stop biting your nails!

siamese female cat,8 yrs. has a very worring habit.
she bites and pulls at her claws,so much so that I sometimes think ,she may actually rip them out,This problem has never been found before in any of our cats,It really worries me.
We keep her claws trimmed and try to never let them get too long.
she is an inside cat with plenty of interesting ,birds and possums to watch so as not to get too bored.playtime is each evening ,time when the other cat goes to bed she spends on her own with me.
She was bought from a cattery. and I feel the problem is related to this somehow,she is a very nervous kitty,We did not get her until she was around 16weeks old,
MY problem and hers is how can I stop this habit have tried to take her mind off it ,once she starts,but this only works for a moment,it is not something she does all day ,but does do it at least once a day.
If there is a solution to this problem please do tell.
Trisha.

Is she actually causing an issue?

Most cats bite their nails anyway, to pull off the extra bits, it's likely it was a nervous habit for her being that she was in a cattery.

You might stop trimming her nails, that way she at least wouldn't be chewing already trimmed nails. I googled "cats biting nails" and almost every post on the webt everyone said it was normal, it sounds like some cats are more compulsive about it than others so I don't know that there's a lot you can do unless she's mutilating her feet.

The next step might be to see the vet if she is actually causing damage to her feet.

Biting and pulling the claws is normal. I don't believe it's a sign of "nervousness" like people do.

Perfectly normal. My 3, especially Sophie are forever giving themselves manicures as i call them

So do Bijou and Mika. They are fastidious about their manicures.

The cats that I've had have always done this. I think, when the claw is ready to shed, it might feel funny down at the quick, maybe like a slight itching, and they're trying to get rid of it.

Just a theory.

Ossi does this too. I always associated it to his nerves a little – just because he is the most nervous cat in this family. Also, he did it way more when he first came to us and he has calmed down considerably, and is less compulsive about his nails now. He has Siamese blood in him, he is a lynx point mix, and I think he has lot of those sensitivity issues. For what I can gather the previous owner had been pretty strict with him, pretty liberal with spray bottle etc.

I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t know if it is because of the nail biting but Ossiâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s claws grow faster than his brothers, and the middle claws that he particularly likes to rip have thinner and more fragile nails. It was a real pain to get him used to nail clipping. Even now when he is Ok with it, he occasionally acts like a big baby (he will sit all relaxed but have this theatrical ow-ow-owliee every time a nail is clipped). He is way better with it but even now when there are more stressors (like when he got new brother) he resorts to more nail biting, so I too think there is something human about it too… And it really is quite loud and violent looking when he really gets into it…

I'm pretty certain that it has nothing to do with nerves in Bijou's case since he never flinches. He is totally trusting to the point where we can do raspberries on his belly, I vacuum him, etc. I'm not saying that may not be the case for others, but for Bijou it seems to be when the nail is shedding that little side piece and he wants to get it out. I've watched him do it so that's my best guess.

I would just like to thank everyone for your help.I now realise that it is not such a problem as I first thought,
thanks again.