Scratching Post and paws getting caught

Is it normal sometimes for a cat's paw to get stuck in a used scratching post?? Every once in awhile my cat(Mau)'s paw gets stuck in the scratching post. This tends to happens as the post get a bit older. Most of the time he can work it out, but sometimes I'll run over there and free it. It looks like it's just his nail that gets hung up on it... I worry that this may happen when I"m not home, but can they usually wiggle it free??.

I also thought about clipping his nails with a toenail clipper. is this okay to do??? Anyway, just wondering if it's normal for them to get their paws stuck in those posts every now and then.

It just sounds like the nails are too long. Scratching posts don't wear down the nails like tree trunks and so forth outside. I'd recommend a pet nail clippers. They're so much easier to use than a human clippers.

Here's a good article on trimming: http://www.cat-world.com.au/catclaws.htm

What kind of material is on your scratching posts? Maybe something more rough would help? You can actually make posts out of natural logs. My kittens have two bark covered logs and they like them. Sisal rope or burlap might be good too. I know a lot of the store-bought ones are soft carpet and they don't look like they'd do much as far as sharpening nails.

I do clip my kittens' nails because sometimes they accidently scratch us while playing. It doesn't hurt them, just be careful not to hit the quick. That's the blood vessel. You can usually see it unless the nails are really dark, and then just shine a flashlight through the nail. If you still can't see anything, just clip the very tip off. I use a pet nail trimmer also. It works much nicer than human nail trimmers.