nails seem dry

Trimming the boys claws this evening. After a year they have gotten pretty good about it, WHEW!

I noticed something kind of odd about Casper's claws - that they seem less transparent than the other cats' nail... more whitish and seemed more dry and brittle. When I cut them, several of them split lengthwise. The first time it happened I thought maybe there was still some sheath on the nail. But I don't think that is the problem.

Any ideas? Do you think this requires some supplement of some sort? I can ask the vet but thought I would put the question out here for feedback.

Well, if it was a horse with dry, shelly feet, I would look to the diet and see how badly lacking it is in silica and Omega 3 & 6 and the same for human hair and nails. Now the oils are easy to get, the silica not so much because humans and equids can digest whole grains (silica is in the hulls and outer coatings), so did a quick search on biotin. Lo and behold, there IS biotin and Omega 3 combo for cats here:http://naturalremedies4dogs.com/tag/biotin/

Do check your locals first, however, as a like product may be available without shipping and handling costs. If you try this, remember, will take several weeks to notice a difference in the keratin quality - 'finger nails' of any kind are slow growing; not sure of cat rate but human nails 1/16" a month and hooves at about the same rate although a 1/16" on a cat is a lot more than even a human