clipping claws nessecary?

[zephyer78]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering about clipping claws. I don't clip Autumn's, she is really good about only scratching on her posts, and she rarely scratches me (if she does it is usually my fault for iniating rough play). I also like how it looks when the claws are left long.

My question is: are there any health benifits to clipping the nails? Like I said I like them long, but if there is a reason to cut (besides minimizing scratching) I will clip if I have too. She has a scatching post,and goes outside on occasion where she will scratch trees and such to keep the length down a bit.

 

[katachtig]

As long as she is taking care of them herself, you do not need to clip them. I clip my eldest cat because she isn't taking care of them. They will grow to the point where she get snagged and cant get herself free. She could injure a claw this way.

The other two have their nails clipped as a convenience to me because they accidentally scratch us.

 

[lisar]

I only clip my eldest claws as well. She is also not scratching to wear them down. She is also not active enough to wear the back claws down at all. So I have to clip hers for her so she doesn't get snagged. Also since cats walk on their toes the back claws can get long enough so that they can't retract them if the cat isn't taking care of its claws. I would imagine that this is uncomfortable at least... Also cats can get ingrown claws like we get ingrown nails if they are not groomed.

The younger one I don't clip, he's very good at wearing them down and he doesn't scratch hardly at all. Usually its the back claws and when hes deathly scared.

Your kitty is very active still and grooming her claws. So there is no health reason to clip them unless shes accidentally scratching you. The only thing is to keep an eye on the back claws and make sure she can retract them. Back claws should break off and wear down when cats jumps up on things.

 

[nekomania]

Yep, there aren't any health reasons unless she doesn't groom them herself and they become curled into the pawpad.



I clip my cats nails simply because I have never been able to rid him of his love for rough play. I know he doesn't do it on purpose, but every once and a while he'll get me with a claw whilst attempting to get a toy and I'll know it's about that time to trim them down again.

I have young cousins who like to come down and play with him when they are here every sunday, so I also keep them short so there are no accidents with the kids. The last thing I need to hear right now is that my cat is evil and scratching up children.


Besides me, all he scratches are his scratching pads though. Which is the most amazing thing I've ever seen since every other kitty I've had liked to claw furniture.

 

[missymotus]

Scratching poles sharpen claws and remove the outer shedding layers, they do nothing to dull the claws.

I clip all mine so they don't get caught in things (some here have stories of cats getting tangled in rugs, steao speakers and nearly ripping the claw out), and also to make sure they aren't curling into the paw pads - especially the 'thumb'

 

[carolina]

Nope, I don't.... Used to... I do take a look at them weekly, to make sure they are healthy, and not too long, but do not clip them.
There a SO many scratching posts in here that they never damaged anything... I also see that they replace the outer layers often, as I keep finding claws around the house.
They are all fine so far.

 

[kscatlady]

I just clip my little one's claws, because she's not getting the whole scratching post thing. She tries to use my leg.

 

[goldenkitty45]

Don't know how you can stand them to be long and sharp! I trim nails on mine weekly (as needed). I find they tend to scratch more if the nails are long.

Also I'm a little paranoid. I had Russian Blue brothers (kittens) and when wrestling with each other, the one almost blinded the other when swatting at each other. After that (and the kitten having his eye stitched shut to protect it and meds to heal it) the kittens started getting nails trimmed at 5-6 weeks old.

YES please clip the nails. If too long, they can get caught in things and the cat could rip out a nail.

 

[addiebee]

My dudes get trimmed every couple of weeks. Otherwise someone is going to get hurt. They like to knead on me ... Casper will knead the rug and get stuck. And yes - I don't want ingrowns. It's really not that big of a deal to trim them.

 

[otto]

I trim all my cats' claws regularly.

There are health benefits. Trimming keeps the claws from growing too long, and into the pad. It keeps the claws from growing too long and affecting the cat's gait. (cats walk on their toes)

Trimming them reduces the danger of a claw getting caught in something, a loop of fabric of a blanket, the rug, even a cardboard scratcher, could cause serious damage, if a claw gets stuck.

Trimming claws regularly has other benefits. It gets the cat used to being handled. Many cats end up needing some kind of treatments at some point in their lives, the more they have been handled by you, the less stress there will be come a time like that.

It helps you be familiar with what is normal for their toes and feet, so you are more likely to notice any change, or potential trouble.

It helps reduce the likelihood of injuries in multicat households (My cats play and chase and tumble together all the time). And cut down on the damage an inadvertent scratch to you (or a guest..or the vet..) can do.

I always trim a cat's claws the night before a vet appointment.

All cats can be trained to accept this procedure. With some it may take time.....for instance it took my Mazy cat three years of daily training to allow me to trim her claws at home. But all the paw work and patience was worth it.

And....it can be one more bonding experience between you and your cat.

 

[trillcat]

I am working on getting Ginger used to her feet being touched, she does not like it at all.
I can't trim her nails, she won't let me and they are like razor blades. I had her nails trimmed at the vet once, it was an ordeal I will not put her through again. Me and 2 techs holding her down while she screamed and cried. She was not hurt physically at all, but it so freaked her out, and me too.
She takes good care of her claws, they are just very sharp.

