i just wanted to ask why...

do a lot of people trim there cats claws?

i do it every few weeks so they don't rip up the furniture and carpets as much. Also, as mine are young cats they sometimes scratch too hard when playing so it prevents injuries.

Don't agree with de-clawing though... that seems cruel.

ok thanx , i just always wondered, in all the years iv had/looked after cats iv never once trimed there nails my oldest is 14 and has never had them trimed, and nither has any of the other cats i have/had. i have a few cat trees that all the cats use except for the foster kitten i have here at the moment , but were getting there , he likes the ends of the sofa. i think the only damage done to the house has been the corners of the walls on the wallpaper from some of them thinking there spidercat lol.
i did have a foster once who i must admit i did ask the vet about triming his nails , because he did do a lot of damage fighting with the other cats(he hated other cats) but because he was a going out cat they said they dont do indoor/outdoor cats. but that was the only one i asked about because he would have ended up doing some real damage.

I clip nails because I get "kitty hugs" where they wrap their paws around me hand/arm/leg. Shorter nails mean less scratches on me. I clip nails on Damita because she is usually medicated. Ophelia will attack me or others once in awhile.

I trim Jaffa and Mosi's cos if I don't it really hurts when they scratch me! (accidentally during play or when they're climbing on me). They also get stuck on things like the sofa throw if they get too long and sharp which causes a bit of distress when they can't free themselves.

with my gang i do it for a few reasons-1 if they have a little fight i don't have to worry about serious wounds. 2 they don't get caught in the bedding/rug/cat tree(and then they risk ripping a claw out-happened once when i fell and casey got up super fast he slpit it in two and was a mess.

yea i get the kitty hugs , i think the only time it really hurts is when they decide to jump on your back and slip .
i know most of my cats would allow me to trim there nails as they love there toes being played with. but nearly all my cats do go outside only for about 10 mins at a time, and always come when called except for 2 ex strays, no chance of keeping them inside all day lol. i would have ww3. any way thanks for your views.

So I don't hear her claws on the floor when she walks, sounds too much like a dog.

So their claws don't hit the ground when they walk (can lead to all sorts of problems because they will walk differently), so when they play fight or rabbit kick each other they don't cut each other, so their nails don't grow into their pads (I adopted one or two like that)...etc

For several reasons (I trim nails starting at 3 weeks old if I have that young of kittens).

First, to cut down on tearing up carpet, furniture, drapes, etc.

Second, cause I really HATE to be kneaded by sharp little nails on my skin!

And most important - to prevent accidents when play fighting/wrestling with other cats or dogs. I had a 2 month old Russian Blue kitten nearly lose his eyesight from too rough playing with a litter mate! His eye was stitched for several weeks - vet told me another millimeter and he would have been blind in that eye!

So I started nipping the sharp tip of 3 week old kittens so that would not happen again.

PArtly so that I Dont get too many scratches, but partly cos mine are older cats who dont use scratch posts and one doesn't go out much, so hers are checked - she has very thick claws. I forgot with one oldie and hers grew into her pads so I am paranoid now. And with the fosters, they are indoor only so need to keep an eye on them.

thanks for all the great answers. i think i have been lucky with the cats iv had in my care in the past and presant , but now im wondering if i should start cliping for the medical side of things.

I trim them cos with indoor cats especially, they end up snagging everything, getting their claws stuck in fabric when they are playing so i have to free them! Also when they jump on me and cling on....ouch!! Also my bengal kneads with claws out a little, so they need to be short or i can't let him pad. Plus the bengal has a scar in his eyelid where his litter mate scratched him. he had bad infection in it but luckily it has cleared up finally.

I never used to when i had outdoor cats when i was younger, but have done since everything being indoor only.

Also my naughty lilac boy doesn't like vets................

The most important reason I can think of to clip a cats claws is so they don't grow under and into the pads of their paws. I've seen this happen and it can be very problematic for them, not to mention painful. I think this is especially true of strictly indoor cats. They are not constantly climbing trees and filing their nails down on hard surfaces as wild cats do.

We do it to avoid accidental scratches when Sonic sleeps with us, to prevent their claws becoming ingrowing and to prevent any serious injuries when they playfight together

Actually we had a few totally outdoors barn cats, and I would occasionally trim their nails. Outside cats don't always wear down claws - you should see how long some of them get. Long enough to warrent clipping just so they don't grow into the pad!

Neither of my cats have ever deliberately scratched me because they are both big softies and very good about being handled, but I've had some really nasty accidental wounds from them.

I have 2 long permanent scars on my right foot from where Sonic ran over my foot at full speed and his back foot left nasty deep scratches (I couldn't get my trainers on for 2 days it was so painful!), I hadn't clipped their claws as often as I normally do because I lost the clippers, if they had been done recently it wouldn't have happened.

And Radar left my arm looking like a pincushion just from kneading on it when he was getting his morning cuddles from me, loads of tiny bleeding scratches, and he actually left a claw-sheath embedded in my skin like a thorn! They also both get caught in the net curtains which they like to bat at, if their claws are long.

So I clip them both about once a week, Radar kneads a lot and also puts his paws up on my knee when he wants something, both of which are painful if his claws are sharp, and Sonic walks over our faces and arms when we are in bed and leaves scratches if his are sharp, so I see it as a necessity. Neither of them go outside so they don't get worn down any other way.

I am very lucky in that both of mine are very gentle, Radar sits completely still for claw trims, just letting out the occasional pitiful mew to let me know he's not keen on the situation, and Sonic wriggles a bit but submits when he realises that it will go quicker if he sits still.

You didn't lose the clippers - the cats hid them

Ummm can I add a question to this? What kind of clippers do you use and how far back do you actually go? My friend said regular nail clippers are ok, and go to where the nail starts to curve. Is this correct. I had a horrible night last night with Cali AKA LUCIFER the Satanic cat, and Trotter playing nascar over top my my head. I have scratches everywhere. It looks like I just took a razor blade over my forehead!!! YIKES! I want to start trimming their nails. I know its going to impossible to do with Herc but he almost NEVER has his claws out. Actually I dont think he has ever used his claws for anything except that last time he got a bath and clawed Dave.

I've only ever had the girls claws clipped once. They have a turbo scratcher that helps pull their old claw sheaths off, and i often find a couple on the stairs where they've been chasing each other and obviously getting their claws in for a good grip