Clipping back claws

I have been looking through posts so if I missed this I apologize I am sure it has been answered before.

Do cats claws stop growing? My little girl will NOT have her back claws trimmed without major whing and crying and twisting. I am inclined to almost just give up. I don't particularly like the way they look so long but is there a health reason I need to clip them it would be helpful if anyone knew that too.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by DarciFinn

I have been looking through posts so if I missed this I apologize I am sure it has been answered before.

Do cats claws stop growing? My little girl will NOT have her back claws trimmed without major whing and crying and twisting. I am inclined to almost just give up. I don't particularly like the way they look so long but is there a health reason I need to clip them it would be helpful if anyone knew that too.

Thanks!

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We have been told by more than one vet that it is generally not necessary to clip a cat's back claws, that they are kept worn down just through their normal activity. Of course their use of the word "generally" would imply that one should inspect them occasionally, as cats are cats, and while they are all the same, at the same time they are all different.

We have never clipped our cats' back claws, and we have had many, many and have never had a problem with them. We have met people, however, who do clip them.

Cheers,

The key word is "activity" in our case! Also, we have indoor only cats in an entirely carpeted house. I gladly pay the money to haul her to the vet's about every 3 months to have her nails clipped. Sheesh! The cat hardly makes any noise normally, not even a meow, but when you start messing with her back paws, she'll howl like a banshee! It's so less stressful for me and her, and she's perfectly behaved at the vet's when they do it.

Stephanie

No, cats' claws don't stop growing, front or back. Most cats will keep their back claws from getting too long by chewing on them from time to time.

I only have to routinely trim my cats' front claws. The back ones get a trim only once in while. They don't need it as much as the front ones. The back ones are thicker and they seem to keep them worn down really well. Mind you, we have porcelain tile over half the apartment, and they go outside every day and have a good run around, so they've got more chance to wear down their claws.

Thanks all, Darci is an indoor cat so she may not be able to wear them down. I think she likes to use them to scratch and her ears with and climb her cat tree. It causes her so much anexity to go the vet but I may just do that or try and get her when she is sleeping. She seems to sleep with one eye open around her back paws. I am glad to know she is not the only screaming kitten about her toes.

I've noticed when I clip my cats' nails that they all tend to complain much more when I attempt the back versus when I do the front. Now, they're not exactly complacent when I do the front, but boy do they squirm and complain when it comes to the back ones. I've also been told and actually noticed that the back don't need clipping as often as the front because of the activity level. I'm sure hard wood and/or tile floors instead of carpet contributes.

I've only had one cat that would purr when you groomed him including cutting nails! Most do not like it done.

However, their nails keep growing tho the back ones are slower then the front. And over time (age wise) they are thicker and may be tougher to cut.

But all my cats get all 4 feet done as needed and that means checking and trimming once a week. You cat probably objects because you don't cut often enough. When mine complain about it I simply tell them to "hold still and shut up" and I decide when nail cutting is done - not them.

We clip both front and back paws once a week. I have noticed that the back once don't need trimming every week. I just look at each one and if it's too sharp it gets trimmed. When I do the front there is no problems but the back ones do come with extra twitching and scratching. Your cat is not the only one.

Oliver has soft paws on the front ones, so they get clipped as the caps fall off and I clip the back when I noticed they're getting long (he's a bunny kicker, so my arms will tell me when he's due for a nail clipping, haha)... he's not too bad with it (depending on his mood) but I'll sit on the floor with my back up against the bed and hold him like a baby kinda in between my stomach and bent up knees (so he's kinda sittin on his rump like a person in my lap) and then just clip away... have you tried having someone help you? Like one person hold the front end of the kitty, wrapped in a towel to prevent biting and front claw scratches, while the other person clips quickly? I definitely wouldn't just "let them go" especially with an indoor kitty as they could potentially grow to curl under and into her foot pad and that would require more than just a simple visit to the vet...

Originally Posted by lisakmusco

I've noticed when I clip my cats' nails that they all tend to complain much more when I attempt the back versus when I do the front.

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I've noticed that, too, and I think it's mainly because they just don't like you handling their back feet....maybe because it's hard for them to see what you're doing there.

We trim both front and back but the back not as frequently as the front.

Thank you once again, Darci is going to have to learn to deal or better yet I am. I will just try doing one each day.

It's easy for me since I start clipping their claws from only a few weeks old.

I clip both sets of claws at the same time. Their back claws hurt the most. I went over to my friends house the other day and clipped her kitties claws that hadn't been cut for well over five years. That was fun!

My girls receive regular manicures of both their front and back claws. Neither of them enjoy the process, but I've been doing it since they were just babies, so it's part of our routine.

Originally Posted by WellingtonCats

It's easy for me since I start clipping their claws from only a few weeks old.

I clip both sets of claws at the same time. Their back claws hurt the most. I went over to my friends house the other day and clipped her kitties claws that hadn't been cut for well over five years. That was fun!

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Sam, I'm confused. Are you saying that it hurts when we clip our kitties claws? I thought it would be just like our nails and unless we cut into the quick it didn't hurt at all.

I trim the front every couple of months. They use the cat trees a lot so I dont have to trim them very much. I have never trimed the back, they always look worn down, prob from all the climbing on the cat trees.

I have tried sitting against the bed with my cat on her rump she seems more open to it then when I had her on her side I always coax her with kitty treats as well so with each paw she gets a treat she is getting alot better.

Thanks for all the insight. My Bridget LOVES having her front nails done (to the point of all I have to do is ask if she wants a manicure and she hops up on my lap, paws poised) but heaven help you if you attempt to get the back. I can't even figure out the mechanics of getting to her back feet unless I have a willing friend hold her in a sort of quasi-Heimlich maneuver.

So I've just given up and will let the vet do it at her yearly physical.

Bridgey chomps on her back feet from time to time and she hasn't lost an eye yet so I'm not too concerned.