Crooked claw?

When I first got Niko three months ago, he had one claw that wouldn't quite retract all the way (shown below). The photo is an extreme example as it usually wasn't out /that/ far on a usual basis... just kinda half-cocked. I managed to get the pic just at the right time. The nail base is also white, where the others' are dark.




Well, after an overnight stay at the vet's for his neutering, he came back and the claw was crooked. I'll hafta see if he'll let me get a picture of it, but it's kinda like... well, instead of pointing at twelve o'clock, let's say it points at two. My guess is that he was struggling with one of the techs and got it caught on something hardcore. He walks fine, scratches and plays normally, but he'll protest a little more than usual when I go to trim that specific one. I've been trying to pay close attention on how he uses his scratching posts to see if he actually uses that claw, but I can never get a good look.

Should I be concerned? If I take him to the vet (the new one, I have since changed vets because of other issues I've had with them), can they do anything for him? Will they wanna remove it? /Should/ it be removed? I'm all fulla questions 'cause hes my first kitty and I dunno if I'm worrying too much or not enough.

When I first rescued Mocha as a kitten he had a crooked claw on his front paw. At first I thought it was just a birth defect but he would never let me look at the claw. When I had him neutered I had the vet take a look and confirmed that the toe at the joint was broken and re-healed wrong. Vet recommended the toe be removed to keep Mocha from re-injuring the toe.

The toe is gone and I can now touch the foot with no problems.

Well, I made an appointment with the vet, so we'll see if he'll need the claw removed. Just out of curiosity, how much does such a procedure cost? I'm on a bit of a budget, but whatever he needs, he'll get.. not cutting costs with his health care, nor his food AT ALL. I'd rather have ramen for a few days, so he can get his supper.

In this case I think another vet might look at it. This is the only case where declawing that one claw only would be ok as it could cause problems later.

Did you get the vet to look at it when he was in for his op? When he goes back to have stitches out mention it to the vet & see what he suggests.

Kalikat: The claw got injured /at the vet's/, actually.. and he didn't get stitches. I think they used some type of liquid stitching? I've changed vets since then 'cause I was very unhappy with them for several reasons, including this issue. Thankfully, I found a vet even closer who Niko actually likes (I was amazed).