double nail?

twobananaz

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Dec 16, 2010
Messages
151
Purraise
1
Location
seattle, wa
hi, i was just wondering if anyone else had come across this with a cat. I have a siamese manx kitty that is guesstimated to be between 1-3 years. one of her "thumbs" has two nails growing out of it, that are fused together. it doesn't seem to bother her at all, but it is a bit of a pain to try and clip. I will try to get a pic of it when i get off work today, but thought I would ask and see how common this is for a kitty.
 

rad65

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 2, 2010
Messages
1,547
Purraise
52
That is strange, I can't even picture what that would look liike. Sorry I can't be of any help, I'm just pushing for those pictures lol
 

luvmyparker

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 19, 2010
Messages
1,312
Purraise
64
Location
Nova Scotia
I will wait for a picture, but I think I might know what you mean. My Parker has really weird claws too..
 

lyrajean

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 23, 2008
Messages
1,259
Purraise
120
Location
VT
Our family cat Midori has these on both front feet. Down in the crack between her regular paws and her 'double thumbs' on each side is a funky claw that is thicker than normal. I swear it is two fused together. They don't seem to bother her, but she can't retract/extend them like normal claws so she also can't sharpen them. We were warned by a vet that they could potencially grow around and into the paw so best to keep them trimmed.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

twobananaz

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Dec 16, 2010
Messages
151
Purraise
1
Location
seattle, wa
okay, here is the long awaited pic, hope it is clear enough for you guys to see what i'm talking about:

 

lyrajean

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 23, 2008
Messages
1,259
Purraise
120
Location
VT
Yep, looks like two fused together to me. Best keep them trimmed. I'd invest in a real good quality, sharp mail trimmer. Hopefully you have a calm patient kitty!

Other than that a vet's recommend on what to do if it becomes a problem digit is in order.

I've heard that in these cases if the claw causes problems because it can't be sharpened or trimmed and it grows into the paw and or becomes infected, it might become one of those instances where a single-digit surgical declawing is medically neccessary.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #9

twobananaz

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Dec 16, 2010
Messages
151
Purraise
1
Location
seattle, wa
the clippers I have right now make it very hard to get around both "claws", so I was thinking of buying one of those pedipaws and just filing the nail down. has anyone here had any experiences with that pedipaws thing? I do keep an eye on it to make sure it is kept short, but it's difficult because she's a squirmy kitty!
 

luvmyparker

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 19, 2010
Messages
1,312
Purraise
64
Location
Nova Scotia
I heard many animals are afraid of them and they just don't work that well but I can't really speak from experience. What about a big toenail clipper for just that one problem nail? they are nice and wide, anyway.
 

rad65

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 2, 2010
Messages
1,547
Purraise
52
Those pedipaws aren't ideal for cats because it files down the nails, but cat claws grow in layers, so it ends up chipping away some of those layers in the process.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #12

twobananaz

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Dec 16, 2010
Messages
151
Purraise
1
Location
seattle, wa
Ah. Maybe I will try the nail clipper thing then. Thanks!
 
Top