Clipping her nails...should I?

I've never clipped Luna's nails/claws - she's about 7 months old, but it's never really crossed my mind as they don't seem to be an issue for her (except for when she gets stuck in the flyscreen when she decides to be spiderkitty)...part of the house has a cement floor (they uhh...just decided to not put anymore tiles down?!) and she scratches away there as well as several scratching posts she has.

Would I really need to clip her nails? It would be a struggle and at least a 2 person task to get it done on her. But I've been reading that some people clip their kitty's nails regularly. So yeah...is it ok to not do it?

If she is filing it down on cement, I think you are fine - keep a look at them to make sure they don't grow into the paw pads.

Ok that's what I thought but I thought I should check! Yeah I've checked her paws when her claws are retracted and they don't stick out at all (unlike my boyfriend's cat's sometimes does when she's due to have hers clipped) and they never seem any longer when she has them out, so I guess she's taking care of it herself.

She does have this compulsion to attempt to dig EVERYTHING, EVERY surface she touches, so that's probably helping too...

I trim Maia's nails, front and back regularly. Most veterinarians will clip their nails as part of a annual check up if they are indoor cats. 7 months is still pretty young, she is still growing and her nails/claws are shedding constantly, explaining the scratching on a hard cement surface. As an adult their claws become very long, strong, and sharp. If she already has occasional problems of catching her nails on a screen, it may be best to start clipping her claw tips or introduce Soft Paws.....

Cats retract their claws, so they will not wear them down on cement like a dog would. Its best to keep them clipped. Unclipped nails are more likely to get caught in rugs, curtains, etc and can be ripped or torn causing more problems.

You are more likely to be severly scratched with possible infection. If you get her used to being trimmed on a regular basis, she will be more cooperative. At least trim them every other week. I check and trim mine once a week. I have one cat that still complains about it even tho she's been getting them done since a young kitten.

I think as long as she's scratching appropriately and not catching you durring play it's not a big deal. Of coruse, it may be something you'll have to reconsider in the future so it might be best to get her acclimated to it now. I trim Wickett's nails because he doesn't always scratch where he's supposed to and sometimes if he's too excited about play time he does catch skin.

I trim their nails if I notice they are sticking to stuff when they are retracted or if I notice they are scratching more to wear them down.
I actually did it this morning because Hank was just scratching everything he could.

I wasn't that good about clipping ours until she developed the habit of kneading my chest to wake me up in the middle of the night. Yow!
Now I clip them so I don't get scratched when she's just trying to be sweet.

If she's getting stuck in the fly screen I would clip, it also helps prevent them climbing the screens.

Scratching poles tend to sharpen the nails, not dull them down.

It's best to get her used to it while she's still fairly young.

I sleep on water bed... I trim

^ While I highly doubt untrimmed claws would harm a water bed unless a cat intended to, it makes for an amusing mental picture.


Instead of asking yourself, and a forum full of people, just start trimming! Trimming your indoor cat's claws can never be a bad thing to do. I've had a cat get a claw stuck in a chair before (he has three claws that grow faster than the rest), it's not pleasant to see this happen.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

^

While I highly doubt untrimmed claws would harm a water bed unless a cat intended to, it makes for an amusing mental picture.


Instead of asking yourself, and a forum full of people, just start trimming! Trimming your indoor cat's claws can never be a bad thing to do. I've had a cat get a claw stuck in a chair before (he has three claws that grow faster than the rest), it's not pleasant to see this happen.

Click to expand...

Next time i totally strip the water bed i will post a pic of the what a waterbed mattress can look like with untrimmed cat claws in the house.. No fun waking up wet in a waterbed. Thats the main reason why i keep em all trimmed Im running out of patch repair..

I have always trimmed our cats claws, they are indoor cats.

I have introduced this to them as kittens and they grew up with it so it isn't difficult with them.

THEN, I rescued Kasey, the 8 to 10 year old torti.

Kasey, has bassically imprinted on me and wants to be around me all the time.

However, she came from a place where she never knew what someone was going to do to here, i.e. be good to her, or abusive.

Needless to say, it was a "different game", introducing her to having me hold her and "mess" with her feet. I have gently perservered and after 10 months or so, it is going pretty well; so it can be done with older cats, at least in this case.

I'd love to see the waterbed pictures! We can't stand water beds, so not to worry about our bed and cat's nails!

This is what my water bed looks like everyday.The cats love it as much as we do

^That picture is hilarious. I'm guessing the heater is on, and that you have a king sized bed to fit so many cats.

Something I've noticed the other night, someone ripped my comforter. Tomas probably managed to since he digs at it. Definitely need to keep his claws trimmed down.