OK...somebody`s GOT to tell me "WHY"???

[momto3cats]

I'm not disputing that some cats need to have their claws clipped, I just don't think they all do, or that anyone should feel like a bad pet owner if they don't do it. My current two cats have been indoors all their lives; one needs her claws clipped, the other doesn't. I have had cats since I was a kid and all but one maintained their claws at a normal length without any help.

 

[abymummy]

If you could see my arms and legs right now you'll KNOW why I advocate the clipping of ALL nails (front AND back)!

Just last week I was grooming (read bathing and drying) a friend's Maine Coon and we decided NOT to clip the back nails...big mistake!!

I have two lovely "holes" where my skin used to be just above my knee!

 

[nekochan]

My cat's favorite place to be is sitting on someone's chest and kneading them. She is a heavy cat, and if her claws are not clipped it is VERY painful to have her kneading your chest! (or any other area..) I trim her claws so that they don't have lethal points on them, and so I don't sit there going "OW! OW! OW! OW!" whenever she kneads me, which is pretty much every day... Trimming also keeps her from causing damage to anything else she scratches, such as the rug, or my dogs! :O

 

[mzjazz2u]

It's very true that cats claws can grow too long and become embedded in their little pads. It's a very painful thing. Ask anyone who works in an animal shelter... they'll tell you stories of this and other things happening when they have received some neglected animals. In fact the other day when I was watching animal cops, they showed some dogs that came from the home of a hoarder. The dogs nails were so long that the dogs were very uncomfortable and could hardly walk.

 

[gomer]

I was a dog groomer for 9 years, and have seen numerous cats (and dogs) come in with their nails curled into their pads. I had a cat myself that did that, I took her to the vet and they cut the nail off right at the base (it was a dewclaw). It grew back inside her leg and I had to have her entire dewclaw, bone and all removed.

My mom has a cat that won't sharpen his nails on anything. As a result all of his nails are double sheathed. It's a huge PIA to clip them, he bites like crazy, but it has to be done. His will grow into his pads in a couple weeks if we don't.

I clip my cats nails when I think of it. If I see them clawing at my furniture I clip them. Plus they scrap sometimes and I don't want them to hurt each other. Or the dogs if they get swinging at them. I've also had cats get their nails caught and rip their nail out from panicking.

If your cat doesn't need it's nails done, that's great. I'd love to not have to do nails on my cats!

My brother had his cat declawed, and while I'll admit I do like the soft little feet, I don't like how the cat doesn't like to jump down from surfaces, and if he does, he does this weird hop thing afterward. I think his feet are tender from it, and it's been about 2 years. Plus I've found that declawed cats tend to bite more. And I would much rather get scratched than bit!