kittens and the one almost blinded; I'd really hate for those of you that don't clip to experience something like that!

To be honest, I'm surprised that so many people clip their cats' claws. I had never seen a need for it, or even thought about it, until a few years ago. After all, cats don't have nails that keep growing longer, like people or dogs. They aren't meant to wear down. My cats learned not to scratch me or the furniture without too much trouble, and I figure the occasional accidental scratch is just part of owning cats.


I have to disagree with the statement about cats not having nails that keep growing. Now, it's not a normal thing to see, but I'll never forget one cat that came into a grooming shop that I was working in a few years ago. This older couple came in with their large black and white long-haired cat asking to have his nails clipped. They had recently got the cat from someone who had him for several years and was unable to keep him. Anyway, they noticed him having a problem walking, so they checked and his nails were so long that they were, literally, curling back into his feet. We were able to get them clipped, and you could just see how much better he felt. I had never seen that with a cat before. It happens with dogs, but I'd never even heard of it with a cat. So, even though it may be rare, it can happen. I'm still not sure how his nails got that long unless the previous owners never allowed him to do anything, but somehow it happened.

literally, curling back into his feet

I can tell from the angle of two of Fang's nails that they would grow into his pads if left unattended.
I never clip the back toes, just the front. They chew off the back nails themselves.

Cats that go outside wear their claws down by walking on hard surfaces and climbing trees. Indoor cats dont get an opportunity to do this which is why most need their claws trimmed. As they get older, their claws tend to grow longer so it's best to start when they're young, imo. I dont' recall there ever being an issue when Jaffa was very young, but for many years now I've trimmed claws. Jaffa's back claws are now very long (so that he can't fully retract them) so I'm having to be a bit devious now about getting them trimmed (I normally only do front claws - I live alone and Jaffa hides when I have visitors so I can't get someone to help) - I got 2 done last night when he was sitting on top of something with them overhanging.

I do it partly so that they don't hurt me as much when climbing on and off my lap, but also so that they dont hurt each other when they play rough. Jaffa's get caught on the sofa throw when they get too long and that distresses him a bit when he can't instantly free himself.

I don't think clipping the claws damage them. Every cat care book I have here (and I have a few) advocate clipping the claws on a regular basis.

Oh and not all cats claw a person because they are mad at someone. Ping does it when he plays with our feet. Thats really the only time. And I attribute that to him not being raised with his mom or litter (not my choice).

I'm not disputing that some cats need to have their claws clipped, I just don't think they all do, or that anyone should feel like a bad pet owner if they don't do it. My current two cats have been indoors all their lives; one needs her claws clipped, the other doesn't. I have had cats since I was a kid and all but one maintained their claws at a normal length without any help.

If you could see my arms and legs right now you'll KNOW why I advocate the clipping of ALL nails (front AND back)! :lol3:

Just last week I was grooming (read bathing and drying) a friend's Maine Coon and we decided NOT to clip the back nails...big mistake!!:lol3: I have two lovely "holes" where my skin used to be just above my knee!:lol3:

My cat's favorite place to be is sitting on someone's chest and kneading them. She is a heavy cat, and if her claws are not clipped it is VERY painful to have her kneading your chest! (or any other area..) I trim her claws so that they don't have lethal points on them, and so I don't sit there going "OW! OW! OW! OW!" whenever she kneads me, which is pretty much every day... Trimming also keeps her from causing damage to anything else she scratches, such as the rug, or my dogs! :O

It's very true that cats claws can grow too long and become embedded in their little pads. It's a very painful thing. Ask anyone who works in an animal shelter... they'll tell you stories of this and other things happening when they have received some neglected animals. In fact the other day when I was watching animal cops, they showed some dogs that came from the home of a hoarder. The dogs nails were so long that the dogs were very uncomfortable and could hardly walk.

I was a dog groomer for 9 years, and have seen numerous cats (and dogs) come in with their nails curled into their pads. I had a cat myself that did that, I took her to the vet and they cut the nail off right at the base (it was a dewclaw). It grew back inside her leg and I had to have her entire dewclaw, bone and all removed.

My mom has a cat that won't sharpen his nails on anything. As a result all of his nails are double sheathed. It's a huge PIA to clip them, he bites like crazy, but it has to be done. His will grow into his pads in a couple weeks if we don't.

I clip my cats nails when I think of it. If I see them clawing at my furniture I clip them. Plus they scrap sometimes and I don't want them to hurt each other. Or the dogs if they get swinging at them. I've also had cats get their nails caught and rip their nail out from panicking.

If your cat doesn't need it's nails done, that's great. I'd love to not have to do nails on my cats! :rolleyes:

My brother had his cat declawed, and while I'll admit I do like the soft little feet, I don't like how the cat doesn't like to jump down from surfaces, and if he does, he does this weird hop thing afterward. I think his feet are tender from it, and it's been about 2 years. Plus I've found that declawed cats tend to bite more. And I would much rather get scratched than bit! :eek: