crunching on toenails!!!

I was sitting here reading other member's posts with all 5 of my kitties piled on the bed with me. Then, on the other side of a pillow, I hear crunching. LOUD crunching, like a cat is trying to chew on a piece of bone. SO I immediately sit up, move the pillow, and there is Loumouth, Back paw in her mouth and CRUNCHING on her nails, literally chewing them to shreds.

I immediately stopped her and started inspecting her nails. They get trimmed every 1 to 3 weeks, depending on how much they've grown. Lately they haven't needed it often. They were just trimmed last week, and looked in perfect health. But she had split them, and I had to go get the nail scissors to try to slavage them. I can't find anything wrong with them, other than a few cuticles she has now split. (thank goodness for styptics). No swelling of the skin around them, no discoloration, nothing stuck in or around them... not even any odor.

Nothing in the house has changed and I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem. I need some ideas because even though she's going to the vet tomorrow, I need to be able to give the vet some idea why she's suddenly doing this. PLease, does anyone have any ideas?

It's best to be honest with your vet...Say what you know, not what you think it could be .....................
It is common for cats to sometimes split their nails and shed thick layers. Sometimes a good toe grooming/nail cleaning can sound pretty vigorous !

Could be a fungus or something. Callie crunches her nails when she's bored or stressed. She also does it when her nails need to be trimmed.

My Alpha, Crazy, Terror cat chews his toe nails down too. They do not have a fungas on them, they are clean, he takes care of his own business instead of me having to do it. It is loud!!

I noticed he is right handed by watching him do this. His right feet will be all chewed down, left side untouched

Well, thank you for your replies. I suppose it's nothing to really worry about. The vet says that it could be stress since she's been stuck inside the house for so long. She said the damage was pretty severe considering the short amount of time she went at her toes before I stopped her. She gave me an antibiotic and a mild pain reliever just because of the two toes that were split down into the quick. She did recommend taking her down to the human society to get a temperament test, and if she is suitable, getting her trained as a therapy cat. (I brought it up since it was one of the articles on the site). She said that the increased socialization and stimulation might help her reduce this habit. She also recommended the vinyl nail covers if the problem continues. Chewing on her nails is ok until she starts to hurt herself. So I guess this is a game of "wait and see".