 

[otto]

Originally Posted by Trillcat

I am working on getting Ginger used to her feet being touched, she does not like it at all.
I can't trim her nails, she won't let me and they are like razor blades. I had her nails trimmed at the vet once, it was an ordeal I will not put her through again. Me and 2 techs holding her down while she screamed and cried. She was not hurt physically at all, but it so freaked her out, and me too.
She takes good care of her claws, they are just very sharp.

Slow and easy does it, sounds like you are handling it just right.

Mazy came to me completely unsocialized, and hated, still hates, her paws touched.

Mazy did daily Paw Work. I did the other cats, too, though they didn't need the practice, so Mazy could see and copy them. One by one I would hold each cat on my lap and hold and press the paws like I do to trim. Then give a treat. Mazy always went last.

At first I could barely brush a paw with a finger. Over the days weeks months and years, it has now come to the point where I can trim all claws on her front paws, in one session. Took three years.

In the interim I was bringing her to the groomer every six weeks, there was one person only who Mazy would allow to trim her claws, the groomer assistant. And that only: on a wooden counter (Mazy HATES stainless steel) draped over my arm, I used my other hand to hold her face turned away from the groomer, and to slip little dots of mayonnaise onto Mazy's mouth to lick off, as Kathy would snip.

I still do it that way, little dots of mayo on Mazy's mouth as I snip. Licking the mayo keeps her too busy to protest much.

 

[kittyl0ve4]

I do both of mine's claws about every two weeks. Mainly I do it because I was never able to completely stop Monster from attacking hands or feet. But I read about the possibility of the claws growing into the paw pad, and I don't want either of them to get stuck in the carpet and injure themselves trying to get free. Monster likes to knead, especially on BF's moms' boobs, so that is another reason, to keep him from hurting her. Another reason, Mittens doesn't like kids, and my nephew comes over once a week (sometimes more) and if he gets on her nerves she will swat him and scratch him. Monster does it too, when Robbie is bothering him and he's had enough. They have both scratched him before, and I don't want them to REALLY hurt him (even though he probably deserves it). Plus, they are always going after each other, or Mittens doesn't want to be bothered, Monster will torture her, and they will fight. So, to keep both of them safer, I keep the claws trimmed as short as I can.

 

[kit e cat]

I trim the ones who will let me every few weeks, but the ones who don't, I let them take care of it themselves. I'm not risking getting bit to trim my cats nails, or stressing them out unnecessarily. I've never had a problem, every one uses their scratchers, and I find nails all over myhouse, so I know they're taking care of it.

 

[allmycats]

I trim Gigi's nails every 7-10 days. She hardly ever tries her claws out on the furniture (she has four scratching posts), but I like to keep them as blunt as I can (I have dogs she plays with), and I also do it just...well, because I CAN! I am glad that I can handle all four feet and her in general, so EASILY and want to keep that up. Plus it is better for the feet to keep the nails short. Sometimes if I'm carrying her and she decides to struggle for whatever reason, she can put holes in my shirt with her rear nails easily. Keeping them more blunt helps against that too. She is easy to groom, so I do.

 

[lsanders]

I clip their front claws regularly and back claws once in awhile- they get long, but not really sharp, so I wait until they're sticking out beyond their toes before I consider them too long.

Here's why I clip, particularly the back claws, regardless of temperment (and I was clipping regularly before I heard this story; the story just re-affirms my commitment to doing it):

Another volunteer at the shelter I volunteer at had a co-worker whose two cats were like children to her and her husband. They'd had them for years and they took good care of them. The cats weren't aggressive at all, so they didn't clip their claws. One day, the husband was sitting with one of the cats relaxed on his lap. Suddenly, there was a loud noise somewhere in the house and the cat freaked out and launched forcefully off his lap. The husband was wearing shorts and the cat's back claws scratched a fairly deep scratch into his bare leg. He went and washed it with soap and water, maybe even something stronger, like alcohol or peroxide (which really aren't necessary, and can actually be counter-productive, but if I had a fairly deep wound, I don't know that I wouldn't do it either). He slapped a band-aid on it and went on with his day.

The next day, or maybe even later that day, he noticed that the wound still hurt a lot and was getting red and puffy. He decided not to take any chances with infection and sought professional medical help. The doctor took one look at it and ran some tests and he was immediately admitted into the hospital. He was in the ICU for 2 weeks, during which time, he almost died because the wound was so deep and the infection went straight into his bloodstream and was starting to affect the rest of his body. They nearly had to amputate his leg, as well. He survived, though, leg intact, but he and his wife had to re-home their cats and can never own any more animals because his immune system is forever compromised and he can't risk getting scratched or bitten.

So, yeah, I clip.

 

[jack31]

They boys get clipped about every 3 weeks Harley is a big time kneader and Jack launches off everything when playing fetch so they need cut. Peppers get cut when I can I started doing hers at like ad wks and she still hates it and bites so I do one or two here and there. Gingers have been done twice once when the babies were just born-days old and then when the babies were 7 or 8 wks old. She maintains them well now on her daily routine outside. She has a favorite tree for sharpening as well!

Leslie