kitty CLAWS

So I have two cats,
Hugo a big 15 pound 7 year old guy who tolerates his nails being trimmed pretty well and he'll let me do it when it needs to be done and he rarely scratches anything but his posts and catnip scratcher.


And then theres Radar. She's about a year old and she's just about 5 pounds. When she was a baby she had an accident that broke her hips and caused what I'm thinking is nerve damage as she cannot retract her back claws. She tolerates her nails being trimmed on her front paws occasionally, and i say that very loosely as she will fight you to the death before she allows it. And she claws everything except people, she leaned that quickly when she was little.

I'm due to have my baby in 19 days and I'm scared she's going to claw him on accident. I know she wouldn't mean to but her back paws are such a problem and she has seriously gouged me a few times trying to cuddle. So i don't know what to do. I don't know if claw caps would work for her back feet or if i should just get her declawed on her back feet and try claw caps on her front. I don't want to declaw her even though she is strictly indoors and she doesn't really NEED her claws.. what do I do?

Hi,

Declawing isn't really cutting off her claws. It's more like cutting of the tip of the finger at the first bend and it's a very painful and sometimes long recovery for the kitty. Here are a couple of articles that might be helpful:

 [thread="286878"]Declawing​[/thread]   

 Declawing - More than Just a Manicure

 [article="29667"]Declawing And Alternatives​[/article]   

 [article="0"]Problem Scratching And How To Stop It​[/article]  

 [article="22411"]Why Cats Should Not Be Declawed​[/article]  

 [article="29644"]A Personal Look At Declawing​[/article]  

No pet should ever be alone with a baby , toddler or child .  For your peace of mind take your cat to the vet and have them put on the tip covers and have a discussion with them and your own doctor about your concerns.

19 days till your due date and you are in full nesting mode with your hormones ruling your thoughts. You are in full mama bear mode. Which is good and natural but take a deep breath.  The best solutions are a temporary screen door on the room where the baby sleeps or an observations shelf so the cat can do what they do best , watch things.

Declawing is inhumane and mutilates the cats foot. Many become biters out of fear when they realize they don't have their little knives. I'm sure there are plenty of mothers here who have good ideas on how to add your baby to home and keep everyone safe.

I'm going to be a sahm so my baby will NEVER be left alone with them, I just know my kitties are curious cuddly, lovey things that will way to get to know their brother.

I know 5 hat they remove the tip of the bone on each toe which is why I'm trying to avoid it at all costs. But her back paws are seriously messed up. She can't retract the claws at all not even a little bit, would they still be able to put the caps on those claws?

I don't know much about caps, but in case you haven't tried this already, maybe try to start handling her paws a bit more and provide some positive associations with it? I handle my kitties' paws pretty frequently, like holding their paws in my hand or extending their claws for a few seconds by gently "squishing" their paws. So, they've become pretty used to their paws getting touched and their claws extended by me. While they shy away from getting their claws trimmed while awake, they'll lay still without complaint when they're relaxed or sleeping. I think to myself "Ah ha! My moment!" when I notice them napping.

Though, even trimmed claws can still cause scratches, so caps may be worth looking into, especially with the baby on the way.

I don't think cats can retract their back claws. But I don't see any reason they can't put caps on the back.

The claws on a cat's back feet are not meant to be retractable. Are they overgrown maybe, and extra long? If so they just need trimming. 

They usually only cause damage when the cat jumps off something - say she jumps off your lap, she'll push off with the hind feet and possibly scratch you. This is not likely to happen to a baby IMO. 

I would definitely look into getting the covers for all four feet to prevent accidental scratches, but also, try not to worry. As long as you supervise their interactions your cat won't hurt your baby.

Hmmm... hugos claws retract on his back feet.

I can get caps done at the groomers anf get replacements to bring home so I will be going there tomorrow