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frayed claws after "escaping" outside

post #1 of 5
10/22/11 at 11:21am
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Sometime last night or early this morning, my one year old kitten jumped out of my roommate's 2nd story window and was outside for a few hours. We didn't know that the comcast worker who was here had opened the screen in his room. Well, I found my kitten this morning in the area between my building and the one next door (he was just sitting there, staring into my backyard and waiting for me to come get him. at least I know he won't ever run away), and his paws were absolutely filthy. I cleaned them the best I could, and after getting a lot of mud off I noticed pretty much all his claws are frayed. They look more like those close ups of split ends you see in shampoo commercials than normal claws. Will his claws grow back normally, or will I need to watch out for problems and help trim away areas that look like they won't grow back well?
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post #2 of 5
10/22/11 at 12:09pm
Wow, what a scary experience! So glad your kitten got back safe. Suggest you take some more precautions against him getting outside again, since however motivated he is to return home, he may still get confused and lose his way if he gets out again. They can be devious little things, not having a clue how dangerous it is out there.

Anyway. Yes, I think it's a good idea to clip the ends of the claws so that they are a bit more even. You don't want the ragged edges to get caught on something. Don't clip too far down. If you look carefully at a cat's claw, you can see where the quick is--don't clip that part. If you have to leave them frayed, then you may need to clip them more than once, when they grow back. Actually, if you have carpet with a tight weave, it's probably a good idea to clip regularly anyhow, since some cats can get their claws caught in carpet. My cat has at one point, and he must've sprained his toe because he limped for days, poor guy.
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post #3 of 5
10/22/11 at 9:23pm
Eeek! I've heard that cats who narrowly escape being hit a car get frayed nails from scrambling to get away. He might have had a very close call. Scary.

Yeah, I'd clip off the frayed bits, maybe smooth them down with a nail file if he allows it. It has to be uncomfortable, besides catching on things.
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post #4 of 5
10/23/11 at 1:11am
Cat's nails have layers of sheaths that shed as the nail grows. A good scratching post helps the cat shed the old sheaths & keep the nails sharp. If the sheaths build up on the nail, the cat may resort to biting them off.
If your kitten came home with frayed nails, don't panic, this is just the sheath of each nail that frayed ans split.
Get kitty a post it can fully stretch up on so it can keep its nails in optimum condition. Plus, as the previous posters recommended, keep them trimmed.
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post #5 of 5
10/23/11 at 7:58am
I'm thinking the cat was clawing at some concrete and frayed the ends of his claws. A trim would be a good idea, and wouldn't hurt him if it's done right.
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